1921 Harvard Crimson football team

American college football season

1921 Harvard Crimson football

Conference| Independent
Record| 7–2–1
Head coach|

* Bob Fisher (3rd season)

Home stadium| Harvard Stadium

Seasons

<- 1920

1922 ->

1921 Eastern college football independents records

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
Washington & Jefferson |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 10  | - | 0  | - | 1
Lafayette |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 0  | - | 0
Cornell |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 0  | - | 0
Penn State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 0  | - | 2
Yale |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 1  | - | 0
New Hampshire |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 1  | - | 1
Franklin & Marshall |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 1  | - | 2
Villanova |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 1  | - | 2
Carnegie Tech |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 2  | - | 0
Syracuse |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 2  | - | 0
Harvard |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 2  | - | 1
Boston University |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 2  | - | 0
Dartmouth |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 2  | - | 1
Brown |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 3  | - | 1
Bucknell |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 3  | - | 1
Geneva |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 3  | - | 1
Pittsburgh |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 3  | - | 1
Holy Cross |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 3  | - | 0
Army |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
Princeton |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 3  | - | 0
Boston College |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 3  | - | 1
Fordham |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 3  | - | 2
Penn |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 3  | - | 2
Colgate |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 4  | - | 2
Lehigh |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 4  | - | 0
Springfield |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 5  | - | 2
Vermont |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 4  | - | 0
NYU |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 3  | - | 3
Buffalo |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 3  | - | 2
Drexel |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 3  | - | 1
Rutgers |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
Rhode Island State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 5  | - | 0
Columbia |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 6  | - | 0
Tufts |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 5  | - | 2
Duquesne |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 4  | - | 1

The 1921 Harvard Crimson football team represented Harvard University in the 1921 college football season. The Crimson finished with a 7–2–1 record under third-year head coach Bob Fisher.[1][2] Walter Camp selected one Harvard player, guard John Fiske Brown, as a first-team member of his 1921 College Football All-America Team.[3]

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

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September 24| |  Boston University|

* Harvard Stadium
* Boston, MA

| W 10–0| 15,000| [4][5]
September 24| |  Middlebury|

* Harvard Stadium
* Boston, MA

| W 16–0| 15,000| [4][5]
October 1| |  Holy Cross|

* Harvard Stadium
* Boston, MA

| W 3–0| 30,000| [6]
October 8| |  Indiana|

* Harvard Stadium
* Boston, MA

| W 19–0| 15,000| [7][8][9]
October 15| |  Georgia|

* Harvard Stadium
* Boston, MA

| W 10–7| 25,000| [10][11][12]
October 22| |  Penn State|

* Harvard Stadium
* Boston, MA

| T 21–21| 30,000| [13][14]
October 29| |  Centre|

* Harvard Stadium
* Boston, MA

| L 0–6| 43,000| [15]
November 5| | at Princeton|

* Palmer Stadium
* Princeton, NJ (rivalry)

| L 3–10| | [16]
November 12| 2:00 p.m.|  Brown|

* Harvard Stadium
* Boston, MA

| W 9–7| 25,000| [17][18][19]
November 19| |  Yale|

* Harvard Stadium
* Boston, MA (rivalry)

| W 10–3| | [20][21]

* All times are in Eastern time

## Game summaries

[edit]

### Game 1: Boston University

[edit]

Boston University at Harvard |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Boston University | 0 | 0| 0| 0 | 0
• Harvard | 7 | 0| 3| 0 | 10

* Date: September 24
* Location: Harvard Stadium
* Referee: O'Brien (Tufts)

Harvard began the 1921 season with a doubleheader at Harvard Stadium on September 24; both games were played with eight-minute quarters.[4][5] The first game of the doubleheader was against Boston University. Harvard's team played conservatively and the line played better than was expected. With the ball on the Boston 16-yard line, they completed a forward pass and called a series of rushes which culminated in a touchdown rush by George Owen in the first quarter. Charles Buell converted the extra point to make the score 7–0. The only other scoring play in the contest was a field goal kicked from the Boston 18-yard line by Buell, which followed an 80-yard kick return by Vinton Chapin.[4]

Harvard's season-opening starting lineup was Kunhardt at center; Kane, Hubbard, Brocker, Brown, Lockwood, and Crocker also on the line; Buell at quarterback, Fitts and Owen at halfback, and Chapin at fullback.[4]

### Game 2: Middlebury

[edit]

Middlebury at Harvard |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Middlebury | 0 | 0| 0| 0 | 0
• Harvard | 0 | 10| 0| 6 | 16

