Harvard Crimson football

The Harvard Crimson football program represents Harvard University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Harvard's football program is one of the oldest in the world, having begun competing in the sport in 1873. The Crimson has a legacy that includes 13 national championships and 20 College Football Hall of Fame inductees, including the first African-American college football player William H. Lewis, Huntington "Tack" Hardwick, Barry Wood, Percy Haughton, and Eddie Mahan. Harvard is the eighth winningest team in NCAA Division I football history.[2][3]

Harvard Crimson football
First season1873
Head coachTim Murphy
25th season, 178–81 (.687)
StadiumHarvard Stadium
(Capacity: 30,323)
Field surfaceFieldTurf
LocationBoston, Massachusetts
ConferenceIvy League
All-time record829–383–50 (.677)
Bowl record1–0 (1.000)
Claimed nat'l titles7
Unclaimed nat'l titles6
Conference titles17
RivalriesDartmouth (rivalry)
Yale (rivalry)
Penn (rivalry)
Princeton (rivalry)
Current uniform
ColorsCrimson, White, and Black[1]
              
Fight songTen Thousand Men of Harvard
MascotJohn Harvard
OutfitterNike
WebsiteGoCrimson.com

History
See also: List of Harvard Crimson football seasons

Early history
The Harvard vs. McGill game played in 1874

Old "Football Fightum" had been resurrected at Harvard in 1872, when Harvard resumed playing football. Harvard, however, had adopted a version of football which allowed carrying, albeit only when the player carrying the ball was being pursued. As a result of this, Harvard refused to attend the rules conference organized by the other schools and continued to play under its own code. While Harvard's voluntary absence from the meeting made it hard for them to schedule games against other American universities, it agreed to a challenge to play McGill University, from Montreal, in a two-game series. Inasmuch as rugby football had been transplanted to Canada from England, the McGill team played under a set of rules which allowed a player to pick up the ball and run with it whenever he wished. Another rule, unique to McGill, was to count tries (the act of grounding the football past the opposing team's goal line; it is important to note that there was no end zone during this time), as well as goals, in the scoring. In the Rugby rules of the time, a touchdown only provided the chance to kick a free goal from the field. If the kick was missed, the touchdown did not count.

The McGill team traveled to Cambridge to meet Harvard. On May 14, 1874, the first game, played under Harvard's rules, was won by Harvard with a score of 3–0.[4] The next day, the two teams played under "McGill" rugby rules to a scoreless tie.[5] The games featured a round ball instead of a rugby-style oblong ball.[4] This series of games represents an important milestone in the development of the modern game of American football.[6][7] In October 1874, the Harvard team once again traveled to Montreal to play McGill in rugby, where they won by three tries.

Ralph Horween played for the unbeaten Harvard Crimson football teams of 1919 and 1920

The Harvard Crimson was one of the dominant forces in the early days of intercollegiate football, winning 9 college football national championships between 1890 and 1919.[8][9] In both 1919 and 1920, headed by All-American brothers Arnold Horween and Ralph Horween (who also attended Harvard Law School), Harvard was undefeated (9–0–1, as they outscored their competition 229–19, and 8–0–1, respectively).[10][11][12] The team won the 1920 Rose Bowl against the University of Oregon, 7–6.[13][14][15] It was the only bowl appearance in Harvard history.[16]

In the forty-year period from 1889 to 1928, Harvard had more than 80 first-team All-American selections.[17] Under head coach Percy Haughton, Harvard had three consecutive undefeated seasons from 1912 to 1914, including two perfect seasons in 1912 and 1913.[18]

NCAA Division I subdivision split

The NCAA decided to split Division I into two subdivisions in 1978, then called I-A for larger schools, and I-AA for the smaller ones. The NCAA had devised the split, in part, with the Ivy League in mind, but the conference did not move down for four seasons despite the fact that there were many indications that the ancient eight were on the wrong side of an increasing disparity between the big and small schools. In 1982, the NCAA created a rule that stated a program's average attendance must be at least 15,000 to qualify for I-A membership. This forced the conference's hand, as only some of the member schools met the attendance qualification. Choosing to stay together rather than stand their ground separately in the increasingly competitive I-A subdivision, the Ivy League, along with several other conferences and independent programs moved down into I-AA starting with the 1982 season (a number of these teams have since returned to I-A/FBS).[19]

