Part 2 of my 2018 College Football Pilgrimage begins at Harvard Stadium on the campus of Harvard University. According to Joe Vitale from UGA Football Live, Harvard Stadium is the 2nd oldest football stadium in the USA. Harvard along with Yale and a few other universities are given credit by the historians for the creation of American Football. Though Harvard Stadium was constructed in 1904, Harvard Football began many years before the first shovel broke ground. Another journey back in TIME begins Part 2. This is a short story format with about 12,500 words plus images and video.
Prior to the Stadium’s opening, Harvard played its home football games at a number of sites. Jarvis Field, where the Littauer Center now stands, was the setting for the Crimson’s inaugural contest against McGill (1874) and its first intercollegiate game against Tufts (1875).
After several seasons of playing home games at the South End Grounds, Harvard returned to Cambridge in 1881 and played at Holmes Field, now the sight of Langdell Hall. Football, and most of the school’s outdoor teams, moved to Soldiers Field in 1894. Similar to the other universities at the time, football began at Harvard as an Intramural sport prior to the 1850’s. It was best described as Mob Football with 30 or more players per team.
BLOODY MONDAY & MORE
“In the early days of college football each school developed its own rules–in intercollegiate contests the home team’s rules prevailed. The early days of college football were a time of trial and error. Different schools played different versions of the game. Some versions looked more like soccer, others like rugby, and others were a combination of many influences.Read More »»»