Harvard Crimson
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox college athletics The Harvard Crimson is the nickname of the college sports teams of Harvard University. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Like the other Ivy League colleges, Harvard does not offer athletic scholarships.<ref>The Harvard Guide: Financial Aid at Harvard Template:Webarchive</ref>
Athletics at Harvard began in 1780 when the sophomores challenged the freshmen to a wrestling tournament with the losers buying dinner. Since its historic boat race against archrival Yale in 1852, Harvard has been in the forefront of American intercollegiate sports. Its football team conceived the modern version of the game and devised essentials ranging from the first concrete stadium to a scoreboard to uniform numbers to signals.<ref>A Brief History of Athletics at Harvard</ref> Originally inspired by varsity matches between Oxford University and Cambridge University in England, Harvard and Yale influenced the development of college sports in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Sports sponsored
| Baseball | Softball |
| Basketball | Basketball |
| Cricket (club)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Cross country |
| Cross country | Field hockey |
| Football | Golf |
| Golf | Ice hockey |
| Ice hockey | Lacrosse |
| Lacrosse | Rowing1 |
| Rowing1 | Rugby |
| Rugby (club) | Soccer |
| Soccer | Squash |
| Squash | Swimming and diving |
| Swimming and diving | Tennis |
| Tennis | Track and field† |
| Track and field2 | Volleyball |
| Volleyball | Water polo |
| Water polo | |
| Wrestling | |
| colspan="2" style="Template:NCAA color cell; text-align:center" | Co-ed sports | |
| Fencing | |
| Sailing | |
| Skiing | |
| colspan="2" style="Template:NCAA secondary color cell" | 1 – includes both lightweight and heavyweight 2 – includes both indoor and outdoor | |
Baseball
Template:Main Harvard's baseball program began competing in the 1865 season. It has appeared in four College World Series. It plays at Joseph J. O'Donnell Field and is currently coached by Bill Decker.
Basketball
Men's basketball
Template:Main Harvard has an intercollegiate men's basketball program. The team currently competes in the Ivy League in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and play home games at the Lavietes Pavilion in Boston. The team's last appearance in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was in 2014, where they beat Cincinnati in the Round of 64 in a 12 vs. 5 seed upset. The Crimson are currently coached by Tommy Amaker.
Women's basketball
Template:Main Harvard has an intercollegiate women's basketball program. The team currently competes in the Ivy League in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and play home games at the Lavietes Pavilion in Boston. The team's last appearance in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was in 2007.
Fencing
Template:Main The fencing team won the 2006 NCAA team championship in men's and women's combined fencing. Representing Harvard Crimson, Benjamin (Benji) Ungar won Gold in the 2006 Individual Men's Épée event at the NCAA Fencing Championship, and was named Harvard Athlete of The Year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2020, the fencing program received more attention following a student admission scandal which involved former fencing coach Peter Brand accepting bribes to admit at least two sons of Maryland businessman Jie “Jack” Zhao into Harvard as members of the fencing team.<ref name=assets>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=arrests>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Football
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The football team has competed since 1873, initially using rugby union rules through 1882.<ref>'Evolvements of Early American Foot Ball: Through the 1899/91 Season' by Melvin I. Smith (Library of Congress Control Number 2008903251 first published December 2, 2008) pages xii and xiii</ref> They have won ten national championships when the school competed in what is now known as the FBS.