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Harvard Crimson

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This article is about the Harvard College intercollegiate athletics. For the Harvard student newspaper, seeThe Harvard Crimson.

Harvard Crimson
Logo
UniversityHarvard University
ConferenceIvy League(primary)
ECAC Hockey
EIWA(wrestling)
NEISA(sailing)
EISA(skiing)
CSA(squash)
CWPA(women's water polo)
NWPC (men's water polo)
NCAADivision I(FCS)
Athletic directorErin McDermott
LocationBoston, Massachusetts[a]
Varsity teams42 teams
Football stadiumHarvard Stadium
Basketball arenaLavietes Pavilion
Ice hockey arenaBright-Landry Hockey Center
Baseball stadiumJoseph J. O'Donnell Field[1]
Soccer stadiumJordan Field,Ohiri Field
Lacrosse stadiumHarvard Stadium
Rowing venueNewell Boathouse,Weld Boathouse
Sailing venueHarvard Sailing Center
MascotJohn Harvard
NicknameCrimson
Fight song"Ten Thousand Men of Harvard"
ColorsCrimson, white, and black[2]
Websitegocrimson

TheHarvard Crimsonis the nickname of the intercollegiate athletic teams ofHarvard College.The school's teams compete inNCAA Division I.As of 2013, there were 42 Division Iintercollegiatevarsitysportsteams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country.[3]Like the otherIvy Leaguecolleges, Harvard does not offerathletic scholarships.[4]Athletics at Harvard began in 1780 when the sophomores challenged the freshmen to a wrestling tournament with the losers buying dinner. Since its historic boat race against archrival Yale in 1852, Harvard has been in the forefront of American intercollegiate sports. Its football team conceived the modern version of the game and devised essentials ranging from the first concrete stadium to a scoreboard to uniform numbers to signals.[5]

Sports sponsored[edit]

Men's sports Women's sports
Baseball Softball
Basketball Basketball
Cricket (club)[6]
Cross country Cross country
Field hockey
Football
Golf Golf
Ice hockey Ice hockey
Lacrosse Lacrosse
Rowing (lightweight and heavyweight) Rowing (lightweight and heavyweight)
Rugby(club) Rugby
Soccer Soccer
Squash Squash
Swimming and diving Swimming and diving
Tennis Tennis
Track and field† Track and field†
Volleyball Volleyball
Water polo Water polo
Wrestling
Co-ed sports
Fencing –Sailing– Skiing
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

Baseball[edit]

Main article:Harvard Crimson baseball

Harvard's baseball program began competing in the 1865 season. It has appeared in fourCollege World Series.It plays atJoseph J. O'Donnell Fieldand is currently coached byBill Decker.

Basketball[edit]

Men's basketball[edit]

Main article:Harvard Crimson men's basketball

Harvard has anintercollegiate men's basketballprogram. The team currently competes in theIvy LeagueinDivision Iof theNational Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA) and play home games at theLavietes PavilioninBoston.The team's last appearance in theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournamentwas in2014,where they beatCincinnatiin the Round of 64 in a 12 vs. 5 seed upset. The Crimson are currently coached byTommy Amaker.

Women's basketball[edit]

Main article:Harvard Crimson women's basketball

Harvard has anintercollegiate women's basketballprogram. The team currently competes in theIvy LeagueinDivision Iof theNational Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA) and play home games at theLavietes PavilioninBoston.The team's last appearance in theNCAA Division I women's basketball tournamentwas in2007.

Fencing[edit]

Main article:Harvard Crimson fencing

Thefencing teamwon the 2006NCAA team championshipin men's and women's combined fencing. Representing Harvard Crimson,Benjamin (Benji) Ungarwon Gold in the 2006 Individual Men's Épée event at the NCAA Fencing Championship, and was named Harvard Athlete of The Year.[7]In 2020, the fencing program received more attention following a student admission scandal which involved former fencing coach Peter Brand accepting bribes to admit at least two sons of Maryland businessman Jie “Jack” Zhao into Harvard as members of the fencing team.[8][9][10]

Football[edit]

Harvard v Brown, 2009
See:Harvard Crimson footballandHarvard Stadium

Thefootballteam has competed since 1873 (usingrugby unionrules through 1882).[11]They have won tennational championshipswhen the school competed in what is now known as theFBS.[12]They are perhaps best known for theirrivalrywithYale,known as "The Game".Sixteen former players have been inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame.

