Football History

The Harvard football program, along with Yale and Princeton, were among the top teams in college football for the first four decades of the game. In fact, Harvard has ties to winning 12 national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors. These are the seasons of 1874, 1875, 1890, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1919, 1920. Harvard claims seven of these college football national championships. The Crimson originally competed as a "Major" football independent before joining the Ivy League in 1956 as a founding member. Coaches that have patrolled the Harvard sidelines are significant as men such as Percy Haughton, Robert Fisher, Arnold Horween, Dick Harlow, John Yovicsin, Joe Restic, and Tim Murphy, among others. The players that have donned the "H" are significant as well, with the likes of Kyle Juszczyk, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ralph Horween, Arnold Horween, Percy Haughton, Roger Caron, Percy Wendell, and so many more. It's a rich history, and Harvard definitely guided much of the early formation of the game. You will find much to celebrate about Crimson football history in this collection of posts.

FOOTBALL HISTORY | ‣

The Amazing 1912 Football Season of Harvard

The 1912 Harvard Crimson football team etched its name in history as one of the most dominant squads of the early NFL era. Led by the innovative coach Percy Haughton, the Crimson entered the season riding a winning streak that had begun in November 1911.

Their dominance was undeniable. Harvard steamrolled through their nine-game schedule, outscoring their opponents by a staggering 176 points to 22. They shut out a whopping five teams, showcasing a stifling defense and a potent offense. This undefeated season was part of a remarkable three-year stretch where Harvard wouldn't lose a single game, solidifying their place as a gridiron powerhouse. It's important to remember that there was no formal playoff system in place at the time, but by all accounts, Harvard was the clear national champion in 1912.

COLLEGE HOF | ‣

Charley Brewer

The legendary Harvard Crimson fullback from Hawaii has his memory preserved with this informative bio.

FOOTBALL ARCHAEOLOGY | ‣

Shooting Down The Flying Wedge

Lorin Deland developed the flying wedge, which Harvard showed for the first time in the 1892 Harvard-Yale game. As football was played at the time, kickoffs occurred at the start of each half and following each score. Unlike today, the team that had been scored on did the kicking, but they retained possession by kicking the ball a few inches or feet (like soccer) before picking it up and running with it (unlike soccer). Deland’s innovation was to have nine of the kicker’s teammates align in — www.footballarchaeology.com

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Timothy P Brown of Football Archaeology describes the rise and demise of the Flying Wedge from the gridiron. Created by Harvard Coach Lorin Deland, the wedge at its inception was to use the mass formation to pound brutally through the opposition, particularly rival Yale, in a tight formation of humanity.

ABOUT SPORTS | ‣

Who Invented The Hidden Ball Trick, And When?

It is often claimed that Pop Warner’s Carlisle Indians executed the first hidden ball trick against Harvard in 1903, but that claim is wrong several times over. During the 1903 game, the last game played on Harvard’s Soldiers’ Field with the nearly-finished Harvard Stadium looming in the background, Carlisle came close to upsetting the Crimson, as the Bostonians won 12-11. — www.footballarchaeology.com

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Timothy P. Brown was the question Who Invented The Hidden Ball Trick, And When? and then answers it in the Football Archaeology.

COLLEGE BOWL GAMES | ROSE BOWL | ‣

1919 Harvard vs Oregon

Harvard falls to Yale in The Game 2019. 

GROUPS: PUBLICSITEGROUP

Private Group Notes

Dick Friedman wrote this post, halfway down the page has an excerpt about the 1919 Rose Bowl