2004 Harvard–Yale prank

American football prank February 2020 thumb|Harvard fans holding up placards - The Harvard Satyrical Press's photo thumb| Another photo from the Harvard Satyrical Press, zooming into the crowd At the annual Harvard–Yale football game on November 20, 2004, Yale students, costumed as a Harvard "pep squad", distributed placards to Harvard fans for a card stunt. When the fans raised the placards together, they read "We Suck". The practical joke was conceived of and coordinated by Michael Kai and David Aulicino, two Yale students in the class of 2005, and was executed with the help of 20 classmates. The perpetrators handed crimson-and-white placards to fans in the central area of the Harvard side of the stadium—mostly Harvard alumni, with a few faculty, students, and others. The group told the crowd that, by lifting the placards, they would spell "Go Harvard". Ruggeri Amanda Elis outsmart Harvard with prank at Game Yale Daily News 2004-11-29 http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2004/11/29/elis-outsmart-harvard-with-prank-at-game/ 2010-01-21 https://web.archive.org/web/20100115031251/http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2004/11/29/elis-outsmart-harvard-with-prank-at-game/ 2010-01-15 dead Yale Daily News Elis outsmart Harvard with prank at Game https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2004/11/29/elis-outsmart-harvard-with-prank-at-game/ 29 Nov 2004 Yale Daily News Photo from 'Elis outsmart Harvard with prank at Game' http://yaledailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/media/img/2004/11/29/11_29_2004_1171511513.jpg 29 Nov 2004 Most Harvard students were sitting in a section off to the side of the alumni area where the prank was executed, and they left the stands unaware of the prank; however, players on the field did see the placards.ESPN documentary on the Harvard-Yale rivalry, featuring the "We Suck" prank, December, 2005. Response Initially, many at Harvard denied that the prank had happened. http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=504781 Yale's Brief Shining Moment M. Aidan Kelly The Harvard Crimson 2004-12-02 2007-09-10 In response, Yale students registered the domain name "harvardsucks.org" (as well as "yalesucks.org" in a preemptive move)Both "yalesucks.org" and "yalesucks.com" were registered as domain names shortly after the prank, redirecting to "harvardsucks.org".https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/yalesucks.org yalesucks.org Wayback Machine 2004 2026-08-20https://web.archive.org/web/20050000000000*/yalesucks.com yalesucks.com Wayback Machine 2005 2026-08-20 In contrast, "harvardsucks.com" appears to be an unrelated ad platform dating back to 2001.Find the best web sites at harvardsucks.com! http://harvardsucks.com/ https://web.archive.org/web/20010517211510/http://harvardsucks.com/ 2001-05-17 2026-08-14 and posted a video detailing their efforts.http://www.harvardsucks.org/ Video of the incident March 16, 2006 April 2, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060402224207/http://harvardsucks.org/ dead Chuck Sullivan, Harvard's director of athletic communications, said, "[It was] all in good fun."New York Sun, December 1, 2004 In an interview with The Harvard Crimson, the prank's organizers claimed that members of the Harvard Band were complicit with the Yale pranksters.New Haven RegisterAugust 2025August 2026 Media and internet coverage The prank was covered by newspapers, radio programs, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, MSNBC, and several other TV shows. Several magazines have listed the prank among the greatest in college history. The Economist From Hermes to bonsai kittens 82–83 2005-12-24 Sports Illustrated Pranks for the Memories 36 2005-12-12 Maxim Ivy Beleaguered http://www.maximonline.com/articles/index.aspx?a_id=6214 20–21 February 2005 2007-09-10 FHM Harvard Gets Pranked! 30 March 2005 PCFormat Sportsmanship HARVARD SUCKS 30 March 2005 Similar pranks In 2007, a senior at Hilliard Davidson High School in Columbus, Ohio pulled a copycat prank on Hilliard Darby High School during a football game and was suspended for three days; his prank was recorded on YouTube.https://www.npr.org/2007/08/31/14075171/ohio-student-suspended-for-prank Ohio student suspended for prank NPRhttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/student-pays-for-football-game-prank/ Student Pays For Football Game Prank CBS News August 30, 2007 In 2024, two YouTubers pranked Paris Saint-Germain F.C. fans by putting an Olympique de Marseille tifo in the stands of the Parc des Princes during a Coupe de France game.VIDEO. Football : "Humiliation totale du PSG, du jamais vu en France..." Une tribune du Parc des Princes piégée par un tifo de l'OM https://www.ladepeche.fr/2024/03/14/football-humiliation-totale-du-psg-du-jamais-vu-en-france-une-tribune-du-parc-des-princes-piegee-par-un-tifo-de-lom-11825903.php 2024-03-14 ladepeche.fr fr See also Great Rose Bowl Hoax List of practical joke topics Notes References External links www.harvardsucks.org https://web.archive.org/web/20060402224207/http://harvardsucks.org/ April 2, 2006 , website maintained by the pranksters Category:American college football incidents Category:College football controversies Category:Harvard Crimson football Category:Practical jokes Category:Yale Bulldogs football Category:November 2004 in the United States Harvard-Yale prank