1921 Harvard Crimson football team

1921 Harvard Crimson football
Conference	Independent
Record	7–2–1
Head coach	Bob Fisher (3rd season)
Home stadium	Harvard Stadium

1921 Eastern college football independents records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Washington & Jefferson			–					10	–	0	–	1
Lafayette			–					9	–	0	–	0
Cornell			–					8	–	0	–	0
Penn State			–					8	–	0	–	2
Yale			–					8	–	1	–	0
New Hampshire			–					8	–	1	–	1
Franklin & Marshall			–					6	–	1	–	2
Villanova			–					6	–	1	–	2
Carnegie Tech			–					7	–	2	–	0
Syracuse			–					7	–	2	–	0
Harvard			–					7	–	2	–	1
Boston University			–					6	–	2	–	0
Dartmouth			–					6	–	2	–	1
Brown			–					5	–	3	–	1
Bucknell			–					5	–	3	–	1
Geneva			–					5	–	3	–	1
Pittsburgh			–					5	–	3	–	1
Holy Cross			–					5	–	3	–	0
Army			–					6	–	4	–	0
Princeton			–					4	–	3	–	0
Boston College			–					4	–	3	–	1
Fordham			–					4	–	3	–	2
Penn			–					4	–	3	–	2
Colgate			–					4	–	4	–	2
Lehigh			–					4	–	4	–	0
Springfield			–					4	–	5	–	2
Vermont			–					3	–	4	–	0
NYU			–					2	–	3	–	3
Buffalo			–					2	–	3	–	2
Drexel			–					2	–	3	–	1
Rutgers			–					4	–	6	–	0
Rhode Island State			–					3	–	5	–	0
Columbia			–					2	–	6	–	0
Tufts			–					1	–	5	–	2
Duquesne			–					0	–	4	–	1

The 1921 Harvard Crimson football team represented Harvard University in the 1921 college football season. The Crimson finished with a 7–2–1 record under third-year head coach Bob Fisher.[1][2] Walter Camp selected one Harvard player, guard John Fiske Brown, as a first-team member of his 1921 College Football All-America Team.[3]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 24		Boston University	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	W 10–0	15,000	[4][5]
September 24		Middlebury	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	W 16–0	15,000	[4][5]
October 1		Holy Cross	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	W 3–0	30,000	[6]
October 8		Indiana	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	W 19–0	15,000	[7][8][9]
October 15		Georgia	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	W 10–7	25,000	[10][11][12]
October 22		Penn State	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	T 21–21	30,000	[13][14]
October 29		Centre	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	L 0–6	43,000	[15]
November 5		at Princeton	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ (rivalry)	L 3–10		[16]
November 12	2:00 p.m.	Brown	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	W 9–7	25,000	[17][18][19]
November 19		Yale	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA (rivalry)	W 10–3		[20][21]
All times are in Eastern time

Personnel

Depth chart

Roster

Player[22]	Position[23]	Games started	Prep school	Height	Weight	Age
Line
Wesley Brocker	Guard	1	Mechanic Arts HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	26
Fiske Brown	Guard	1	Andover HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	21
Henry W. Clark	Center		Phillips Exeter Academy	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	167 lb (76 kg)	22
John Crocker	End	1	Groton School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	21
R. P. Field	End		St. Mark's School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	20
H. S. Grew	Guard		St. Mark's School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	209 lb (95 kg)	20
Charles Hubbard	Tackle	1	Milton HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	19
Henry Janin	End		Pomfret School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	21
Richmond Kane	Tackle	1	St. George's School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	21
Philip Kunhardt	Center	1	Groton School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	21
Alexander Ladd	Tackle		Milton HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	19
Benoni Lockwood	Tackle	1	Groton School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	19
Charles Macomber	End		Newton HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	21
Charles Tierney	Center		Andover HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	27
Backfield
Charles Buell	Quarterback	1	Pomfret School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	156 lb (71 kg)	22
Vinton Chapin	Back	1	St. Mark's School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	21
Winthrop Churchill	Back		Milton HS	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	20
Philip Coburn	Back		Noble and Greenough School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	21
Roscoe Fitts	Back	1	Tufts University	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	20
Erwin Gehrke	Back		Cleveland HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	182 lb (83 kg)	22
Mitchell Gratwick	Back		Andover HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	21
Percy Jenkins	Back		Mercersburg Academy	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	20
Frank Johnson	Quarterback		Gunnery School	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	24
George Owen	Back	1	Newton HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	20
Karl Pfaffman	Back		Boston College HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	21

The "Games started" column is correct through Harvard's first game, against Boston University. It will be updated as more progress is made on the article's "Game summaries" section.

Game summaries

Game 1: Boston University

Boston University at Harvard

1 2 3 4 Total Boston University 0 0 0 0 0 • Harvard 7 0 3 0 10 Date: September 24 Location: Harvard Stadium Referee: O'Brien (Tufts)

Harvard began the 1921 season with a doubleheader at Harvard Stadium on September 24; both games were played with eight-minute quarters.[4][5] The first game of the doubleheader was against Boston University. Harvard's team played conservatively and the line played better than was expected. With the ball on the Boston 16-yard line, they completed a forward pass and called a series of rushes which culminated in a touchdown rush by George Owen in the first quarter. Charles Buell converted the extra point to make the score 7–0. The only other scoring play in the contest was a field goal kicked from the Boston 18-yard line by Buell, which followed an 80-yard kick return by Vinton Chapin.[4]

Harvard's season-opening starting lineup was Kunhardt at center; Kane, Hubbard, Brocker, Brown, Lockwood, and Crocker also on the line; Buell at quarterback, Fitts and Owen at halfback, and Chapin at fullback.[4]

