Harvard–Princeton football rivalry

American college football rivalry

Harvard–Princeton football rivalry

Harvard Crimson

Princeton Tigers

First meeting| April 28, 1877
Harvard, 1–0
Latest meeting| October 21, 2023
Princeton, 21–14
Next meeting| October 26, 2024
Statistics
Meetings total| 115
All-time series| Princeton leads 60–48–7
Largest victory| Harvard, 49–7 (2014)
Longest win streak| Harvard, 9 (1996–2004)
Current win streak| Princeton, 6 (2017–present)

[Interactive fullscreen map + nearby articles]

Locations of Harvard and Princeton

The Harvard–Princeton football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Harvard Crimson football team of Harvard University and the Princeton Tigers football team of Princeton University.[1][2] Princeton leads the series 60–48–7.

## Significance[edit]

The football rivalry is constituent to the Big Three academic, athletic and social rivalry among alumni and students associated with Harvard, Yale and Princeton universities.

Agreements among the athletics departments in 1906, 1916, the "Three Presidents Agreement" on eligibility,[3] and a revision of that Agreement in 1923 have been considered precursors to the Ivy Group Agreement creating the Ivy League, each agreement addressing amateurism and college football.[4]

Twenty eight different teams, 17 representing Harvard and 11 representing Princeton, have shared or won outright the Ivy League football title.

Bad blood has flowed between the two football programs. Princeton, for example, turned down Harvard's offer of a Thanksgiving Day contest in 1892, with Harvard refusing to play Princeton that season.[5]

The 1920s was a nadir for athletic relations between the institutions.[vague]

Harvard and Princeton ceased the football series for nearly a decade, 1926 – 1934, in part because of an over the top Harvard Lampoon spoof issue of The Harvard Crimson distributed during the 1926 contest that announced the death of Princeton's head coach, Bill Roper, a man who had a history of serious illness. Roper, who coached Princeton's Team of Destiny,[6] is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. William J. Bingham, a Harvard alumnus and athletics administrator, decided Harvard football could not guarantee to play any football program save Yale. That Harvard wanted to play a national schedule was the declared reason for the change.[7]

## Notable games[edit]

### 1926[edit]

Princeton shut out Harvard, 12–0, then shunned Harvard for eight football seasons; then Princeton shut out Harvard, 19–0, in 1934. Thereafter, save the World War II years, the two programs have met annually.

### 1950[edit]

The 1950 Princeton Tigers football team, coached by former Princeton player Charley Caldwell, claimed a national title. The undefeated, untied team embarrassed Harvard, 63–26, at Palmer Stadium en route to a HYP and other championships.

### 1951[edit]

The 1951 Princeton football team crushed the Crimson, 54–13 in Boston.

### 1967[edit]

Ellis Moore ran for five touchdowns versus Harvard. Moore's effort is the 20th-century Princeton record for rushing touchdowns in a game. Princeton won, 45–6. Moore rushed for three touchdowns versus Harvard two seasons later.

### 2012[edit]

Quinn Epperly tossed, with 0:13 remaining in the game, a 36-yard touchdown to Roman Wilson to take the lead and win eventually, 39–34, at Princeton Stadium. Harvard led, 34–10, early in the fourth quarter. Wilson caught five passes.

### 2016[edit]

"Princeton certainly didn't deserve to lose the game,"[8] Harvard's Tim Murphy said, a sentiment shared at least by Princeton partisans, after Harvard's 23 – 20 win at Princeton University Stadium. Joe Viviano, Harvard quarterback, scored from the one on second down after Princeton settled for a field goal in overtime. Harvard's Luke Hutton defended successfully a pass play at the one yard line during Princeton's overtime possession.

Princeton shares League title with Penn after Yale defeats Harvard later in the season, denying Harvard a fourth-straight outright or shared League title.