Harvard's athletic rivalry withYaleis intense in every sport in which they meet, coming to a climax each fall in their annualfootballmeeting, which dates back to 1875. While Harvard's football team is no longer one of the country's best as it often was a century ago during football's early days (it won theRose Bowlin 1920), both it and Yale have influenced the way the game is played. In 1903,Harvard Stadiumintroduced a new era into football with the first-ever permanent reinforced concrete stadium of its kind in the country. The stadium's structure actually played a role in the evolution of the college game. Seeking to reduce the alarming number of deaths and serious injuries in the sport, the "Father of Football",Walter Camp(former captain of the Yale football team), suggested widening the field to open up the game. But the state-of-the-art Harvard Stadium was too narrow to accommodate a wider playing surface. So, other steps had to be taken. Camp would instead support revolutionary new rules for the 1906 season. These included legalizing theforward pass,perhaps the most significant rule change in the sport's history.[13][14]

Ralph Horween

In both 1919 and 1920, headed byAll-AmericanbrothersArnold HorweenandRalph Horween,Harvard was undefeated (9–0–1, as they outscored their competition 229–19, and 8–0–1, respectively).[15][16][17]The team won the 1920Rose Bowl7–6 over theUniversity of Oregon.[18][19][20]It was the only bowl appearance in Harvard history.[21]

Golf[edit]

Harvard has won sixnational collegiate team championships:1898 (fall),[22]1899, 1901, 1902 (fall), 1903, and 1904. They have crowned eight individual national champions: James Curtis (1898, fall), Halstead Lindsley (1901),Chandler Egan(1902, fall), A. L. White (1904), H. H. Wilder (1908), F. C. Davison (1912), Edward Allis (1914), J. W. Hubbell (1916). They won the inauguralIvy Leaguechampionship in 1975, their only league championship.[23]

Ice hockey[edit]

Men's ice hockey[edit]

Main article:Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey

The men's ice hockey team is one of the oldestintercollegiate ice hockeyteams in the United States, having played their first game on January 19, 1898 in a 0–6 loss toBrown.[24]Former head coach William H. Claflin and former captain George Owen are credited with the first use ofline changein a game againstYaleon March 3, 1923 when the Crimson substituted entire forward lines instead of individuals.[25]The men's ice hockey team won theNCAA Division I Championshipon April 1, 1989, defeating theMinnesota Golden Gophers4–3 in overtime.[26]TheCleary Cup,awarded to the ECAC regular-season champion, is named for former HarvardAll-Americanhockey player, coach, and athletic directorBill Cleary,a member of theU.S. hockey teamthat won the1960 Winter Olympicsgold medal.The team competes inECAC Hockeyalong with five other Ivy League schools and is coached by Harvard alumnus,Olympian,and formerNHLforward,Ted Donato.[27]Harvard competes in one of the most heated rivalries of college hockey at least twice each season against Harvard's archrival, theCornell Big Red,in installments of theCornell–Harvard hockey rivalry.Cornell and Harvard are the most storied programs currently in the ECAC.

  • 1-timeNCAA men's champions:1989
  • 10-timeECAC men's champions:1963, 1971, 1983, 1987, 1994, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2015, 2017
  • 11-timeECACmen's regular-season champions: 1963, 1973*, 1975, 1986, 1987, 1988*, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2017* (*denotes tie)

Women's ice hockey[edit]

Main article:Harvard Crimson women's ice hockey
See the "Harvard Crimson ice hockey" navigation box at the bottom of the page.

Rowing[edit]

Harvard men's eight atHenley,2004
See also:Newell Boathouse,Weld Boathouse,Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges,Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges,College rowing (United States),andIntercollegiate sports team champions § Rowing
See footnote.[28]

Older thanThe Gameby 23 years, theHarvard–Yale Regattawas the original source of theathletic rivalrybetween the two schools. It is held annually in June on the Thames river in eastern Connecticut. Both the Harvard heavyweight and lightweight teams are typically considered to be among the top teams in the country inrowing,having won numerous national championships in recent years.

For a time the Harvard lightweight men's team had one of the "oddest" streaks in collegiate sports, having won the national championships in every odd year from 1989 to 2003 (and in no corresponding even years).[30][31]The streak was broken when Harvard lost to Yale by almost 4 seconds in 2005.[32]

The women's heavyweight rowing team were NCAA Champions in 2003.

