While 21,704 fans filled Harvard Stadium to cheer the Crimson football team to a 34-6 win over Holy Cross on Saturday night, one famous alumnus got a bird’s-eye view.
Actor Tommy Lee Jones ’69—who played on the offensive line in Harvard’s famous 29-29 “win” over Yale in 1968—appeared in the press box in the second half and stayed there until close to the end of the blowout.
Jones, who was a first-team All-Ivy selection as a senior, kept it low-key in the press box, mainly chatting about the Crimson squad and the strength of the Ivy League with athletic director Bob Scalise. He also good-naturedly shook hands with a few of the coaches who came over to introduce themselves.
Although the Oscar winner is most famous for his roles in films like Men In Black, No Country for Old Men, and The Fugitive, Jones also was featured in the 2008 documentary Harvard Beats Yale 29-29, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the famous tie.
Yesterday the Harvard College Alliance for Africa held the third annual Fast Tracks for Africa 5k race on the Charles River bike path to benefit the Harvard Pemja Scholarship Fund. One of Harvard's very own professors of Human Evolutionary Biology, Dan Lieberman, centers his research in his skeletal biology lab on the benefits of running barefoot in contrast to runner who use typical modern running shoes. According to Lieberman’s website, these modern shoes have features such as “built-up heels, stiff soles and arch support.”
His work has led him to the Pemja Primary School in the Western Rift Province of Kenya. The proceeds of this weekend's run will help to support the Scholarship Fund’s goal of sponsoring children at the Pemja Primary School so that they can continue on to higher education.
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The Crimson confirmed today that men’s basketball coach Tommy Amaker has secured a verbal commitment from 2011 big man Kenyatta Smith.
The No. 13 center in the nation according to Scout.com, Smith, a senior at Flintridge Prep School (La Canada Flintridge, Calif.) chose Harvard over Vanderbilt and league rival Penn.
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The start of the football season is just hours ahead of us, but before we delve into a whirlwind 10-game season, The Back Page took some time to check in with Harvard coach Tim Murphy to talk about the Crimson’s upcoming opponent—Holy Cross—the benefit of night games, and the looming concern about ongoing concussions. On Monday, look for Murphy’s sound off about Harvard’s opening effort on the gridiron.
What Murphy said: “Obviously having the benefit of playing their third game, [Holy Cross has] worked some kinks out. I think they know where they are [personnel-wise], they’re probably a little bit more disciplined than you are the first game in terms of penalties and things like that.”
What Murphy means: On paper, the Crimson should be a better team than Holy Cross. The Crusaders lost their NFL-caliber quarterback Dominic Randolph to graduation, and, following a 31-7 drubbing at the hands of Massachusetts, the team does not appear strong coming into tonight’s contest. Nonetheless, “discipline” goes a long way early in the season, and Murphy will have to make sure that his players are ready for a well-prepared opponent. It would be shocking if this game were a shootout with both squads breaking in new quarterbacks, so, as Murphy emphasized in the preseason, mistake-free football will prove key for a victory under the lights.
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After a weekend with no home games to speak of, Harvard athletics boast four home games this weekend, which should provide Crimson fans plenty of opportunities to cheer on their favorite teams.
The women’s soccer team is looking to regain its momentum after losing three straight games—including a 3-0 loss to BU yesterday afternoon—and falling to a 1-3-1 record. The team takes on the University of Rhode Island tonight at 7 p.m. at Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium. The Crimson is looking to score its first home win this season, and the first 75 fans in attendance will score a free T-shirt.
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