Harvard-Penn: Just the sixth time it's important

The Crimson and Quakers football squads played key games in the 1980s in deciding the Ivy champ. There was once meaning in Harvard versus Penn football games -- really. Granted, the last time was 12 years ago, but the clash of the Crimson and the Red and Blue was serious business at one point. Now, don't get too hyped up -- this Saturday's game will be only the sixth meeting anyone has ever cared about. When the Quakers meet the Crimson at Harvard Stadium at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, the Ivy League title will be at stake. Very few, if any, on this campus or Harvard's, can remember the last time that happened. Those that can probably aren't football fans anyway. University President Judith Rodin had already graduated from Penn, done her graduate work and was a professor at Yale. The year was 1974. The series started in 1881 with a Harvard defeat of Penn, by a whopping 2-0 score. Finally, 44 meetings and 93 years later, Harvard and Penn matched up for the first time with anything at stake. · November 2, 1974: Cambridge, Mass. Harvard 3-0. Penn 2-0-1. It was early in the season, but the game had Ivy League title implications. Harvard's game-day program said it all. "This is Penn's final road game of the season, and a victory today would possibly put the Quakers in the Ivy driver's seat." The Quakers were primed for the encounter, undefeated in their last seven contests. By all accounts, Penn had the most devastating offense in the league. They were led by Adolph "Beep Beep" Bellizeare, the leading punt returner in the nation, and Harvard's worst nightmare. He had returned four kicks for touchdowns in two years. The Quakers also had the likes of Marty Vaughn, the best Ivy league quarterback, and a running back, Jack Wixted, who had an astounding three games (over 100 yards per contest) before the Harvard game. Can anyone say Jim Finn? The afternoon went the way of the Crimson, as they rolled to a 39-0 victory. See you later, Ivy League title hopes. The Quakers found themselves in the passenger seat, ending the year 4-2, as Harvard clinched the championship. Alright, so the first important game wasn't the one to set the precedent for Penn. Revenge would have to wait? eight years. · November 13, 1982: Philadelphia Ronald Reagan was president, and Boy George was well on his way to popularity, if not to choosing a sex. On a 48-degree, clear afternoon, none of that was on the minds of the Quakers. They were good and they knew it. What ensued was possibly the best Penn football game of all time. Franklin Field hosted 34,746 fans anticipating an Ivy League co-championship, Penn's first since 1959. Jerry Brendt was the coach of a Quakers squad which was less than mediocre the previous year and surprisingly competitive in the 1982 season. At the point of the Harvard game, Brendt's squad had racked up a 6-2 overall record, including a 4-1 tally in the Ivy Leagues. It set the tone for the clash with Harvard. The Quakers quarterback of the time, Gary Vura, led the charge. "When the Harvard game came up, we knew we were a halfway decent football team or we wouldn't have been in that position," Vura told The Daily Pennsylvanian in 1987. "We didn't lose at Franklin Field and we weren't going to lose to Harvard." Vura and his fellow Quakers made good on their secure approach. They piled up a 20-0 lead over the first 3 1/2 quarters. But the Quakers fell apart after 50 minutes of utter domination. The Crimson scored for the first time in the game with 8:40 left and went ahead 21-20 with 1:32 left in the game. The amazing seven minutes in which the Crimson scored three touchdowns took the wind out of the Quakers' sails. One can almost hear 34,746 fans get instantly silent. If not, think about how the stadium sounds at a typical game now. But the Quakers had one more chance. If Penn versus Princeton a week ago comes to mind, keep that thought ? almost. Vura stormed the resilient Quakers all the way to the Harvard 21-yard line after a series of medium-range passes. The two-minute drill had been run to a "T." With three seconds left on the clock and a 21-mph wind swirling around Franklin Field, in walked 1982's version of Jeremiah Greathouse, Dave Shulman. After a perfect snap and hold, Shulman watched his 38-yard attempt go wide. "I knew it wasn't good as soon as I kicked it. But I refused to believe the game was over," Shulman later told the DP. "I just wasn't walking off the field with Harvard ahead." No problem, a flag was down. The call: roughing the kicker. One more chance for Shulman to make good. It was questionable, but not one of the fans in Franklin Field was about to argue. Shulman now had a 28-yard attempt, and, after a timeout, a moment to think about it. Let's just say, three seconds later it was 23-21, the 36,000-plus fans rushed the field, and within 10 minutes, the Schuylkill was home to the goal posts. Penn had claimed a share of the Ivy League title. What's more, the 1983 Ivy Day stone was placed on the18-yard line, from where Shulman kicked the field goal. The 1982 game set the precedent for three more years to come. Quaker fans were given a monumental total of four years to look forward to the not so famed the Harvard/Penn rivalry. · November 12, 1983: Cambridge, Mass. The Quakers headed to the confines of Harvard Stadium at the top of the league. Tied with Dartmouth at 4-0-1, a win against the Crimson guaranteed a championship game with Dartmouth the following week. Of course, they had to get by Harvard, sitting quietly in third place at 3-1-1. The memories of the contest the year before were fresh in the minds of the Crimson. Apparently, the Crimson upperclassmen hadn't forgotten. The game was as one-sided as could possibly be. Behind 115 yards rushing from All-Ivy back Steve Ernst, the Crimson avenged the 1982 loss in malicious fashion. The Quakers were unable to post a single point, but Harvard ran up 28. Where was Dave Shulman? The Quakers had lost an opportunity, as they then shared the Ivy League title with Harvard for 1983, with 5-1-1 records. · November 10, 1984: Philadelphia At this point, it seemed this was a yearly occurrence, and it basically was. For the third straight year, the Puritans in football pads remained the sole obstacle in front of the Quakers' Ivy League title. The results were more like two years before. The temperature was much warmer, and so was the Penn offense. Mother Nature gave 64 degrees to work with at Franklin Field, and the Quakers produced 38 points on 404 total yards. The Crimson could only muster 199 total yards, losing 38-7. The result: the Quakers captured their third straight title after a Harvard game. No real excitement in this one. Just Quakers domination. · November 16, 1985: Cambridge, Mass. The unfortunate part of this game is that it didn't have any bearing on the title hopes of the Quakers. But it did pose arguably the two best teams in the Ivy League against one another for the fourth consecutive year. The story: Penn was 5-0, Harvard 4-1. Harvard and Penn were the only teams still in the hunt. With a weak Dartmouth on the schedule for the last week, the Red and Blue were almost assured a piece of the crown. But they didn't want an undefeated season fall by the wayside. Three quarters of utter domination by the Crimson could not be overcome by what some consider Penn's best athlete of all time, running back and lacrosse star Chris Flynn, then a sophomore. Harvard posted a 17-point advantage through three quarters, and Penn was cooked. Harvard won, 17-6. Penn held the title alone, after a Harvard loss to Yale, but the Quakers had let the perfect season get away. · November 15, 1997: Cambridge, Mass. That's right, this year will be No. 6. The two will clash for Ivy League supremacy once again. A Quakers victory will likely give them a share of the title, assuming a final-week victory at home versus Cornell. The history says it all -- big games at Harvard don't bode well for the Quakers (0-3). Franklin Field in big games against Harvard has been money (2-0). Do you believe the numbers? Yes, once again, Harvard versus Penn means something. It has been a long wait.

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