Honours[edit]

Rugby[edit]

Harvard added Women's Rugby as a varsity sport in 2013, increasing the number of sports the school offered to 42.[33][34]Collegiate women's rugby programs are governed by theNational Intercollegiate Rugby Association.Harvard was the first Ivy League institution to sponsor a varsity rugby program.[35]Prior to 2013, the Harvard Radcliffe Rugby Football Club, which began in 1982, had won two national championships (1998, 2011) as a club team.[35]Notable honors include: 2019 National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) National Champions,[36]Ivy League Champions (2018, 2013),[37]Ivy League Sevens Champions (2016, 2017, 2019)[38][39]

Sailing[edit]

Main article:Harvard Crimson sailing

The Harvard team won theLeonard M. Fowle Trophyin 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, and the dinghiesIntercollegiate Sailing Association National Championshipsin 1952, 1953, 1959, 1974 and 2003, the women's dinghies in 2005, the sloops in 2001 and 2002, and the team race in 2002 and 2003. The team was ranked 11th nationally in 2013 according to Sailing World.[40]

Soccer[edit]

Men's soccer[edit]

Main article:Harvard Crimson men's soccer

Before the NCAA began its tournament in 1959, the annual national champion was declared by theIntercollegiate Association Football League(IAFL) — from 1911 to 1926 — and then theIntercollegiate Soccer Football Association(ISFA), from 1927 to 1958. From 1911 to 1958, Harvard won four national championships.

Women's soccer[edit]

Women's soccer was elevated from a club to a varsity sport at Harvard in 1977. Bob Scalise, Harvard's former athletic director, was the first head coach. The team has won thirteen Ivy League Championships: 1978, 1979, 1981, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2016.

Men's squash[edit]

Main article:Harvard Crimson men's squash
  • 40 national titles
  • 41 Ivy League titles
  • 2014 national champions

Swimming and diving[edit]

Harvard Swimming and Diving was founded in 190230.Harvard Men's Swimming and Diving is currently coached by Kevin Tyrrell, Harvard Women's Swimming and Diving is currently coached by Stephanie Wriede Morawski.

Tennis[edit]

Michael Zimmermanplayed tennis for the Harvard tennis team, and was a member of four successive Ivy League championship winning teams, from 1989 to 1992. In both 1991 and 1992 he earned Ivy League Player of the Year andITAAll-Americanhonors.[41]

Track & field[edit]

Harvard has men's and women's teams in track & field in Indoor, Outdoor (Men, Women), and Cross-Country.[42]Among its notable athletes have beenBill Meanix,who held the world record in the 440 yd hurdles, andMilton Green,a world record holder in high hurdles.

Volleyball[edit]

Men's volleyball[edit]

Main article:Harvard Crimson men's volleyball
See also:Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association

Inaugural season for the men's team was 1981. The Crimson compete in theEastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association(EIVA) and are under the direction of head coach, Brian Baise.

Women's volleyball[edit]

Main article:Harvard Crimson women's volleyball

Inaugural season for the women's team was 1981. The Crimson compete in theIvy Leagueand are under the direction of head coach, Jennifer Weiss.

Water polo[edit]

Coach Ted Minnis heads both the Men's and Women's Water Polo teams, which compete in the Collegiate Water Polo Association. The teams both play in Blodgett Pool.

Wrestling[edit]

See also:Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association

First established in 1913, the Harvard wrestling team celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013–14, making the Crimson one of the oldestcollegiate wrestlingprograms in the nation. As part of that celebration GoCrimson released the "Top Moments in Harvard Wrestling History" in collaboration with the Harvard Crimson Wrestling team. The team practices and competes in theMalkin Athletic Center.In 1938, the Harvard Wrestling team featured the program's first national champion, John Harkness.

Jesse Jantzen’04 is the most accomplished wrestler in Harvard history with the record for all-time wins (132), winning percentage (.910), and pins (50), Jantzen's accomplishments include: 2004 NCAA Champion, 2004 NCAA Most Outstanding Wrestler, three-time NCAA All-American, three-time EIWA Champion, and four-time NCAA Qualifier.[43]

Spirit groups[edit]

Cheerleaders at a basketball game.

Harvard athletic contests are supported by campus spirit groups including theHarvard University Band,the Crimson Dance Team, and Harvard Cheerleading.[44]

  • The beginnings ofHarvard Cheerleadinglikely predate football at the University, and may originate in the mid or late nineteenth century.[45]The program boasts of U.S. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt(1904) and journalistJohn Reed(1910) as alumni; in fact, the squad was exclusively male until 1971.[45]
  • The student-runHarvard University Bandwas established in 1919 and was the world's first university "scramble" band.[46]
  • TheHarvard Crimson Dance Teamwas established in 1995 and competes at both a regional and national level.[47]

Awards[edit]

Facilities[edit]

Harvard has several athletic facilities, such as theLavietes Pavilion,a multi-purpose arena and home to the basketball teams. The Malkin Athletic Center, known as the "MAC," serves both as the university's primary recreation facility and as home to the varsity men's and women's volleyball, men's and women's fencing, and wrestling teams. The five-story building includes two cardio rooms, a deep 25-yard swimming pool, a smaller pool for aquaerobics and other activities, a mezzanine, where all types of classes are held at all hours of the day, and an indoor cycling studio, three weight rooms, and a three-court gym floor to play basketball. The MAC also offers personal trainers and specialty classes. The MAC is also home to volleyball, fencing, and wrestling. The offices of several of the school's varsity coaches are also in the MAC.