* Date: September 24
* Location: Harvard Stadium
* Referee: O'Brien (Tufts)

Harvard's starters for the game were Bradford at center, Hartley, Henry, Anthony, Grew, Hobson, and Macomber also on the line, Johnson at quarterback, Pfaffman and Rouillard at halfback, and Churchill at fullback.[5]

### Game 3: Holy Cross

[edit]

Holy Cross at Harvard |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Holy Cross | 0 | 0| 0| 0 | 0
• Harvard | 0 | 0| 3| 0 | 3

* Date: October 1
* Location: Harvard Stadium
* Game attendance: 30,000
* Referee: O'Brien (Tufts)

### Game 4: Indiana

[edit]

Indiana at Harvard |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Indiana | 0 | 0| 0| 0 | 0
• Harvard | 3 | 10| 0| 6 | 19

* Date: October 8
* Location: Harvard Stadium
* Game attendance: 15,000
* Game weather: Rain
* Referee: Crowell (Swarthmore)

### Game 5: Georgia

[edit]

Georgia at Harvard |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Georgia | 0 | 0| 0| 7 | 7
• Harvard | 7 | 3| 0| 0 | 10

* Date: October 15
* Location: Harvard Stadium
* Game attendance: 25,000
* Referee: Crowell (Swarthmore)

### Game 6: Penn State

[edit]

Penn State at Harvard |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Penn State | 0 | 7| 7| 7 | 21
Harvard | 7 | 7| 0| 7 | 21

* Date: October 22
* Location: Harvard Stadium
* Referee: O'Brien (Tufts)

### Game 7: Centre

[edit]

Main article: 1921 Centre vs. Harvard football game

Centre at Harvard, "C6H0" |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Centre | 0 | 0| 6| 0 | 6
Harvard | 0 | 0| 0| 0 | 0

* Date: October 29
* Location: Harvard Stadium
* Referee: Maxwell (Swarthmore)

### Game 8: Princeton

[edit]

See also: Harvard–Princeton football rivalry

Harvard at Princeton |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Harvard | 0 | 0| 0| 3 | 3
• Princeton | 0 | 0| 0| 10 | 10

* Date: November 5
* Location: Palmer Stadium
* Referee: Crowell (Swarthmore)

### Game 9: Brown

[edit]

Brown at Harvard |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Brown | 0 | 0| 0| 7 | 7
• Harvard | 0 | 0| 3| 6 | 9

* Date: November 12
* Location: Harvard Stadium
* Game start: 2:00 p.m.
* Game attendance: 25,000
* Referee: Crowell (Swarthmore)

### Game 10: Yale

[edit]

See also: Harvard–Yale football rivalry

Yale at Harvard |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Yale | 3 | 0| 0| 0 | 3
• Harvard | 0 | 0| 0| 10 | 10

* Date: November 19
* Location: Harvard Stadium
* Referee: Maxwell (Swarthmore)

## Personnel

[edit]

### Roster

[edit]

Player[22] | Position[23] | Games
started  | Prep school  | Height  | Weight  | Age

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Line

Wesley Brocker | Guard | 1 | Mechanic Arts HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 26
Fiske Brown | Guard | 1 | Andover HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | 21
Henry W. Clark | Center |  | Phillips Exeter Academy | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 167 lb (76 kg) | 22
John Crocker | End | 1 | Groton School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 21
R. P. Field | End |  | St. Mark's School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 20
H. S. Grew | Guard |  | St. Mark's School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 209 lb (95 kg) | 20
Charles Hubbard | Tackle | 1 | Milton HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 19
Henry Janin | End |  | Pomfret School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 21
Richmond Kane | Tackle | 1 | St. George's School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 21
Philip Kunhardt | Center | 1 | Groton School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 21
Alexander Ladd | Tackle |  | Milton HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 19
Benoni Lockwood | Tackle | 1 | Groton School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 19
Charles Macomber | End |  | Newton HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 21
Charles Tierney | Center |  | Andover HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 27

Backfield

Charles Buell | Quarterback | 1 | Pomfret School | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 156 lb (71 kg) | 22
Vinton Chapin | Back | 1 | St. Mark's School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 21
Winthrop Churchill | Back |  | Milton HS | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 20
Philip Coburn | Back |  | Noble and Greenough School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 21
Roscoe Fitts | Back | 1 | Tufts University | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 20
Erwin Gehrke | Back |  | Cleveland HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | 22
Mitchell Gratwick | Back |  | Andover HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 21
Percy Jenkins | Back |  | Mercersburg Academy | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 20
Frank Johnson | Quarterback |  | Gunnery School | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | 24
George Owen | Back | 1 | Newton HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 20
Karl Pfaffman | Back |  | Boston College HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 21

