1901 Harvard Crimson football team

American college football season August 2023 December 2025 1901 Harvard Crimson football Harvard football team 1901.jpg 285 Independent 12–0 Bill Reid 1st Soldier's Field National champion (Billingsley, Davis) The 1901 Harvard Crimson football team was an American football team that represented Harvard University as an independent during the 1901 college football season. In its first season under head coach Bill Reid, the team compiled a 12–0 record, shut out nine of 12 opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 254 to 24. When Harvard met Yale at season's end, it was considered to be for the national championship by the contemporaneous media. Harper's Weekly (photo below) and the Chicago Tribune recognized the team as national champions.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48328463/chicago-tribune-1901-football/ Sports Review for Year 1901, Champions of the Gridiron The Chicago Tribune December 31, 1901 7 Chicago, Illinois The season was one of constant surprises and culminated in the overwhelming defeat of Yale by Harvard on the Saturday before Thanksgiving day. This gave the crimson an undisputed claim to the gridiron championship. In addition, the team was retrospectively named as the national champion by two selectors, the Billingsley Reporthttp://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2015/FBS.pdf National Poll Rankings National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2015 NCAA Division I Football Records NCAA 108 January 4, 2016 and Parke H. Davis.Parke Davis' selection for 1901, as published in Spalding's Foot Ball Guide (to which he was a contributor until his death) in 1934 and 1935, was Harvard.Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide 1934 Walter R. Okeson American Sports Publishing Co. New York 1934 206Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide 1935 Walter R. Okeson American Sports Publishing Co. New York 1935 233The NCAA Records Book states "Yale" for 1901, which is an error that has been perpetuated since the first appearance of Parke Davis' selections in the NCAA book about 1995. Three other selectors, the Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, and the National Championship Foundation retrospectively named Michigan as the 1901 national champion. Nine Harvard players received first-team honors from Walter Camp (WC) or Caspar Whitney (CW) on the 1901 All-America team: Fullback Thomas Graydon (WC-1, CW-1); Halfback Robert Kernan (WC-1, CW-1); Halfback A. W. Ristine (WC-2); Tackle Oliver Cutts (WC-1, CW-1); Tackle Crawford Blagden (WC-2; CW-1); Guard William George Lee (WC-1, CW-2); Guard Charles A. Barnard (WC-2, CW-1); End Dave Campbell (WC-1, CW-2); and End Edward Bowditch (WC-2, CW-1).Spalding's Football Guide 47 https://books.google.com/books?id=Xws7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA47 All-America Team of 1901 Google books March 8, 2015 1902 Caspar Whitney The Sportsman's View-Point Outing 1902 http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/Outing/Volume_39/outXXXIX04/outXXXIX04v.pdf 2019-03-12 2012-07-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20120723104935/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/Outing/Volume_39/outXXXIX04/outXXXIX04v.pdf dead 500px|1901 game photo by Harper's Weekly Schedule September 28 3:30 p.m. w Williams Soldier's Field Boston, MA 16–0 1,500 Will Play Its First Game Today.—Harvard to Line Up Against Williams on Soldiers Field—Their Work in Practice Very Ragged—Hospital List Grows https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/200603520/ The Boston Daily Globe Boston, Massachusetts September 28, 1901 8 June 29, 2026 Newspapers.com Firm In The Line: Harvard Beats Williams, 16 to 0, in First Game The Boston Sunday Globe September 29, 1901 7 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29450999/firm_in_the_line_harvard_beats/ Newspapers.com Harvard, 16; Williams, 0 https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-herald/200603654/ The Sun New York, New York September 29, 1901 9 June 29, 2026 Newspapers.com October 2 w 1901 Bowdoin Polar Bears Bowdoin Soldier's Field Boston, MA 12–0 Buck The Line: Harvard Goes Through Bowdoin For Two Touchdowns The Boston Globe October 3, 1901 8 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29450885/buck_the_line_harvard_goes_through/ Newspapers.com October 5 w 1901 Bates Bobcats Bates Soldier's Field Boston, MA 16–6 Scores on Harvard: Bates Get 6 Points to Crimson's 16 Points The Boston Sunday Globe October 6, 1901 4 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29425196/scores_on_harvard_bates_get_6_points/ Newspapers.com October 9 4:00 p.m. w Amherst Soldier's Field Boston, MA 11–0 3,000 Punts Outs.—Harvard Kickers Sized Up Somewhat https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/200593960/ The Boston Daily Globe Boston, Massachusetts October 9, 1901 5 June 29, 2026 Newspapers.com Harvard Wins Fast Game From Amherst https://www.newspapers.com/article/boston-post/200593876/ Boston Post Boston, Massachusetts October 10, 1901 3 June 29, 2026 Newspapers.com Blank First Half: Harvard Unable to Cross the Amherst Goal Line The Boston Sunday Globe October 10, 1901 4 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29425168/blank_first_half_harvard_unable_to/ Newspapers.com October 12 w Columbia Soldier's Field Boston, MA 18–0 Crimson Line In No Danger: Harvard Beats Columbia 18 to 0 The Boston Globe October 13, 1901 1–2 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29360777/crimson_line_in_no_danger_harvard/ Newspapers.com October 16 w Wesleyan Soldier's Field Boston, MA 16–0 Harvard Slow: Scores Only 16 Points on Weak Wesleyan Eleven The Boston Sunday Globe October 17, 1901 5 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29425146/harvard_slow_scores_only_16_points_on/ Newspapers.com October 19 w y Army The Plain West Point, NY 6–0 Kernan's Run Saves Harvard: West Point Allows Crimson Only Six Points The Boston Sunday Globe October 20, 1901 1–2 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29425122/kernans_run_saves_harvard_west_point/ Newspapers.com October 26 w Carlisle Soldier's Field Boston, MA 29–0 Indians Dangerous Only Once: By a Run, and a Series of Rushes, They Get Within Harvard's Eight-Yard Line The Boston Sunday Globe October 27, 1901 1–2 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29425090/indians_dangerous_only_once_by_a_run/ Newspapers.com November 2 w Brown Soldier's Field Boston, MA 48–0 5,000 Crimson Triumphs Over Brown by Its Biggest Score of the Season---48---0 Boston Post November 3, 1901 5 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29410874/crimson_triumphs_over_brown_by_its/ Newspapers.com November 9 w at Penn Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA rivalry 33–6 Harvard Defeats Pennsylvania By Score Of 33 To 6 The Times (Philadelphia) November 10, 1901 1 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29425064/harvard_defeats_pennsylvania_by_score/ Newspapers.com November 16 w Dartmouth rivalry Soldier's Field Boston, MA 27–12 Fast Football: Harvard Defeats Dartmouth by A Score of 27 to 12 The Boston Globe November 17, 1901 16 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29415569/fast_football_harvard_defeats/ Newspapers.com November 23 w Yale Soldier's Field Boston, MA rivalry 22–0 Harvard 22, Yale 0: Crimson Give the Blue Saddest Surprise in History The Boston Sunday Globe Dudley S. Dean November 24, 1901 1–2 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29425034/harvard_22_yale_0_crimson_give_the/ Newspapers.com 1901 Harvard Crimson Schedule and Results Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football February 27, 2017 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/harvard/1901-schedule.html References Harvard Category:Harvard Crimson football seasons Category:College football national champions Category:College football undefeated seasons Harvard Crimson football Category:1900s in Boston Category:Long stubs with short prose