Weld Boathouseand Newell Boathouse house the women's and men's rowing teams, respectively. The men's heavyweight team also uses the Red Top complex in Ledyard, CT, as their training camp for the annualHarvard–Yale Regatta.TheBright Hockey Centerhosts the ice hockey teams, and the Murr Center serves both as a home for the squash and tennis teams as well as a strength and conditioning center for all athletic sports.

Other facilities include:Joseph J. O'Donnell Field[1](baseball),Harvard Stadium(football), Cumnock Turf andHarvard Stadium(lacrosse),Jordan FieldandOhiri Field(soccer), Blodgett Pool,Olympic-size(swimming and diving, water polo), and Roberto A. Mignone Field (rugby).[48]

Television footage[edit]

Harvard Undergraduate Televisionhas footage from historical games and athletic events including the 2005 pep-rally before the Harvard-Yale Game. Harvard's official athletics website has more comprehensive information about Harvard's athletic facilities.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Harvard's overall administration is located inCambridge, Massachusetts,but its main athletic department office and almost all of its athletic facilities lie within the Boston city limits. TheMalkin Athletic Center(fencing, volleyball, wrestling) andWeld Boathouse(women's rowing) are located in Cambridge.

References[edit]

  1. ^abBaseball: O'Donnell FieldArchivedNovember 23, 2010, at theWayback Machine.Harvard University Athletics official website. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  2. ^"Color Scheme"(PDF).Harvard Athletics Brand Identity Guide.July 27, 2021.RetrievedOctober 31,2021.
  3. ^"Women's Rugby Becomes 42nd Varsity Sport at Harvard University - Harvard".Gocrimson. August 9, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon September 29, 2013.RetrievedNovember 3,2015.
  4. ^The Harvard Guide: Financial Aid at HarvardArchivedSeptember 2, 2006, at theWayback Machine
  5. ^A Brief History of Athletics at Harvard
  6. ^"- TheHub at Harvard College".
  7. ^Lodha, Karan (June 6, 2006)."Male Athlete of the Year: Benjamin Ungar | Sports | The Harvard Crimson".Thecrimson.RetrievedNovember 3,2015.
  8. ^"House Sale Leads To Arrest Of Ex-Harvard Fencing Coach Peter Brand In $1.5M Bribes Scheme".WBZ-TV. Associated Press. November 16, 2021.RetrievedMay 6,2021.
  9. ^Cote, Jackson (December 7, 2021)."Former Harvard University fencing coach Peter Brand indicted after authorities say he accepted more than $1.5 million in bribes from Maryland businessman".MassLive.RetrievedMay 6,2021.
  10. ^Jaschik, Scott (November 23, 2021)."Ex-Fencing Coach at Harvard Arrested for Bribery".Inside Higher Ed.RetrievedMay 6,2021.
  11. ^'Evolvements of Early American Foot Ball: Through the 1899/91 Season'by Melvin I. Smith (Library of CongressControl Number 2008903251 first published December 2, 2008) pages xii and xiii
  12. ^Smith, Mel."Early American Football Style College Champions 1882/83 – 1890/91".College Football Data Warehouse. Archived fromthe originalon February 11, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 20,2010.
  13. ^"History of American Football".newsdial.
  14. ^Nelson, David M.,Anatomy of a Game: Football, the Rules, and the Men Who Made the Game,1994, Pages 127–128
  15. ^"Horween, Ralph".Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum. Archived fromthe originalon March 17, 2013.RetrievedMarch 24,2013.
  16. ^"Horween, Arnold".Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum. March 3, 2013. Archived fromthe originalon December 4, 2020.RetrievedMarch 24,2013.
  17. ^Jack Cavanaugh (2010).The Gipper: George Gipp, Knute Rockne, and the Dramatic Rise of Notre Dame Football.Skyhorse Publishing.ISBN9781616081102.RetrievedMarch 23,2013.
  18. ^The New York Times Biographical Service.New York Times & Arno Press. 1997.RetrievedMarch 22,2013.
  19. ^Ralph Goldstein (May 29, 1997)."Ralph Horween, 100, the Oldest Ex-N.F.L. Player".New York Times.RetrievedMarch 19,2013.