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They are perhaps best known for their rivalry with Yale, known as "The Game". Sixteen former players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Harvard's athletic rivalry with Yale is intense in every sport in which they meet, coming to a climax each fall in their annual football meeting, which dates back to 1875. While Harvard's football team is no longer one of the country's best as it often was a century ago during football's early days (it won the Rose Bowl in 1920), both it and Yale have influenced the way the game is played. In 1903, Harvard Stadium introduced a new era into football with the first-ever permanent reinforced concrete stadium of its kind in the country. The stadium's structure actually played a role in the evolution of the college game. Seeking to reduce the alarming number of deaths and serious injuries in the sport, the "Father of Football", Walter Camp (former captain of the Yale football team), suggested widening the field to open up the game. But the state-of-the-art Harvard Stadium was too narrow to accommodate a wider playing surface. So, other steps had to be taken. Camp would instead support revolutionary new rules for the 1906 season. These included legalizing the forward pass, perhaps the most significant rule change in the sport's history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Nelson, David M., Anatomy of a Game: Football, the Rules, and the Men Who Made the Game, 1994, Pages 127–128</ref>
In both 1919 and 1920, headed by All-American brothers Arnold Horween and Ralph Horween, Harvard was undefeated (9–0–1, as they outscored their competition 229–19, and 8–0–1, respectively).<ref name="googleusercontent1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The team won the 1920 Rose Bowl 7–6 over the University of Oregon.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="google1">Template:Cite book</ref> It was the only bowl appearance in Harvard history.<ref name="nytimes1996">Template:Cite news</ref>
Golf
Harvard has won six national collegiate team championships: 1898 (fall),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 1899, 1901, 1902 (fall), 1903, and 1904. They have crowned eight individual national champions: James Curtis (1898, fall), Halstead Lindsley (1901), Chandler Egan (1902, fall), A. L. White (1904), H. H. Wilder (1908), F. C. Davison (1912), Edward Allis (1914), J. W. Hubbell (1916). They won the inaugural Ivy League championship in 1975, their only league championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ice hockey
Men's ice hockey
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The men's ice hockey team is one of the oldest intercollegiate ice hockey teams in the United States, having played their first game on January 19, 1898, in a 0–6 loss to Brown.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Former head coach William H. Claflin and former captain George Owen are credited with the first use of line change in a game against Yale on March 3, 1923, when the Crimson substituted entire forward lines instead of individuals.<ref name="timeline">Template:Cite web</ref> The men's ice hockey team won the NCAA Division I Championship on April 1, 1989, defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 4–3 in overtime.<ref name="89ncaa">Template:Cite web</ref> The Cleary Cup, awarded to the ECAC regular-season champion, is named for former Harvard All-American hockey player, coach, and athletic director Bill Cleary, a member of the U.S. hockey team that won the 1960 Winter Olympics gold medal. The team competes in ECAC Hockey along with five other Ivy League schools and is coached by Harvard alumnus, Olympian, and former NHL forward, Ted Donato.<ref name="Donato">Template:Cite web</ref> Harvard competes in one of the most heated rivalries of college hockey at least twice each season against Harvard's archrival, the Cornell Big Red, in installments of the Cornell–Harvard hockey rivalry. Cornell and Harvard are the most storied programs currently in the ECAC.
- 1-time NCAA men's champions: 1989
- 10-time ECAC men's champions: 1963, 1971, 1983, 1987, 1994, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2015, 2017
- 11-time ECAC men's regular-season champions: 1963, 1973*, 1975, 1986, 1987, 1988*, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2017* (*denotes tie)
Women's ice hockey
- 1-time women's national champions (1999, crowned by AWCHA, pre-dated NCAA Women's "Frozen Four")
- 6-time ECAC women's champions (1999, 2004–06, 2008, 2015)
- 6-time ECAC women's regular-season champions (1999, 2003–05, 2008, 2015)
Rowing
- See footnote.<ref>Men's rowing (both heavyweight and lightweight) and women's lightweight rowing are not part of the NCAA and have separate championships. The NCAA does conduct championships for women's heavyweight (or openweight) crews (Divisions I, II and III). See: NCAA Rowing Championship.</ref>
- ECAC Rowing Trophy: 2002, 2004<ref>ECAC Awards and Honors: ECAC Rowing Trophy Template:Webarchive. Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) official website. Retrieved March 3, 2010.</ref>
Older than The Game by 23 years, the Harvard–Yale Regatta was the original source of the athletic rivalry between the two schools. It is held annually in June on the Thames river in eastern Connecticut. Both the Harvard heavyweight and lightweight teams are typically considered to be among the top teams in the country in rowing, having won numerous national championships in recent years.
