The Game As History

It was a cold and cloudy November afternoon when 15 players from Harvard and Yale met in New Haven to play a game that was a mixture of soccer and rugby. Harvard won that game in 1875, four goals to none, in the first game of what today stands as one of America's oldest and most intense football rivalries.

That first Game did a lot more than entertain the 3000 spectators who doled out 50 cents on November 13, 1875. That first Crimson-Eli clash had a significant effect on how football developed in America.

Playing on their home turf, the Bulldogs conceded to play the game as Harvard asked, with rules allowing a player to run the ball as well as kick it. Although it doesn't seem like much today--as the Elis trot into Soldiers Field for the 97th matchup of the series--Harvard set the trend in football back then. Even though Yale walked away with a defeat, the Elis adopted the rules and stuck to them in the following years.

After Yale's initial setback, the Elis picked up the new rules for the game and went on to beat the Crimson in 21 of the next 28 games. Yale still leads in the series with 52 wins to Harvard's 36 (they have tied eight times), but after 1900, things have been much more even. 1875-76  Harvard, 4-0 1876-77  Yale, 1-0 1878  Yale, 1-0 1879  Tie, 0-0 1880  Yale, 1-0 1881*  Yale, 0-0 1882  Yale, 1-0 1883  Yale, 23-2 1884  Yale, 52-0 1886  Yale, 29-4 1887  Yale, 17-8 1889  Yale, 6-0 1890  Harvard, 12-6 1891  Yale, 10-0 1892  Yale, 6-0 1893  Yale, 6-0 1894  Yale, 12-4 1897  Tie, 0-0 1898  Harvard, 17-0 1899  Tie, 0-0 1900  Yale, 28-0 1901  Harvard, 22-0 1902  Yale, 23-0 1903  Yale, 16-0 1904  Yale, 12-0 1905  Yale, 6-0 1906  Yale, 6-0 1907  Yale, 12-0 1908  Harvard, 4-0 1909  Yale, 8-0 1910  Tie, 0-0 1911  Tie, 0-0 1912  Harvard, 20-0 1913  Harvard, 15-5 1914  Harvard, 36-0 1915  Harvard, 41-0 1916  Yale, 6-3 1919  Harvard, 10-3 1920  Harvard, 9-0 1921  Harvard, 10-3 1922  Harvard, 10-3 1923  Yale, 13-0 1924  Yale, 19-6 1925  Tie, 0-0 1926  Yale, 12-7 1927  Yale, 14-0 1928  Harvard 17-0 1929  Harvard, 10-6 1930  Harvard, 13-0 1931  Yale, 3-0 1932  Yale, 19-0 1933  Harvard, 19-6 1934  Yale, 14-0 1935  Yale, 14-7 1936  Yale, 14-13 1937  Harvard, 13-6 1938  Harvard, 7-0 1939  Yale, 20-7 1940  Harvard, 28-0 1941  Harvard, 14-0 1942  Yale, 7-3 1945  Yale, 28-0 1946  Yale, 27-14 1947  Yale, 31-21 1948  Harvard, 20-7 1949  Yale, 29-6 1950  Yale, 14-6 1951  Tie, 21-21 1952  Yale, 41-14 1953  Harvard, 13-0 1954  Harvard, 13-9 1955  Yale, 21-7 1956  Yale, 42-12 1957  Yale, 54-0 1958  Harvard, 28-0 1959  Harvard, 35-6 1960  Yale 39-6 1961  Harvard, 27-0 1962  Harvard, 14-6 1963  Yale, 20-6 1964  Harvard, 18-14 1965  Harvard, 13-0 1966  Harvard, 17-0 1967  Yale, 24-20 1968  Tie, 29-29 1969  Yale, 7-0 1970  Harvard, 14-12 1971  Harvard, 35-16 1972  Yale, 28-17 1973  Yale, 35-0 1974  Harvard, 21-16 1975  Harvard, 10-7 1976  Yale, 21-7 1977  Yale, 24-7 1978  Yale, 35-28 1979  Harvard, 22-7 * Yale won