Game 2: Middlebury

Middlebury at Harvard

1 2 3 4 Total Middlebury 0 0 0 0 0 • Harvard 0 10 0 6 16 Date: September 24 Location: Harvard Stadium Referee: O'Brien (Tufts)

Harvard's starters for the game were Bradford at center, Hartley, Henry, Anthony, Grew, Hobson, and Macomber also on the line, Johnson at quarterback, Pfaffman and Rouillard at halfback, and Churchill at fullback.[5]

Game 3: Holy Cross

Holy Cross at Harvard

1 2 3 4 Total Holy Cross 0 0 0 0 0 • Harvard 0 0 3 0 3 Date: October 1 Location: Harvard Stadium Game attendance: 30,000 Referee: O'Brien (Tufts)

Game 4: Indiana

Indiana at Harvard

1 2 3 4 Total Indiana 0 0 0 0 0 • Harvard 3 10 0 6 19 Date: October 8 Location: Harvard Stadium Game attendance: 15,000 Game weather: Rain Referee: Crowell (Swarthmore)

Game 5: Georgia

Georgia at Harvard

1 2 3 4 Total Georgia 0 0 0 7 7 • Harvard 7 3 0 0 10 Date: October 15 Location: Harvard Stadium Game attendance: 25,000 Referee: Crowell (Swarthmore)

Game 6: Penn State

Penn State at Harvard

1 2 3 4 Total Penn State 0 7 7 7 21 Harvard 7 7 0 7 21 Date: October 22 Location: Harvard Stadium Referee: O'Brien (Tufts)

Game 7: Centre

Main article: 1921 Centre vs. Harvard football game

Centre at Harvard, "C6H0"

1 2 3 4 Total • Centre 0 0 6 0 6 Harvard 0 0 0 0 0 Date: October 29 Location: Harvard Stadium Referee: Maxwell (Swarthmore)

Game 8: Princeton

See also: Harvard–Princeton football rivalry

Harvard at Princeton

1 2 3 4 Total Harvard 0 0 0 3 3 • Princeton 0 0 0 10 10 Date: November 5 Location: Palmer Stadium Referee: Crowell (Swarthmore)

Game 9: Brown

Brown at Harvard

1 2 3 4 Total Brown 0 0 0 7 7 • Harvard 0 0 3 6 9 Date: November 12 Location: Harvard Stadium Game start: 2:00 p.m. Game attendance: 25,000 Referee: Crowell (Swarthmore)

Game 10: Yale

See also: Harvard–Yale football rivalry

Yale at Harvard

1 2 3 4 Total Yale 3 0 0 0 3 • Harvard 0 0 0 10 10 Date: November 19 Location: Harvard Stadium Referee: Maxwell (Swarthmore)

References

1. "1921 Harvard Crimson Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
2. "Harvard Football Yearly Records". GoCrimson.com. Harvard University. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
3. "Walter Camp's All-America Selections for 1921" (PDF). The New York Times. December 21, 1921.
4. "Harvard starts football season with double win". Buffalo Courier. Buffalo, New York. September 25, 1921. p. 61. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "15,000 see Harvard defeat Middlebury by the score of 10–0". Rutland Daily Herald. Rutland, Vermont. September 26, 1921. p. 6. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
6. "Charlie Buell's swell drop kick won for Harvard". Buffalo Courier-Express. Buffalo, New York. October 2, 1921. p. 58. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Harvard defeats Indiana eleven". Brazil Daily Times. Brazil, Indiana. October 10, 1921. p. 2. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Indiana no match for Harvard team". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. October 9, 1921. p. 18. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Hoosiers beaten by Harvard 19–0". The Star Press. Muncie, Indiana. October 9, 1921. p. 11. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Wheatley, Cliff (October 16, 1921). "Crimson Beats Red and Black By Lonely Goal". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 3. Retrieved May 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Blake, Morgan (October 16, 1921). "Fighting gallantly, Bulldogs bow to Harvard, 10 to 7". The Atlanta Journal. Atlanta, Georgia. p. 17. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Story continued on p. 18 here.
12. "Harvard eleven again weak in offensive". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. October 17, 1921. p. 13. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Webb Jr., Melville E. (October 23, 1921). "Harvard ties Penn State, 21–21, by forward pass near finish". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 1. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Penn State holds Harvard to exciting tie". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. October 23, 1921. p. 23. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Centre wins battle 6 to 0". Boston Sunday Globe. October 30, 1921. Retrieved December 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Princeton victor over Harvard in thrilling struggle". The New York Times. New York, New York. November 6, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Story continued on p. 16 here.
17. "Crimson subs have bear trap baited". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 12, 1921. p. 7. Retrieved March 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
18. "Harvard's game, 9–7". The Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 13, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved March 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Story continued on p. 18 here.
19. "Last minute score prevents Brown victory over Harvard". New-York Tribune. New York, New York. November 13, 1921. p. 21. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "Harvard humbles Yale in thrilling gridiron battle". The New York Times. New York, New York. November 20, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Story continued on p. 20 here.
21. "Great last ditch rally by game Harvard team pulls out wonder victory over Yale, 10 to 3". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 20, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Story continued on p. 18 here, p. 19 here, p. 20 here, and p. 21 here
22. "All-Time Letterwinners" (PDF). Harvard Football Record Book. Harvard University. 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
23. Harvard-Yale Football Game Souvenir Song Program. Boston, Massachusetts: The Harvard Crimson. November 19, 1921. p. 5.