## Game results[edit]

Harvard victories| Princeton victories| Tie games

|
|

| No.| Date| Location| Winner| Score

|
|
|
|

1|  April 28, 1877 |  Boston, MA |  Harvard | 1–0
2|  November 3, 1877 |  St. George's CC |  Princeton | 1–0
3|  November 16, 1878 |  Boston, MA |  Princeton | 1–0
4|  November 15, 1879 |  St. George's CC |  Princeton | 1–0
5|  November 13, 1880 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 1–0
6|  November 19, 1881 |  Princeton, NJ | Tie| 0–0
7|  November 18, 1882 |  Cambridge, MA |  Harvard | 1–0
8|  November 17, 1883 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 26–7
9|  November 19, 1884 |  Cambridge, MA |  Princeton | 36–6
10|  November 13, 1886 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 12–0
11|  November 12, 1887 |  Cambridge, MA |  Harvard | 12–0
12|  November 17, 1888 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 18–6
13|  November 16, 1889 |  Cambridge, MA |  Princeton | 41–15
14|  November 2, 1895 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 12–4
15|  November 7, 1896 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 12–0
16|  November 4, 1911 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 8–6
17|  November 2, 1912 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 16–6
18|  November 8, 1913 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 3–0
19|  November 7, 1914 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 20–0
20|  November 6, 1915 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 10–6
21|  November 11, 1916 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 3–0
22|  November 8, 1919 |  Princeton, NJ | Tie| 10–10
23|  November 6, 1920 |  Allston, MA | Tie| 14–14
24|  November 5, 1921 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 10–3
25|  November 11, 1922 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 10–3
26|  November 10, 1923 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 5–0
27|  November 8, 1924 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 34–0
28|  November 7, 1925 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 36–0
29|  November 6, 1926 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 12–0
30|  November 3, 1934 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 19–0
31|  November 9, 1935 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 35–0
32|  October 31, 1936 |  Allston, MA | Tie| 14–14
33|  October 30, 1937 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 34–6
34|  October 29, 1938 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 26–7
35|  November 4, 1939 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 9–6
36|  November 2, 1940 |  Allston, MA | Tie| 0–0
37|  November 1, 1941 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 6–4
38|  October 31, 1942 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 19–14
39|  October 12, 1946 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 13–12
40|  November 8, 1947 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 33–7
41|  November 6, 1948 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 47–7
42|  November 5, 1949 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 33–13
43|  November 11, 1950 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 63–26
44|  November 10, 1951 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 54–13
45|  November 8, 1952 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 41–21
46|  November 7, 1953 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 6–0
47|  November 6, 1954 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 14–9
48|  November 5, 1955 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 7–6
49|  November 10, 1956 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 35–20
50|  November 9, 1957 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 28–20
51|  November 8, 1958 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 16–14
52|  November 7, 1959 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 14–0
53|  November 5, 1960 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 14–12
54|  November 11, 1961 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 9–7
55|  November 10, 1962 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 20–0
56|  November 9, 1963 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 21–7
57|  November 7, 1964 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 16–0
58|  November 6, 1965 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 14–6
No.| Date| Location| Winner| Score

|
|
|
|

59|  November 5, 1966 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 18–14
60|  November 11, 1967 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 45–6
61|  November 9, 1968 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 9–7
62|  November 8, 1969 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 51–20
63|  November 7, 1970 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 29–7
64|  November 6, 1971 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 21–10
65|  November 11, 1972 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 10–7
66|  November 10, 1973 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 19–14
67|  November 9, 1974 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 34–17
68|  November 8, 1975 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 24–20
69|  October 23, 1976 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 20–14
70|  October 22, 1977 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 20–7
71|  October 28, 1978 |  Princeton, NJ | Tie| 24–24
72|  October 27, 1979 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 9–7
73|  October 25, 1980 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 7–3
74|  October 24, 1981 |  Allston, MA | Tie| 17–17
75|  October 23, 1982 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 27–15
76|  October 22, 1983 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 28–26
77|  October 27, 1984 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 17–15
78|  October 26, 1985 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 11–6
79|  October 25, 1986 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 14–3
80|  October 24, 1987 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 24–19
81|  October 22, 1988 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 23–8
82|  October 28, 1989 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 28–14
83|  October 20, 1990 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 23–20
84|  October 26, 1991 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 24–21
85|  October 24, 1992 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 21–6
86|  October 23, 1993 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 21–10
87|  October 22, 1994 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 18–7
88|  October 21, 1995 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 14–3
89|  October 26, 1996 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 24–0
90|  October 25, 1997 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 14–12
91|  October 24, 1998 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 23–22
92|  October 23, 1999 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 13–6
93|  October 21, 2000 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 35–21
94|  October 20, 2001 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 28–26
95|  October 26, 2002 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 24–17
96|  October 25, 2003 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 43–402OT
97|  October 23, 2004 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 39–14
98|  October 22, 2005 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 27–24
99|  October 21, 2006 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 34–31
100|  October 20, 2007 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 27–10
101|  October 25, 2008 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 24–20
102|  October 24, 2009 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 37–3
103|  October 23, 2010 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 45–28
104|  October 22, 2011 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 56–39
105|  October 20, 2012 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 39–34
106|  October 26, 2013 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 51–483OT
107|  October 25, 2014 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 49–7
108|  October 24, 2015 |  Allston, MA |  Harvard | 42–7
109|  October 22, 2016 |  Princeton, NJ |  Harvard | 23–20OT
110|  October 20, 2017 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 52–17
111|  October 20, 2018 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 29–21
112|  October 26, 2019 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 30–24
113|  October 23, 2021 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 18–165OT
114|  October 21, 2022 |  Allston, MA |  Princeton | 37–10
115|  October 21, 2023 |  Princeton, NJ |  Princeton | 21–14
Series: Princeton leads 60–48–7

