1985 Harvard Crimson football team

The 1985 Harvard Crimson football team was an American football team that represented Harvard University during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Harvard tied for second in the Ivy League.

1985 Harvard Crimson football
Conference	Ivy League
1985 record	7–3 (5–2 Ivy)
Head coach	Joe Restic (15th season)
Captain	James B. Wilkinson
Home stadium	Harvard Stadium

1985 Ivy League football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Penn $	6	–	1	–	0			7	–	2	–	1
Harvard	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Princeton	5	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Brown	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	1
Yale	3	–	3	–	1			4	–	4	–	1
Dartmouth	2	–	4	–	1			2	–	7	–	1
Cornell	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Columbia	0	–	7	–	0			0	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion

In their 15th year under head coach Joe Restic, the Crimson compiled a 7–3 record and outscored opponents 192 to 136. James B. Wilkinson was the team captain.[1]

Harvard's 5–2 conference record tied for second-best in the Ivy League standings. The Crimson outscored Ivy opponents 140 to 92.[2]

The Crimson briefly appeared in the weekly national top 20, achieving No. 16 in the poll released October 1, but fell out of the rankings the next week and remained unranked through the end of the season.

Harvard played its home games at Harvard Stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 21	at Columbia	Wien Stadium New York, NY	W 49–17	7,921	[3]
September 28	UMass*	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	W 10–3	16,500	[4]
October 5	No. 5 William & Mary*	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	L 14–21	6,500	[5]
October 12	at Cornell	Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY	W 20–17	15,300	[6]
October 19	Dartmouth	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA (rivalry)	W 17–7	15,800	[7]
October 26	Princeton	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA (rivalry)	L 6–11	18,000	[8]
November 2	at Brown	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	W 25–17	10,600	[9]
November 9	at Holy Cross*	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 28–20	14,697	[10]
November 16	Penn	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA (rivalry)	W 17–6	18,040	[11]
November 23	at Yale	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT (The Game)	L 6–17	54,647	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from the latest NCAA Division I-AA poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Football Record Book: Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
2. "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 31. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
3. Duffy, Bob (September 22, 1985). "Harvard Gets Going, 49-17". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 68 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Cadigan, Barry (September 29, 1985). "Harvard Tips UMass, 10-3". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 52 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Concannon, Joe (October 6, 1985). "Harvard Falls Short Against Wm. & Mary". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 68 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Concannon, Joe (October 13, 1985). "Harvard, Steinberg Kick Cornell, 20-17". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 62 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Monahan, Bob (October 20, 1985). "Harvard Grinds Down Dartmouth, 17-7". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 70 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Monahan, Bob (October 27, 1985). "Princeton Bursts, 11-6". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 66 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Concannon, Joe (November 3, 1985). "Brown Denied; Harvard Posts a 25-17 Victory". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 71 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Concannon, Joe (November 10, 1985). "It Was Really a Rally; Harvard Tops HC with 21 in :41". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 57 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Longman, Jere (November 17, 1985). "Harvard Snaps Penn Streak, 17-6". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. pp. 1-E, 18-E – via Newspapers.com.
12. Concannon, Joe (November 24, 1985). "Yale Undermines Harvard Quest; Crimson's Final Rally Fails, 17-6". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 57 – via Newspapers.com.