Yale-Harvard rivalry on ESPN

[bulldog10jw]

Harvard-Yale Rivalry To Be Showcased On ESPN Monday

Piece to air on NFL Films Presents

Jan. 12, 2006

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Even before this past November, the Harvard-Yale football rivalry was well established as one of the best known and most celebrated series in the history of the sport.

Harvard's amazing triple-overtime victory at the Yale Bowl in 2005 - in which the Crimson overcame a 21-3 second-half deficit to take a 30-24 victory - added a notable chapter to the lore of the series. That chapter will be told this Monday as ESPN airs an in-depth segment on the rivalry on "NFL Films Presents."

The segment, which is expected to be between 12 and 14 minutes in length, will cover the Harvard-Yale rivalry from current and historical perspectives. The crew from NFL Films was allowed exclusive access to team practices, meetings and functions leading up to The Game, as well as access to the sidelines of both teams during the game itself.

The segment will air Monday, Jan. 16 at 3 a.m. and 2 p.m. on ESPN and at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

Preliminary plans also call for an extended segment on the Harvard-Yale rivalry that would run on the NFL Network's "Football America" program in the fall of 2006.

http://gocrimson.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011206aaa.html

[Pard4Life]

Harvard-Yale Rivalry To Be Showcased On ESPN Monday

Piece to air on NFL Films Presents

Jan. 12, 2006

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Even before this past November, the Harvard-Yale football rivalry was well established as one of the best known and most celebrated series in the history of the sport.

Harvard's amazing triple-overtime victory at the Yale Bowl in 2005 - in which the Crimson overcame a 21-3 second-half deficit to take a 30-24 victory - added a notable chapter to the lore of the series. That chapter will be told this Monday as ESPN airs an in-depth segment on the rivalry on "NFL Films Presents."

The segment, which is expected to be between 12 and 14 minutes in length, will cover the Harvard-Yale rivalry from current and historical perspectives. The crew from NFL Films was allowed exclusive access to team practices, meetings and functions leading up to The Game, as well as access to the sidelines of both teams during the game itself.

The segment will air Monday, Jan. 16 at 3 a.m. and 2 p.m. on ESPN and at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

Preliminary plans also call for an extended segment on the Harvard-Yale rivalry that would run on the NFL Network's "Football America" program in the fall of 2006.

http://gocrimson.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011206aaa.html

Interesting... but please tell those NFL people that your rivalry is not the most played, nor the most continuous rivalry. You only edge Lafayette-Lehigh by a few years in years played. Ours is just as good, considering there are playoff bids on the line.

[bulldog10jw]

Interesting... but please tell those NFL people that your rivalry is not the most played, nor the most continuous rivalry. You only edge Lafayette-Lehigh by a few years in years played. Ours is just as good, considering there are playoff bids on the line.

You are certainly free to tell them those facts. Why would I or anyone from Yale or Harvard do it. After all, our schools are being featured. :)

[Marcus Garvey]

I'm gonna be devils advocate here, seeing as to how I like Lehigh and Lafayette and really could care less about Harvard and Yale.

Yes, Lehigh-Lafayette is the most played rivalry. Yes, it is a big deal to those involved. Yes, the stadium always sells out, no matter who is home. However, both those programs never achieved the "big time" status that Harvard and Yale once had. Lafayette was huge in the 20's, but when the played neutral site games, they didn't draw well. Even if the Lehigh-Lafayette game were played in a larger stadium, it is unlikely to ever draw 30,000 (roughly the capacity of Harvard Stadium), let alone the 50,000+ that the Yale Bowl gets.

As a result, when college football fans think of rivalries, Yale-Harvard will always outrank Lehigh-Lafayette among those who are "neutral."

[Harvard Worship]

I'm hoping they do a good job with this, and don't harp too much on this year's Game, which was a little more white-knuckle than is becoming of Ivy-league sophisticates. I also like the old-timey footage they can bring out about H-Y. Hope the tape machine doesn't screw up.

What's Lafayette-Lehigh ??? (j/k j/k j/k)

[Ivytalk]

I plan to settle down in my leather chair, with an ice-cold Yuengling in hand, and enjoy it.

[Go...gate]

I will watch and enjoy it too, but the Ivy should get its head out of its collective arse and participate in the 1-AA play-offs.

[Pard4Life]

I will watch and enjoy it too, but the Ivy should get its head out of its collective arse and participate in the 1-AA play-offs.

