Sports History
Sports run deep in Hopkinton's history — from the Boston Marathon's famous start on our town green every April to generations of Hopkinton High School teams. Below, the Marathon story and our local & school sports archive, including vintage game film, championship highlights, and photographs.
The Boston Marathon
Where the world's most famous road race begins
Hopkinton has been the official starting point of the Boston Marathon since 1924, when organizers lengthened the course to match the Olympic standard of 26 miles and 385 yards. Every Patriots' Day since, the world's attention has turned to a stretch of road on our town green.
The Full Story
Read the complete account of how an arithmetic correction gave Hopkinton a permanent place in one of the world's most-watched sporting events, in Chapter Fourteen of our Town History.
Local & School Sports
Hopkinton's teams, on and off the field
Separate from the Marathon, the Society also documents generations of Hopkinton school and community teams — from early 1900s baseball to modern-day Hiller championship squads.
Local Teams
Our photo collection includes local school and community teams, such as the St. John's Baseball Team, c.1905. Browse what's been digitized so far in the Digital Archive.
Share Your Photos
Have team photos, uniforms, or programs from Hopkinton sports history? We'd love to add them to the archive — get in touch.
Championship Highlights
Hopkinton Hillers, on video
Hiller teams have brought home sectional and state championships across the last two decades. These highlight reels are hosted on the Society's YouTube channel.
| Football | 5th Annual Turkey Bowl Highlights (uploaded May 30, 2008) — Watch |
|---|---|
| Basketball | Girls Basketball Championship Game at Fleet Center, 2001 (uploaded January 6, 2025) — Watch |
| Volleyball | Wins 2014 State Championship (uploaded November 25, 2014) — Watch |
| Volleyball | Receives 2016 State Championship Banner (uploaded March 9, 2017) — Watch |
| Volleyball | Girls D2 State Championship Recap, 2021 (uploaded November 24, 2021) — Watch |
| Baseball | vs. St. Mary's, S2 State Championship, 2019 (uploaded June 25, 2019) — Watch |
| Baseball | Sectional Finals & State Championship Highlights, 2021 (uploaded July 13, 2021) — Watch |
| Soccer | Boys D2 Soccer Finals vs. Oliver Ames, 2022 (uploaded November 22, 2022) — Watch |
| Hockey | Boys Hockey Defeats Walpole, Advances to 2023 D2 Final (uploaded March 13, 2023) — Watch |
| Hockey | Boys Hockey vs. Canton, 2023 D2 State Championship (uploaded March 21, 2023) — Watch |
| Tennis | Boys Tennis Advances to 2023 D2 Final Four (uploaded June 12, 2023) — Watch |
| More Championship Video | 2018–19 D3 State Finals vs. Wachusett (uploaded March 19, 2019) — Watch |
| More Championship Video | A Golden Age of Hiller Sports, 2014–2024 (uploaded December 9, 2024) — Watch |
| More Championship Video | Full Sports History Update, December 2024 (uploaded July 16, 2025) — Watch |
| More Championship Video | Hopkinton High School Sports Hall of Fame (uploaded November 25, 2024) — Watch |
| More Championship Video | Coaches Corner, Part 1, Fall 2024 (uploaded July 16, 2025) — Watch |
| More Championship Video | Coaches Corner, Part 2, Fall 2024 (uploaded July 16, 2025) — Watch |
| More Championship Video | Coaches Corner with Coach Hughes (uploaded July 16, 2025) — Watch |
Game Film Archive
Vintage Hopkinton football film, 1970–1982
Raw 8mm/16mm game footage transferred to video, digitized by the Society. Video quality is limited by the original source reels.
| Reel 1 | Hopkinton vs. Ashland, 1970 — Watch |
|---|---|
| Reel 2 | Hopkinton vs. Medfield, 1975 — Watch |
| Reel 3 | Hopkinton vs. Marian, 1975 — Watch |
| Reel 4 | Hopkinton vs. Ashland, 1975 — Watch |
| Reel 5 | Hopkinton vs. Ashland, 1976 — Watch |
| Reel 6 | Hopkinton vs. Millis, 1976 — Watch |
| Reel 7 | Hopkinton vs. Dover, 1982 — Watch |
| Reel 8 | Hopkinton vs. Marian, 1978 — Watch |
| Reel 9 | Hopkinton vs. Bellingham, 1978 — Watch |
| Reel 10 | Hopkinton vs. Westwood, 1978 — Watch |
| Reel 14 | Hopkinton vs. Medfield, 1978 — Watch |
| Reel 16 | Hopkinton vs. Holliston, 1979 — Watch |
Additional reels and video history are available on the Society's site under Hopkinton Sports History.