For a time the Harvard lightweight men's team had one of the "oddest" streaks in collegiate sports, having won the national championships in every odd year from 1989 to 2003 (and in no corresponding even years).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The streak was broken when Harvard lost to Yale by almost 4 seconds in 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The women's heavyweight rowing team were NCAA Champions in 2003.
Honors
- Henley Royal Regatta, Grand Challenge Cup 1914, 1939, 1950, 1959, 1985
- Henley Royal Regatta, Ladies' Challenge Plate 1973, 1983, 1990, 1998, 2002, 2007, 2010, 2012
- Henley Royal Regatta, Thames Challenge Cup 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1971, 1972, 1976
- Henley Royal Regatta, Temple Challenge Cup 2001, 2002, 2025<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Henley Royal Regatta, Britannia Challenge Cup 1993, 2002
- Henley Royal Regatta, Prince Albert Challenge Cup 2011, 2019
- Henley Royal Regatta, Wyfold Challenge Cup 1971
- Henley Royal Regatta, Visitors' Challenge Cup 2013, 2014
Rugby
Template:Main Harvard added women's rugby as a varsity sport in 2013, increasing the number of sports the school offered to 42.<ref>Rugby Mag, "Harvard Women Rugby to go Varsity" Template:Webarchive, August 9, 2012,</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Collegiate women's rugby programs are governed by the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association. Harvard was the first Ivy League institution to sponsor a varsity rugby program.<ref name="Harvard Women">Template:Cite web</ref> Prior to 2013, the Harvard Radcliffe Rugby Football Club, which began in 1982, had won two national championships (1998, 2011) as a club team.<ref name="Harvard Women"/> Notable honors include: 2019 National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) National Champions,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ivy League Champions (2018, 2013),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ivy League Sevens Champions (2016, 2017, 2019)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sailing
Template:Main The Harvard team won the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, and the dinghies Intercollegiate Sailing Association National Championships in 1952, 1953, 1959, 1974 and 2003, the women's dinghies in 2005, the sloops in 2001 and 2002, and the team race in 2002 and 2003. The team was ranked 11th nationally in 2013 according to Sailing World.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Soccer
Men's soccer
Template:Main Before the NCAA began its tournament in 1959, the annual national champion was declared by the Intercollegiate Association Football League (IAFL) — from 1911 to 1926 — and then the Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association (ISFA), from 1927 to 1958. From 1911 to 1958, Harvard won four national championships.
Women's soccer
Template:Main Women's soccer was elevated from a club to a varsity sport at Harvard in 1977. Bob Scalise, Harvard's former athletic director, was the first head coach. The team has won thirteen Ivy League Championships: 1978, 1979, 1981, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2016.
Squash
Women's squash
- 22 national titles (9 consecutively 2015–2023)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 28 Ivy League titles (9 consecutively 2017–2025) <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Men's squash
- 40 national titles
- 41 Ivy League titles
- 2014 national champions
Swimming and diving
Harvard Swimming and Diving was founded in 190230. Harvard Men's Swimming and Diving is currently coached by Kevin Tyrrell, Harvard Women's Swimming and Diving is currently coached by Stephanie Wriede Morawski.
Tennis
Michael Zimmerman played tennis for the Harvard tennis team, and was a member of four successive Ivy League championship winning teams, from 1989 to 1992. In both 1991 and 1992 he earned Ivy League Player of the Year and ITA All-American honors.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Track & field
Harvard has men's and women's teams in track & field in Indoor, Outdoor (Men, Women), and Cross-Country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Among its notable athletes have been Bill Meanix, who held the world record in the 440 yd hurdles, and Milton Green, a world record holder in high hurdles.
