Princeton-Harvard football: A history in pictures

Princeton’s 1877 squad was the first to beat Harvard (and the first to lose to the Crimson – the teams played twice that year.) Now entering its 103rd game, the Princeton-Harvard series trails only Princeton-Yale on the Tigers’ list of most-played rivalries. (Athletics at Princeton: A History)
1877: Princeton’s 1877 squad was the first to beat Harvard (and the first to lose to the Crimson – the teams played twice that year.) Now entering its 103rd game, the Princeton-Harvard series trails only Princeton-Yale on the Tigers’ list of most-played rivalries.  (Athletics at Princeton: A History)

 
1921: Seven years after Palmer Stadium’s opening, the Tigers still were winless against the Crimson in their new home. With 50,000 fans looking on, Princeton’s Ralph Gilroy ’23 turned a short pass into a 65-yard touchdown play with five minutes remaining, and the Tigers held on for a 10-3 victory. (Bric a Brac)
1921: Seven years after Palmer Stadium’s opening, the Tigers still were winless against the Crimson in their new home. With 50,000 fans looking on, Princeton’s Ralph Gilroy ’23 turned a short pass into a 65-yard touchdown play with five minutes remaining, and the Tigers held on for a 10-3 victory. To view this post as a slide show, click on the image above. (Bric-a-Brac)
 
1926: On game day, the Harvard Lampoon stoked the rivalry by rolling out a phony edition of the Harvard Crimson that reported, among other things, the death of Princeton coach Bill Roper. The Tigers won, 12-0, in a game that PAW reporter Hugh McNair Kahler 1904 called “indescribably intense” but cleanly played. Still, bad blood had been building for several years, and in the weeks that followed, Princeton and Harvard announced plans to suspend their series. (PAW Archives)
1926: On game day, the Harvard Lampoon stoked the rivalry by rolling out a phony edition of the Harvard Crimson that reported, among other things, the death of Princeton coach Bill Roper. The Tigers won, 12-0, in a game that PAW reporter Hugh McNair Kahler 1904 called “indescribably intense” but cleanly played. Still, bad blood had been building for several years, and in the weeks that followed, Princeton and Harvard announced plans to suspend their series. (PAW Archives)
 
1934: Harvard captain Herman Gundlach and Princeton captain Mose Kalbaugh ’35, right, shook hands at midfield before the game that restored the two schools’ rivalry. The Tigers won, 19-0. Since then, the series has endured just one interruption, from 1943-45, due to World War II. (PAW Archives)
1934: Harvard captain Herman Gundlach and Princeton captain Mose Kalbaugh ’35, right, shook hands at midfield before the game that restored the two schools’ rivalry. The Tigers won, 19-0. Since then, the series has endured just one interruption, from 1943-45, due to World War II. (PAW Archives)
 
1957: Eight days after the death of legendary coach Charlie Caldwell ’25, the Tigers traveled to Cambridge and earned a 28-20 come-from-behind win, a crucial step in Princeton’s first official Ivy League championship. (The league formed in 1956.) Running back Mike Ippolito ’60, above, scored three touchdowns in the game. (The Daily Princetonian Larry Dupraz Digital Archives)
1957: Eight days after the death of legendary coach Charlie Caldwell ’25, the Tigers traveled to Cambridge and earned a 28-20 come-from-behind win, a crucial step in Princeton’s first official Ivy League championship. (The league formed in 1956.) Running back Mike Ippolito ’60, above, scored three touchdowns in the game. (The Daily Princetonian Larry Dupraz Digital Archives)
 
1969: Ellis Moore ’70, above, may have been the greatest Crimson killer of his era. He ran for five touchdowns – still a Princeton record – in a 45-6 Princeton rout in 1967 and racked up three more scores in a 51-20 win two years later. (Bob Matthews/PAW Archives)
1969: Ellis Moore ’70, above, may have been the greatest Crimson killer of his era. He ran for five touchdowns – still a Princeton single-game record – in a 45-6 Princeton rout in 1967 and racked up three more scores in a 51-20 win two years later. (Bob Matthews/PAW Archives)
 
2006: Trailing by four points in the fourth quarter, Jeff Terrell ’07 drove the Tigers 61 yards in eight plays, throwing to Brendan Circle ’08 for the game-winning touchdown. Princeton would finish the year 9-1, win the Big Three championship, and share the Ivy League title with Yale. (© Beverly Schaefer)
2006: Trailing by four points in the fourth quarter, Jeff Terrell ’07 drove the Tigers 61 yards in eight plays, throwing to Brendan Circle ’08 for the game-winning touchdown. Princeton would finish the year 9-1, win the Big Three championship, and share the Ivy League title with Yale. (© Beverly Schaefer)