Harvard rugby

This article is about the men's rugby union team. For the women's team, see Harvard women's rugby.
Harvard
Full nameHarvard Rugby Football Club
Nickname(s)Crimson
FoundedDecember 6, 1872; 151 years ago (December 6, 1872)[1]
LocationCambridge, Massachusetts
Ground(s)Mignone Field 42°22′16″N 71°07′41″W / 42.371°N 71.128°W / 42.371; -71.128 (Cumnock Field)
League(s)Ivy Rugby Conference
Team kit
Official website
www.harvardmrugby.com

The Harvard Rugby Football Club is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I rugby union program that represents Harvard University in the Ivy Rugby Conference. Having been established in December 1872,[2][3] Harvard has the oldest rugby college program in the United States.

Harvard's first involvement with the sport can be traced to 1874, when Harvard played a two-game series vs Canadian McGill University.[4][5] As the second game was played under the rules of rugby football, Harvard embraced the game and continued until the establishment of American football rules that introduced concepts such as line of scrimmage or the system of downs.

In past years, the team traveled to Berkeley, California for the National Tournament (Top 16) after having taken the Ivy League title.

  1. ^ Evolvements of Early American Foot Ball: Through the 1899/91 Season page xiii/
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference geary was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference harvbook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "THIS DATE IN HISTORY: First football game was May 14, 1874". mcgill.ca. 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  5. ^ "THIS DATE IN HISTORY: First football game was May 14, 1874". mcgill.ca. McGill University News. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2021.