Recent history
Harvard players in 2019

Since the formation of the Ivy League in 1956, Harvard has won outright or shared 17 Ivy League championships (8 outright; 9 shared), 1961 (6–3), 1966 (8–1), 1968 (8–0–1), 1974 (7–2), 1975 (7–2), 1982 (7–3), 1983 (6–2–2), 1987 (8–2), 1997 (9–1), 2001 (9–0), 2004 (10–0), 2007 (8–2), 2008 (9–1), 2011 (9–1), 2013 (9–1), 2014 (10–0) and 2015 (9–1). The Crimson are behind Penn and Dartmouth's 18 Ivy League Football Championships.[20]

Before the start of the 2020 season, the Ivy League announced that no sports would be played until January 1, 2021, at the earliest, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has not yet been determined whether the football season will take place in the spring 2021 or not at all.[21]

Championships

National championships

Harvard has won 12 national championships (1874, 1875, 1890, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1919, 1920) from NCAA-designated major selectors.[22][23]:110–111 Harvard claims seven of these college football national championships.[24]

Year Selectors Coach Record
1874Parke DavisArthur B. Ellis1–1
1875National Championship Foundation, Parke DavisWilliam A. Whiting4–0
1890PD, NCF, Billingsley Report (BR), Helms Athletic Foundation (HAF), Houlgate System (HS)[9]George A. Stewart, George C. Adams11–0
1898BR, HAF, HS, NCF[9]William Forbes11–0
1899HAF, HS, NCF[9]Benjamin Dibblee10–0–1
1901BillingsleyBill Reid12–0
1908BillingsleyPercy Haughton9–0–1
1910BR, HAF, HS, NCF[9]Percy Haughton8–0–1
1912BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD[9]Percy Haughton9–0–0
1913HAF, HS, NCF, PD[9]Percy Haughton9–0–0
1919College Football Researchers Association (CFRA), HAF, HS, NCF, PD[9]Bob Fisher9–0–1
1920BoandBob Fisher8–0–1

Bold indicates claimed championship

Conference championships

Harvard has won 17 conference championships, all of which occurring during their tenure in the Ivy League, which they joined in 1956, with eight of them being outright and nine being shared. They are second in total Ivy League football titles, behind Dartmouth and Penn.[25]

Year Conference Coach Overall record Conference record
1961†Ivy LeagueJohn Yovicsin6–36–1
1966†8–16–1
1968†8–0–16–0–1
1974†Joe Restic7–26–1
19757–26–1
1982†7–35–2
1983†6–2–25–1–1
19878–26–1
1997Tim Murphy9–17–0
20019–07–0
200410–07–0
20078–27–0
2008†9–16–1
20119–17–0
2013†9–16–1
201410–07–0
2015†9–16–1

† Co-championship

Head coaches
Current Harvard head coach Tim Murphy on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in May 2010

In over a century of play, Harvard has had numerous head coaches, with varying success.[26][27]

Name Tenure Record Pct.
No coach1873–188072–19–4.779
Lucius Littauer18815–1–2.750
Frank A. Mason188612–2.857
George A. Stewart & George C. Adams1890–189234–2.944
George A. Stewart & Everett J. Lake189312–1.923
William A. Brooks189411–2.846
Robert Emmons18958–2–1.773
Bert Waters18967–4.636
William Cameron Forbes1897–189821–1–1.935
Benjamin Dibblee1899–190020–1–1.932
Bill Reid1901, 1905–190630–3– 1.897
John Wells Farley190211–1.917
John Cranston19039–3.750
Edgar Wrightington19047–2–1.750
Joshua Crane19077–3.700
Percy Haughton1908–191672–7–5.887
Wingate Rollins19173–1–3.643
William F. Donovan19182–1.667
Bob Fisher1919–192543–14–5.734
Arnold Horween1926–193020–17–3.538
Eddie Casey1931–193420–11–1.641
Dick Harlow1935–1942; 1945–194745–39–7.533
Henry Lamar1943–19447–3–1.682
Arthur Valpey1948–19495–12.294
Lloyd Jordan1950–195624–31–3.440
John Yovicsin1957–197078–42–5.644
Joe Restic1971–1993117–97–6.545
Tim Murphy1994–current178–81.687