The man's on a roll.. keep it coming.. :bow:

[Go...gate]

Thanks for the kind words, but the playoff ban is really flat-out crap. I'm helping a retired judge (Harvard '39) edit a law book. He is a rabid Crimson sports fan - still goes to Hockey, BB and Football at age 88 - and when asked about the post-season ban from his perspective as a mid-thirties undergraduate, his recollection was that H-Y-P did this because they thought the Rose Bowl threatened H-Y-P semester exams which took place AFTER the holiday, and students routinely had a "reading period" between Christmas break and mid-January when exams took place (I understand Princeton remains the sole holdout on this calendar). Clearly, the whole thing has just become bastardized and hidebound. The Ivy Group Presidents need to read their history.

[Pard4Life]

Thanks for the kind words, but the playoff ban is really flat-out crap. I'm helping a retired judge (Harvard '39) edit a law book. He is a rabid Crimson sports fan - still goes to Hockey, BB and Football at age 88 - and when asked about the post-season ban from his perspective as a mid-thirties undergraduate, his recollection was that H-Y-P did this because they thought the Rose Bowl threatened H-Y-P semester exams which took place AFTER the holiday, and students routinely had a "reading period" between Christmas break and mid-January when exams took place (I understand Princeton remains the sole holdout on this calendar). Clearly, the whole thing has just become bastardized and hidebound. The Ivy Group Presidents need to read their history.

Thanks for the insight, most enlightening.

My wiseguy answer to the reason why Ivies don't accept playoff bids was the Ivies were still hoping their league winner would get a Rose Bowl bid one year... ironically, the truth is the exact opposite.

[Ivytalk]

Thanks for the kind words, but the playoff ban is really flat-out crap. I'm helping a retired judge (Harvard '39) edit a law book. He is a rabid Crimson sports fan - still goes to Hockey, BB and Football at age 88 - and when asked about the post-season ban from his perspective as a mid-thirties undergraduate, his recollection was that H-Y-P did this because they thought the Rose Bowl threatened H-Y-P semester exams which took place AFTER the holiday, and students routinely had a "reading period" between Christmas break and mid-January when exams took place (I understand Princeton remains the sole holdout on this calendar). Clearly, the whole thing has just become bastardized and hidebound. The Ivy Group Presidents need to read their history.

Harvard still has those damn post-Christmas finals. That fact eviscerates the basis for the school's opposition to I-AA football playoffs, which are finished before Christmas break. The Crimson BB team last played on Friday and then started a two-week break to accommodate the reading period and exams.

[Harvard Worship]

Hey did you folks get a chance to see it? It was good! They also had a little special on Isaiah Kacyvenski afterword that was well done. Man can't wait till next season.

[ngineer]

I'm gonna be devils advocate here, seeing as to how I like Lehigh and Lafayette and really could care less about Harvard and Yale.

Yes, Lehigh-Lafayette is the most played rivalry. Yes, it is a big deal to those involved. Yes, the stadium always sells out, no matter who is home. However, both those programs never achieved the "big time" status that Harvard and Yale once had. Lafayette was huge in the 20's, but when the played neutral site games, they didn't draw well. Even if the Lehigh-Lafayette game were played in a larger stadium, it is unlikely to ever draw 30,000 (roughly the capacity of Harvard Stadium), let alone the 50,000+ that the Yale Bowl gets.

As a result, when college football fans think of rivalries, Yale-Harvard will always outrank Lehigh-Lafayette among those who are "neutral."

Some truth in that, but also, H + Y have larger alumni bases as well. I agree their programs received much more attention over a longer period of time for being successful in a 'big time' setting. I think this year's game could have had 20-25,000 if there was a stadium in the Valley that would have held that amount. "Old" Fisher and Taylor could each squeeze a little over 20,000 with temporaries. Never have seen the 'official ' all-time attendance record for our Game, however.

[Ivytalk]

Hey did you folks get a chance to see it? It was good! They also had a little special on Isaiah Kacyvenski afterword that was well done. Man can't wait till next season.

The Harvard-Yale clip was a bit trite and cliched, but the Kacyvenski part was truly heartwarming. Isaiah was the best linebacker who ever wore a Crimson jersey.

[Pard4Life]

Hey did you folks get a chance to see it? It was good! They also had a little special on Isaiah Kacyvenski afterword that was well done. Man can't wait till next season.

Pretty good clip. I enjoyed seeing the 2005 game highlights and how that Yale student tricked Harvard fans into holding up 'we suck' signs. I bet you are still not happy about that one :p . Also liked the old footage. The piece of Isaiah K was truly inspirational and moving, did not know the man went through so much. Everyone better be rooting for Seattle on Sunday.