1961 Harvard Crimson football team

American college football season August 2023 December 2025 1961 Harvard Crimson football Ivy League Ivy 6–3 6–1 John Yovicsin 5th Alex W. “Pete” Hart Harvard Stadium Ivy League co-champion The 1961 Harvard Crimson football team was an American football team that represented Harvard University as a member of the Ivy League during the 1961 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach John Yovicsin, the Crimson compiled a 6–3 record (6–1 in conference games) and outscored opponents by a total of 160 to 97 (143 to 60 in conference games). They tied with Columbia for the Ivy League championship even though Harvard lost to Columbia by a 26–14 score during the season.https://ivyleague.com/documents/2017/8/23/3_Year_By_Year_History_2017.pdf?id=2998 Ivy League Football Media Guide Year-by-Year History Ivy League Princeton, N.J. 2017 July 10, 2020 231961 Harvard Crimson Schedule and Results Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football September 16, 2024 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/harvard/1961-schedule.html Alex W. "Pete" Hart was the team captain.Football Record Book: Year-by-Year Results Harvard University Cambridge, Mass. June 20, 2020 https://gocrimson.com/documents/2020/6/17//FBL_RecordBook_Year_by_Year_Results.pdf?id=6334 July 6, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200706155918/https://gocrimson.com/documents/2020/6/17//FBL_RecordBook_Year_by_Year_Results.pdf?id=6334 dead Three Harvard players received first-team all-conference honors: end Bob Boyds; tackle Darwin Wile; and guard Bill Swinford. Harvard played its home games at Harvard Stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Schedule y y y AP 1961 September 30 Lehigh<ncg> Harvard Stadium Boston, MA L 17-22 11,000 Lehigh Sets Back Harvard, 22 to 17, on 2 Late Passes October 1, 1961 S7 The New York Times New York, N.Y. October 7 Cornell Harvard Stadium Boston, MA W 14-0 11,000 Harvard Blanks Cornell, 14-0, in Upset; Halaby Scores Twice for Crimson Michael Strauss October 8, 1961 S1 The New York Times New York, N.Y. October 14 Colgate<ncg> Harvard Stadium Boston, MA L 0-15 12,000 Colgate's Rushing Tops Harvard, 15-0 Howard M. Tuckner October 15, 1961 S1 The New York Times New York, N.Y. October 21 Columbia Harvard Stadium Boston, MA L 14-26 11,000 Columbia Wins; Lions Score, 26-14 Lincoln A. Werden October 22, 1961 S1 The New York Times New York, N.Y. October 28 Dartmouth Harvard Stadium Boston, MA (rivalry) W 21-15 32,500 Harvard Halts Dartmouth, 21-15; 32,500 See Upset Gordon S. Jr. White October 29, 1961 S1 The New York Times New York, N.Y. November 4 @ Penn Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA (rivalry) W 37-6 15,345 Harvard Running Trims Penn, 37-6, in 3d Ivy Victory Louis Effrat November 5, 1961 S1 The New York Times New York, N.Y. November 11 Princeton Harvard Stadium Boston, MA (rivalry) W 9-7 30,000 Harvard Wins, 9-7; Princeton Loses Joseph M. Sheehan November 12, 1961 S1 The New York Times New York, N.Y. November 18 Brown Harvard Stadium Boston, MA W 21-6 10,000 Harvard Tops Brown, 21-6; Crimson Runners Excel Gordon S. Jr. White November 19, 1961 S1 The New York Times New York, N.Y. November 25 @ Yale Yale Bowl New Haven, CT (The Game) W 27-0 61,789 Harvard Crushes Yale, 27-0, and Ties for Ivy Title; 61,789 at Bowl Allison Danzig November 26, 1961 S1 The New York Times New York, N.Y. Statistics The 1961 Crimson gained an average of 215.3 rushing yards and 32.7 passing yards per game. On defense, they held opponents to 152.2 rushing yards and 78.7 passing yards per game.1961 Harvard Crimson Stats Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football September 16, 2024 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/harvard/1961.html In their run-oriented offense, Harvard had eight players who rushed for at least 100 yards. Bill Grana led the group with 431 yards on 94 carries for a 4.6-yard average. He was followed by Bill Taylor (350 yards, 79 carries, 4.4-yard average), Ted Halaby (288 yards, 51 carries, 5.6-yard average), Mike Bassett (174 yards, 44 carries, 4.0-yard average), and Chuck Reed (169 yards, 42 carries, 4.0-yard average). The team's passing leaders were Bill Humenuk (13-for-31, 195 yards) and Mike Bassett (13-for-40, 125 yards). The leading receivers were Pete Hart (five receptions, 64 yards) and Bill Taylor (seven receptions, 58 yards). Awards and honors Three Harvard players received first-team honors on the 1961 All All-Ivy football team: end Bob Boyds; tackle Darwin Wile; and guard Bill Swinford.Columbia Lands 4 On Ivy Team The Record November 27, 1961 32 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-record-columbia-lands-4-on-ivy-team/155428607/ Newspapers.com Players Mike Bassett, quarterback, sophomore, 5'11", 175 pounds Tom Boone, halfback, junior, 6'0", 190 pounds Bob Boyds (#82), end, senior, 6'1", 203 pounds, Carnegie, PA Tom Gaston (#65), guard, senior, 6'1", 205 pounds Bill Grana, fullback, sophomore, 5'11", 195 pounds, St. Louis, MO Ted Halaby, quarterback, senior, 5'10", 175 pounds, Rochester, NY Alex W. "Pete" Hart, end and captain, senior, 6'2", 215 pounds Bill Humenuk, quarterback, sophomore, 6'2", 185 pounds, Philadelphia, PA Chuck Reed, halfback Mike Sheridan, tackle Ed Smith (#78), tackle, 6'3", 215 pounds Bill Swinford (#61), guard, senior, 5'10", 180 pounds, Oklahoma City Bill Taylor, halfback, junior, 6'0", 190 pounds Tony Watters, center, senior, 6'2", 195 pounds Darwin Wile (#76), tackle, senior, 6'0", 215 pounds, Middletown, PA References Harvard Category:Harvard Crimson football seasons Category:Ivy League football champion seasons Harvard Crimson football Category:1961 in Boston