Rivalries

Yale
Main article: Harvard–Yale football rivalry

Harvard and Yale have been competing against each other in football since 1875. The annual rivalry game between the two schools, known as "The Game", is played in November at the end of the football season. As of 2015, Yale led the series 65–59–8. The Game is the second oldest continuing rivalry and also the third most-played rivalry game in college football history, after the Lehigh–Lafayette Rivalry (1884) and the Princeton–Yale game (1873). Sports Illustrated On Campus rated the Harvard–Yale rivalry the sixth-best in college athletics in 2003. Ted Kennedy played football for Harvard and caught a touchdown pass in the 1955 Harvard/Yale game. In 2006, Yale ended a five-game losing streak against Harvard, winning 34–13. That Harvard winning streak was third longest in the history of the series, after Yale's 1902–1907 six-game winning streak and Yale's 1880–1889 eight-game winning streak. Harvard has since beaten Yale in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The Game is significant for historical reasons as the rules of The Game soon were adopted by other schools. Football's rules, conventions, and equipment, as well as elements of "atmosphere" such as the mascot and fight song, include many elements pioneered or nurtured at Harvard and Yale.[28][29]

Dartmouth
Main article: Dartmouth–Harvard football rivalry

The series with Dartmouth dates to 1882.

Penn
Main article: Harvard–Penn football rivalry

The series with Penn dates to 1881.

Princeton
Main article: Harvard–Princeton football rivalry

The series with Princeton dates to 1877.

Stadiums

Early stadiums

In its early years, the football team played at several stadiums including Jarvis Field, Holmes Field and Soldier's Field.

Harvard Stadium
Main article: Harvard Stadium
Harvard Stadium, November 2008

Harvard Stadium is a horseshoe-shaped football stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. The stadium is an important historic landmark. Built in 1903, it is the nation's oldest stadium. Penn's Franklin Field is the oldest site still in use (1895) but its current stadium was built in 1922. It was also the world's first massive reinforced-concrete structure, and considered at the time of construction to be the 'finest structure of its kind in the world'. The structure was completed in just six months, mainly by the efforts of Harvard students, and for a budget of $200,000. Thus 'the stadium represents the thought, the money, the ideas, the planning, and the manual labor of Harvard men'.[30] As such, it is one of four athletic arenas distinguished as a National Historic Landmark (the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Rose Bowl and the Yale Bowl are the other three).[31] The stadium seats 30,323. Temporary steel stands were added in the stadiums to expand capacity to 57,166 until 1951. Afterward, there were smaller temporary stands until the building of the Murr Center (which is topped by the new scoreboard) in 1998. In 2006, Harvard installed both FieldTurf and lights.[32][33]

College Football Hall of Fame inductees

As of 2018, 18 Harvard Crimson football players and 3 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[34]

William H. Lewis was the first African-American college football player and the first African-American All-American
Tackle Marshall Newell was a four-time All-American from 1890–1893.
Name Position Years Inducted Ref.
Charley BrewerFullback1892–18951971[35]
Dave CampbellEnd1899–19011958[36]
Eddie CaseyHalfback1916, 19191968[37]
Charles Dudley DalyQuarterback1898–19021951[38]
Hamilton Fish IIITackle1907–19091954[39]
Bob FisherGuard1909–19111973[40]
Huntington HardwickEnd, Halfback1912–19141954[41]
Dick HarlowCoach1915–19471954[42]
Percy HaughtonCoach1899–19241951[43]
Lloyd JordanCoach1932–19561978[44]
William H. LewisCenter1888–18932009[45]
Eddie MahanFullback1913–19151951[46]
Pat McInallyWide receiver1972–19742016[47]
Marshall NewellTackle1890–18931957[48]
George OwenHalfback1920–19221983[49]
Endicott PeabodyGuard1939–19411973[50]
Stan PennockGuard1912–19141954[51]
Bill ReidFullback1897–18991970[52]
Ben TicknorCenter1928–19301954[53]
Percy WendellHalfback1910–19121972[54]
Barry WoodQuarterback1929–19311980[55]