Volleyball
Men's volleyball
Template:Main Template:See also Inaugural season for the men's team was 1981. The Crimson compete in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) and are under the direction of head coach, Brian Baise.
Women's volleyball
Template:Main Inaugural season for the women's team was 1981. The Crimson compete in the Ivy League and are under the direction of head coach, Jennifer Weiss.
Water polo
Coach Ted Minnis heads both the Men's and Women's Water Polo teams, which compete in the Collegiate Water Polo Association. The teams both play in Blodgett Pool.
Wrestling
Template:See also First established in 1913, the Harvard wrestling team celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013–14, making the Crimson one of the oldest collegiate wrestling programs in the nation. As part of that celebration GoCrimson.com released the "Top Moments in Harvard Wrestling History" in collaboration with the Harvard Crimson Wrestling team. The team practices and competes in the Malkin Athletic Center. In 1938, the Harvard Wrestling team featured the program's first national champion, John Harkness.
Jesse Jantzen ’04 is the most accomplished wrestler in Harvard history with the record for all-time wins (132), winning percentage (.910), and pins (50), Jantzen's accomplishments include: 2004 NCAA Champion, 2004 NCAA Most Outstanding Wrestler, three-time NCAA All-American, three-time EIWA Champion, and four-time NCAA Qualifier.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Spirit groups
Harvard athletic contests are supported by campus spirit groups including the Harvard University Band, the Crimson Dance Team, and Harvard Cheerleading.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- The beginnings of Harvard Cheerleading likely predate football at the University, and may originate in the mid or late nineteenth century.<ref name="Lambert">Template:Cite journal</ref> The program boasts of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1904) and journalist John Reed (1910) as alumni; the squad was exclusively male until 1971.<ref name="Lambert" />
- The student-run Harvard University Band was established in 1919 and was the world's first university "scramble" band.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- The Harvard Crimson Dance Team was established in 1995 and competes at both a regional and national level.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- During the 2022 Harvard-Yale football game, students debuted the Harvard Turkey as the school's first unofficial mascot.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A majority vote by the student body and unanimous decision of the Harvard Undergraduate Association approved the acquisition of a permanent suit in fall of 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Awards
- Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award, college football award named for former player
Facilities
Harvard has several athletic facilities, such as the Lavietes Pavilion, a multi-purpose arena and home to the basketball teams. The Malkin Athletic Center, known as the "MAC," serves both as the university's primary recreation facility and as home to the varsity men's and women's volleyball, men's and women's fencing, and wrestling teams. The five-story building includes two cardio rooms, a deep 25-yard swimming pool, a smaller pool for aquaerobics and other activities, a mezzanine, where all types of classes are held at all hours of the day, and an indoor cycling studio, three weight rooms, and a three-court gym floor to play basketball. The MAC also offers personal trainers and specialty classes. The MAC is also home to volleyball, fencing, and wrestling. The offices of several of the school's varsity coaches are also in the MAC.
Weld Boathouse and Newell Boathouse house the women's and men's rowing teams, respectively. The men's heavyweight team also uses the Red Top complex in Ledyard, CT, as their training camp for the annual Harvard–Yale Regatta. The Bright Hockey Center hosts the ice hockey teams, and the Murr Center serves both as a home for the squash and tennis teams as well as a strength and conditioning center for all athletic sports.
Other facilities include: Joseph J. O'Donnell Field<ref name=ODonnellField/> (baseball), Harvard Stadium (football), Cumnock Turf and Harvard Stadium (lacrosse), Jordan Field and Ohiri Field (soccer), Blodgett Pool, Olympic-size (swimming and diving, water polo), and Roberto A. Mignone Field (rugby).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Television footage
Harvard Undergraduate Television has footage from historical games and athletic events including the 2005 pep-rally before the Harvard-Yale Game. Harvard's official athletics website has more comprehensive information about Harvard's athletic facilities.
Notes
References
External links
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