The "Games started" column is correct through Harvard's first game, against Boston University. It will be updated as more progress is made on the article's "Game summaries" section.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "1921 Harvard Crimson Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
2. ^ "Harvard Football Yearly Records". GoCrimson.com. Harvard University. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
3. ^ "Walter Camp's All-America Selections for 1921" (PDF). The New York Times. December 21, 1921.
4. ^ a b c d e "Harvard starts football season with double win". Buffalo Courier. Buffalo, New York. September 25, 1921. p. 61. Retrieved January 5, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ a b c d "15,000 see Harvard defeat Middlebury by the score of 10–0". Rutland Daily Herald. Rutland, Vermont. September 26, 1921. p. 6. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
6. ^ "Charlie Buell's swell drop kick won for Harvard". Buffalo Courier-Express. Buffalo, New York. October 2, 1921. p. 58. Retrieved January 5, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Harvard defeats Indiana eleven". Brazil Daily Times. Brazil, Indiana. October 10, 1921. p. 2. Retrieved January 5, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Indiana no match for Harvard team". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. October 9, 1921. p. 18. Retrieved January 16, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Hoosiers beaten by Harvard 19–0". The Star Press. Muncie, Indiana. October 9, 1921. p. 11. Retrieved January 16, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ Wheatley, Cliff (October 16, 1921). "Crimson Beats Red and Black By Lonely Goal". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 3. Retrieved May 7, 2016 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ Blake, Morgan (October 16, 1921). "Fighting gallantly, Bulldogs bow to Harvard, 10 to 7". The Atlanta Journal. Atlanta, Georgia. p. 17. Retrieved January 16, 2024 - via Newspapers.com. Story continued on p. 18 here.
12. ^ "Harvard eleven again weak in offensive". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. October 17, 1921. p. 13. Retrieved January 16, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ Webb Jr., Melville E. (October 23, 1921). "Harvard ties Penn State, 21–21, by forward pass near finish". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 1. Retrieved January 5, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ "Penn State holds Harvard to exciting tie". The Gazette Times. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. October 23, 1921. p. 23. Retrieved January 16, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ "Centre wins battle 6 to 0". Boston Sunday Globe. October 30, 1921. Retrieved December 15, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
16. ^ "Princeton victor over Harvard in thrilling struggle". The New York Times. New York, New York. November 6, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved January 5, 2024 - via Newspapers.com. Story continued on p. 16 here.
17. ^ "Crimson subs have bear trap baited". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 12, 1921. p. 7. Retrieved March 19, 2022 - via Newspapers.com .
18. ^ "Harvard's game, 9–7". The Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 13, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved March 19, 2022 - via Newspapers.com. Story continued on p. 18 here.
19. ^ "Last minute score prevents Brown victory over Harvard". New-York Tribune. New York, New York. November 13, 1921. p. 21. Retrieved January 16, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
20. ^ "Harvard humbles Yale in thrilling gridiron battle". The New York Times. New York, New York. November 20, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2024 - via Newspapers.com. Story continued on p. 20 here.
21. ^ "Great last ditch rally by game Harvard team pulls out wonder victory over Yale, 10 to 3". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 20, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2024 - via Newspapers.com. Story continued on p. 18 here, p. 19 here, p. 20 here, and p. 21 here
22. ^ "All-Time Letterwinners" (PDF). Harvard Football Record Book. Harvard University. 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
23. ^ Harvard-Yale Football Game Souvenir Song Program. Boston, Massachusetts: The Harvard Crimson. November 19, 1921. p. 5.

* v
* t
* e

Harvard Crimson football

Venues|

* Boston Baseball Grounds (1877–1881)
* Holmes Field (1881–1882, 1888)
* Jarvis Field (1883–1893)
* Soldier's Field (1894–1903)
* Harvard Stadium (1903–present)

Bowls and rivalries|

* 1920 Rose Bowl
* Dartmouth
* Penn
* Princeton
* Yale

Culture and lore|

* "Ten Thousand Men of Harvard"
* 1874 McGill game
* 1921 Centre game
* 1968 Yale game (Harvard Beats Yale 29–29)
* 2004 Harvard–Yale prank

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1873
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National championship seasons in bold
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*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
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*[T]: Ties