Harvard players in the NFL

Over 30 players from Harvard have gone on to play in the National Football League.[56]

Name Position Years Teams
Joe AzelbyLinebacker1984Buffalo Bills
Matt BirkCenter1998–2013Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens
Cameron BrateTight End2014 – presentTampa Bay Buccaneers
Desmond BryantDefensive tackle2009 – presentOakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns
Ben BrauneckerTE2016 — presentChicago Bears
Stanley BurnhamTB-BB1925Frankford Yellow Jackets
Roger CaronTackle1985–1986Indianapolis Colts
Eddie CaseyHalfback1920Buffalo All-Americans
Charlie ClarkGuard1924Chicago Cardinals
Bill CravenDefensive back1976Cleveland Browns
Harrie DadmunGuard, tackle1920–1921Canton Bulldogs, New York Brickley Giants
Clifton DawsonRunning back2007–2008Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts
John DockeryDefensive back1968–1973New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers
Nick EastonCenter2015–presentSan Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings
Chris EitzmannTight end2000New England Patriots
Carl EtelmanB1926Providence Steam Roller
Earl EvansTackle, guard1925–1929Chicago Cardinals, Chicago Bears
Anthony FirkserTight End, H-Back2017 – presentTennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets
Ryan FitzpatrickQuarterback2005 – presentSt. Louis Rams, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins
Herman GundlachGuard1935Boston Redskins
Arnold HorweenB1921–1924Racine Cardinals, Chicago Cardinals
Ralph HorweenB1921–1923Chicago Cardinals
Dan JiggettsTackle, guard1976–1982Chicago Bears
Kyle JuszczykFullback, Tight End2013–presentBaltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers
Isaiah KacyvenskiLinebacker2000–2006Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams
Dick KingFullback, halfback1917–1923Pine Village, Hammond Pros, Milwaukee Badgers, Rochester Jeffersons, St. Louis All-Stars
Bobby LeoRunning back, wide receiver1967–1968Boston Patriots
Joe McGloneBB1926Providence Steam Roller
Pat McInallyWide receiver, punter1976–1985Cincinnati Bengals
Al MillerFullback, halfback1929Boston Bulldogs
Joe MurphyGuard1920–1921Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians
Kevin MurphyOffensive Tackle2012– 2013Minnesota Vikings
Tyler OttLong Snapper2014–presentNew England Patriots, St. Louis Rams, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks
Joe PellegriniGuard, center1982–1986New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons
Adam RedmondCenter2016–presentIndianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys
Jamil SorianoGuard2003–2005New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins
Red SteeleEnd1921Canton Bulldogs
Rich SzaroKicker1975–1979New Orleans Saints, New York Jets

All-Americans
Three-time All-American Eddie Mahan was named by Jim Thorpe as the greatest football player of all time.
Two-time All-American Hamilton Fish III served 25 years in Congress.
Huntington "Tack" Hardwick was called "a big, fine-looking aristocrat from blue-blood stock" who "loved combat – body contact at crushing force – a fight to the finish."[57]

Since the first All-American team was selected by Caspar Whitney in 1889, more than 100 Harvard football players have been selected as first-team All-Americans.[17] Consensus All-Americans are noted below with bold typeface.

Players notable in other fields

Below are any Crimson football players that became notable for reasons other than football. Including is notability, position at Havard, and any accomplishments while playing.

