During the glory days of the NCAA, Ateneo and San Beda were the giants in the league; as the two winningest schools, they were considered poles apart.

Alumni from both the Katipunan and Mendiola campuses attest that the rivalry was legendary—and school brawls even more unforgettable, far from the school rivalries that the younger generations experience today. When the schools parted ways—Ateneo left the NCAA because of a heated championship game tussle against San Beda—the rivalry has been forgotten.