## See also[edit]

* List of NCAA college football rivalry games
* List of most-played college football series in NCAA Division I

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Harvard—Princeton Rivalry".
2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2022.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. ^ The Harvard Crimson, Princeton: A Second-Class Power? Was treated as Such the Roaring Twenties, November 10, 1961, by line James R. Ullyot
4. ^ The "Big Three" and the Harvard-Princeton Football Break, 1926 – 1934, by Marcia G. Synott, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, Journal of Sport History, University of Illinois Press, pg. 188
5. ^ princeton.edu/mudd/2014/11/a-princeton-thanksgiving
6. ^ Princeton Football, Arcadia Press, Mount Pleasant, SC, by Mark F. Bernstein, 2009, pg. 50
7. ^ Harvard Crimson, Princeton A Second Class Power? Was Treated As Such the Roaring Twenties, November 10, 1961, by line James R. Ullyot
8. ^ The Boston Globe, October 22, 2016, Harvard Princeton game story, by line Paul Franklin, Globe Correspondent

* 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
* 1874
* 1875
* 1876
* 1877
* 1878
* 1879
* 1880
* 1881
* 1882
* 1883
* 1884
* 1885
* 1886
* 1887
* 1888
* 1889
* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

National championship seasons in bold

* v
* t
* e

Princeton Tigers football

Venues|

* University Field (1876–1913)
* Palmer Stadium (1914–1996)
* Powers Field at Princeton Stadium (1998–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Legacy Bowl
* Harvard
* Penn
* Rutgers
* Yale

Culture & lore|

* First American football game (painting)
* 1922 Chicago game
* Poe brothers
* The Tiger
* "Princeton Cannon Song"
* Winged football helmet

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1869
* 1870
* 1871
* 1872
* 1873
* 1874
* 1875
* 1876
* 1877
* 1878
* 1879
* 1880
* 1881
* 1882
* 1883
* 1884
* 1885
* 1886
* 1887
* 1888
* 1889
* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

National championship seasons in bold

* v
* t
* e

Ivy League rivalries

Conference|

* Columbia–Cornell
* Cornell–Dartmouth
* Cornell–Harvard (hockey)
* Cornell–Penn
* Cornell–Princeton (lacrosse)
* Dartmouth–Harvard
* Harvard–Penn
* Harvard–Princeton
* Harvard–Yale
* Harvard–Yale (ice hockey)
* Harvard–Yale (soccer)
* Penn–Princeton
* Penn–Princeton (men's basketball)
* Princeton–Yale

Non-conference|

* Brown–Providence (hockey)
* Brown–Rhode Island
* Colgate–Cornell
* Liberty Cup (Columbia–Fordham)
* Cornell–Hobart (lacrosse)
* Cornell–Syracuse (lacrosse)
* Dartmouth–New Hampshire (overall)
* Dartmouth–New Hampshire (football)
* Battle of 33rd Street (Drexel–Penn)
* Beanpot (Boston College–Boston University–Harvard–Northeastern)
* Johns Hopkins–Princeton (lacrosse)
* Philadelphia Big 5 (Drexel–La Salle–Penn–Saint Joseph's–Temple–Villanova)
* Princeton–Rutgers
* Battle of Whitney Avenue (Quinnipiac–Yale)
* Connecticut Ice (Connecticut–Quinnipiac–Sacred Heart–Yale)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template