As The GUIDON Sports celebrates Ateneo sports history this month, we take a deep look in arguably the most intense rivalry in Philippine collegiate sports, the Ateneo-DLSU rivalry.
THE WORLD of sports is filled with rivalries that guarantee nail-biting games. For years, fans have been treated to thrilling matchups between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, and Futbol Club Barcelona and Real Madrid. Locally, the Philippine sports scene has had its fair share of rivalries such as the historic Crispa-Toyota rivalry and the current Ginebra-Purefoods “Manila Clasico.” At the collegiate level, there is none more prominent than that of Ateneo and De La Salle University (DLSU).
Having spanned decades, the rivalry between the Blue Eagles and the Green Archers have seen a multitude of captivating matches. Since its early basketball beginnings, it has grown to include other sports such as volleyball, football, and swimming—adding to its long list of memorable events. This rivalry’s impact on both schools and on the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in general demonstrates the importance of healthy competition in sports.
Birth of a rivalry
Long before Ateneo and DLSU duked it out in the UAAP, the heated rivalry between the two schools began in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). During the 1939 NCAA Basketball championships, the Green Archers went into the game as the underdogs against the Blue Eagles. However, Ateneo was shot down by a four-point upset that saw DLSU claim their first NCAA championship. The defeat was described by the Manila Bulletin as “a bitter pill” to swallow for Ateneo.
To cap off their stunning victory, DLSU fans supposedly threw fried chicken at the gates of Ateneo’s Padre Faura campus, signalling the start of many heated encounters. This series of events marked the first of numerous feuds and championship matchups between both schools, eventually giving birth to a rivalry that spans decades of triumph and disappointment for both sides.
Since then, the Blue Eagles and Green Archers developed a unique sporting rivalry that adds an extra dimension to their games that other matchups don’t possess. Every encounter between the two squads evokes a yearning to make their respective communities proud not only by bringing home the trophy, but also by crushing the opposing team.
The competition continues
Today, the rivalry’s competitive and exciting nature has encompassed other sports as well. In the past decade alone, there have been many notable Ateneo-La Salle championship matchups such as in Men’s Basketball Seasons 79 and 80, Women’s Volleyball Seasons 74-79, Men’s Football in Season 81, and Men’s Swimming in Season 82.
In UAAP Season 79, the post-Kiefer Ravena Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team (AMBT) was on a rebuild, as it featured the young core of Thirdy Ravena, Aaron Black, and the Nieto twins. Despite their inexperience, the Tab Baldwin-mentored team surprised many by reaching the finals. Against a talented DLSU squad bannered by dominant players like Jeron Teng, Ben Mbala, and Aljun Melecio, Ateneo kept the series close but ultimately fell to the more seasoned Green Archers. However, the Blue and White exacted revenge the following season by overcoming their archrivals in three games to bag the Season 80 crown.
Beyond basketball, this rivalry brought volleyball into the spotlight of Philippine sports when Ateneo rose up to face the powerhouse DLSU squad in six straight UAAP Women’s Volleyball Finals from Season 74 to 79. In UAAP Season 76, Ateneo strengthened the rivalry on the taraflex as they pulled off their storied Cinderella run to capture Ateneo’s first ever UAAP volleyball crown. To rub salt into the wound, the Blue and White—under the heartstrong mentality of Coach Tai Bundit—went on to sweep the entirety of Season 77, including DLSU.
The rivalry has also extended to the football pitch. In the UAAP Season 68 Men’s Football tournament, DLSU beat Ateneo in the elimination round to deny them a sweep and an outright championship. This consequently set up an intense finals showdown between both schools. The Blue Eagles eventually came out on top after an eighth minute stoppage time goal, which granted them their third consecutive title.
13 years later, the two archrivals met again in the UAAP Season 81 finals, and the encounter was just as close as the last one. After trailing in the last few minutes of the game, Ateneo again bagged a stoppage time goal, this time an equalizer from Jarvey Gayoso. Gayoso’s goal took the game to extra time, setting up the stage for Julian Roxas’s match-winning header which sealed a dramatic 2-1 victory for the Blue Eagles and crowned them champions.
Apart from football, the two schools have brought competitive tension to the waters of UAAP swimming. Even with five consecutive championships under their belt, the departure of key veterans stacked the odds against Ateneo’s six-peat ambition in UAAP Season 82. Behind the stellar performance of MVP Sacho Ilustre, DLSU held the lead over Ateneo after three days of action. However, Ateneo mounted a strong push on day four as they completed a late comeback to achieve the rare six-peat crown.
A win for the UAAP
As the rivalry continues to expand into different sports, its effects go beyond both schools. In recent years, the UAAP has reaped benefits from the excitement and attention that an Ateneo-DLSU matchup draws. The classic Blue Eagles versus Green Archers game days are often characterized by long waiting lines for tickets and massive interactions on Twitter.
The title-clinching game four of the UAAP Women’s Volleyball Season 76 Finals drew a huge crowd of 21,314 supporters into the 15,000-seater Mall of Asia Arena. That number increased to 22,848 people in the Season 78 Women’s Volleyball Finals, which broke the UAAP Volleyball Tournament’s attendance record.
Apart from the increased ticket attendance in the games, Baldwin believes that the rivalry improves the UAAP’s level of play, and in turn develops players at the collegiate level. “This will go on and on and on. The crowd of both teams are hyped every time these two teams go at it on the court, and this just makes the league [UAAP] a great avenue for the players to improve their skills,” said Baldwin.
Growing together
As Ateneo-DLSU matchups continue to captivate fans with elevated performances and high intensity, the quality of play every time they meet shows how beneficial it is to have a strong, long-lasting rivalry. In an interview with Esquire in 2017, former King Eagle Kiefer Ravena expressed how exciting it was to play in an Ateneo-DLSU game. “The Ateneo-La Salle rivalry is, I think, the biggest rivalry in Philippine sports,” said Ravena. “The rivalry is really intense. It goes beyond the players,” he added.
From throwing fried chicken at campus grounds to dramatic comebacks, the excitement that an Ateneo-DLSU game guarantees has been instrumental to the growth of both teams. As the rivalry continues to expand from its basketball beginnings into other sports, it highlights the competitiveness of the league and allows the whole UAAP to grow. As players and coaches come and go, the Ateneo-DLSU rivalry transcends time and remains essential to the development of Philippine collegiate sports.