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See also

References
  1. "Harvard at a Glance | Harvard University". Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  2. "NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2009. pp. 62–63. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  3. "NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2009. p. 172. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  4. Parke H. Davis. Football, the American intercollegiate game. p. 64.
  5. "No Christian End!" (PDF). The Journey to Camp: The Origins of American Football to 1889. Professional Football Researchers Association. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
  6. "Spotlight Athletics". Mcgill.ca. May 14, 2012. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  7. "Parke H. Davis '93 On Harvard Football". Princeton Alumni Weekly. 16: 583. March 29, 1916 – via Google books.
  8. "Harvard Football National Championships". Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  9. Official 2009 NCAA Division I Football Records Book (PDF). Indianapolis, IN: National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2009. pp. 78–79. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  10. "Horween, Ralph". Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  11. "Horween, Arnold". Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum. March 3, 2013. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  12. Jack Cavanaugh (2010). The Gipper: George Gipp, Knute Rockne, and the Dramatic Rise of Notre Dame Football. Skyhorse Publishing. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  13. The New York Times Biographical Service. New York Times & Arno Press. 1997. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  14. Ralph Goldstein (May 29, 1997). "Ralph Horween, 100, the Oldest Ex-N.F.L. Player". New York Times. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  15. Dale Richard Perelman (2012). Centenarians. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  16. "A League First: Former Player Turns 100". New York Times. August 4, 1996. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  17. "Media Center: Harvard Crimson Football All-American Selections". GoCrimson.com.
  18. "Harvard Yearly Results (1910–1914)". College Football Data Warehouse.
  19. Mark F. Bernstein, Football: The Ivy League Origins of an American Obsession
  20. "Harvard Composite Championship Listing". College Football Data Warehouse.
  21. West, Jenna. "Ivy League to Postpone Fall Athletics, No Date Set for Return". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  22. Christopher J. Walsh (2007). Who's #1?: 100-Plus Years of Controversial National Champions in College Football. Taylor Trade Pub. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-58979-337-8.
  23. 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  24. "Harvard Football National Championships". Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  25. "Media Center: Harvard Crimson Football – Ivy League Championships". gocrimson.com.
  26. "Harvard Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse.
  27. "Harvard Crimson Football Record By Year - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  28. Thomas G. Bergin (1984). The Game: The Harvard-Yale Football Rivalry, 1875–1983. Yale University Press.
  29. Bernard M. Corbett and Paul Simpson (2004). The Only Game That Matters. Crown. ISBN 1-4000-5068-5.
  30. "Harvard's Great Stadium" (PDF). New York Times. November 22, 1903.
  31. "Harvard Stadium History". Harvard Crimson.
  32. "Harvard Stadium: Home of Harvard Football and Lacrosse Harvard Stadium Notes". Harvard University.
  33. "Harvard Stadium Football History". Harvard University.
  34. "Hall of Fame Inductee Search". College Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  35. "Charley Brewer (1971) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  36. "Dave Campbell (1958) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  37. "Eddie Casey (1968) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  38. "Charlie Daly (1951) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  39. "Hamilton Fish (1954) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  40. "Bob Fisher (1973) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  41. "Huntington "Tack" Hardwick (1954) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  42. "Dick Harlow (1954) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  43. "Percy Haughton (1951) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  44. "Lloyd Jordan (1978) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  45. "William Lewis (2009) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  46. "Eddie Mahan (1951) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  47. "Pat McInally (2016) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  48. "Marshall Newell (1957) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  49. "George Owen (1983) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  50. "Endicott Peabody (1973) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  51. "Stan Pennock (1954) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  52. "Bill Reid (1970) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  53. "Ben Ticknor (1954) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  54. "Percy Wendell (1972) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  55. "Barry Wood (1980) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  56. "Harvard Players/Alumni". pro-football-reference.com.
  57. Grantland Rice (July 6, 1949). "Hardwick of Harvard". Miami Daily News.
  58. Knobler, Mike (December 1, 1982). "Harvard's Corbat Named To All-America Team | Sports | The Harvard Crimson". Thecrimson.com. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  59. "Harvard : Media Center: Harvard Crimson Football All-American Selections". Gocrimson.com. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  61. "Chicago South End Reporter Archives, Aug 16, 1972, p. 11". NewspaperArchive.com. August 16, 1972. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  62. "Media Center: Harvard Crimson Football All-Time Letterwinners". Harvard. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  63. "Harvard". Harvard. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
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