  20. ^Dale Richard Perelman (2012).Centenarians.AuthorHouse.ISBN9781477217306.RetrievedMarch 21,2013.
  21. ^"A League First: Former Player Turns 100".New York Times.August 4, 1996.RetrievedMarch 23,2013.
  22. ^Wheelwright, William Bond; Goodridge, Arthur Minot, eds. (1899).Harvard Teams 1898-1899.Cambridge MA. p. 29.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  23. ^"The Ivy League Men's Golf Records Book 2012–13"(PDF).RetrievedJune 26,2013.
  24. ^"Harvard 1897–98 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule".Harvard University.Archived fromthe originalon March 25, 2012.RetrievedAugust 6,2011.
  25. ^"Men's Ice Hockey- Timeline of Tradition".Harvard University.Archived fromthe originalon March 9, 2012.RetrievedAugust 6,2011.
  26. ^"1989 NCAA Tournament".Inside College Hockey.RetrievedAugust 7,2011.
  27. ^Wodon, Adam (June 30, 2004)."Harvard Zeroes In on Donato".College Hockey News.RetrievedAugust 9,2011.
  28. ^Men's rowing (both heavyweight and lightweight) and women's lightweight rowing are not part of the NCAA and have separate championships. The NCAA does conduct championships for women's heavyweight (or openweight) crews (Divisions I, II and III). See:NCAA Rowing Championship.
  29. ^ECAC Awards and Honors: ECAC Rowing TrophyArchivedJune 6, 2010, at theWayback Machine.Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) official website. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
  30. ^"The Oddest Streak in Rowing".Harvard Magazine. May 2002.RetrievedDecember 21,2012.
  31. ^"Championship Races: Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championship – May 31, 2003".Row2k.RetrievedDecember 21,2012.
  32. ^"Championship Races: IRA Championship Regatta – June 4, 2005".Row2k.RetrievedDecember 21,2012.
  33. ^Rugby Mag,"Harvard Women Rugby to go Varsity"ArchivedJanuary 27, 2013, at theWayback Machine,August 9, 2012,
  34. ^"Harvard women's rugby named varsity sport".Harvard Magazine.August 10, 2012.RetrievedNovember 3,2015.
  35. ^ab"Harvard Women".Ivy Rugby Conference.August 17, 2017.RetrievedAugust 20,2021.
  36. ^"It's Lonely at the Top: Women's Rugby, National Champs and Team of the Year | Sports | The Harvard Crimson".thecrimson.RetrievedAugust 20,2021.
  37. ^"Harvard Women Take Rugby Title".Harvard Magazine.November 6, 2013.RetrievedAugust 20,2021.
  38. ^"Women's Rugby Captures Ivy League 7s Title in Overtime Thriller | Sports | The Harvard Crimson".thecrimson.RetrievedAugust 20,2021.
  39. ^"Women's Rugby Wins Ivy 7's Championship".Harvard University.April 23, 2016.RetrievedAugust 20,2021.
  40. ^"Sailing World's College Rankings, May 2, 2012".Sailing World. May 2, 2012.RetrievedNovember 3,2015.
  41. ^Nickel, Lori (May 2, 1993)."Up the Tennis Ladder Via Great Neck Courts".The New York Times.
  42. ^"College and University Track & Field Teams | Harvard University".streamlineathletes.
  43. ^"Top Moments in Harvard Wrestling History".Flowrestling,org.Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2015.RetrievedFebruary 11,2018.
  44. ^"Spirit Groups".Go Crimson.Harvard Athletics.RetrievedMarch 10,2024.
  45. ^abLambert, Craig (September 1, 2000)."Cheerleaders Take Flight".Harvard Magazine.Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University. Archived fromthe originalon March 10, 2024.RetrievedMarch 10,2024.
  46. ^"Spirit Groups: Band".Go Crimson.Harvard Athletics.RetrievedMarch 10,2024.
  47. ^"About".Harvard Crimson Dance Team.Harvard Crimson Dance Team.RetrievedMarch 10,2024.
  48. ^AllstonBoston, Roberto A. Mignone Field780 Soldiers Field Road; County, Suffolk; Massachusetts 02134 (August 19, 2017)."Harvard University: Roberto A. Mignone Field".Ivy Rugby Conference.RetrievedOctober 10,2021.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links[edit]

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