New Building Sparks Field Realignment

Inspired by Athenian ruins, the stately arches and ivy covered walls of the Harvard Stadium call to mind the noble Greek virtues of balance and order.

But for decades, as countless teams struggled within the architectural marvel, nobody cared that one aspect--the football field--was a tad askew.

Sports administrators detected the problem upon completion of the Murr Center, the new headquarters for athletics at Harvard.

Gazing from the spacious third floor lounge--which directly overlooks Soldier's Field--it became apparent that the field was 10 feet too close to the visitor's section, said Assistant Director for Sports Information John P. Veneziano.

"Once you're looking at it from where this building [the Murr Center] is now, it isn't centered," said Assistant Director of Sports Information Paul J. McNeeley.

Workers are now in the process of recentering the field, moving it 10 feet towards the Harvard section and 10 yards into the stadium's horseshoe.

The field is being moved further into the stadium to give fans behind the end zone a better view and keep the possibility of putting in bleacher seats at the end closest to the Murr Center, Veneziano said.

According to Veneziano the field was not off kilter because of some dim-witted mistake. A track that encircled the field until 1982 needed six lanes instead of four on one side in order to accommodate sprinters.

"The field was actually centered within the track and not within the stadium," Veneziano said.

People may have noticed that the field was off-centered, but it did not become an issue until the Murr Center was built, he said.

"Nobody was clamoring to move it and it stayed where it was," Veneziano said.

Recentering the field is easier said than done. First, it must be regraded so that the field's center is four inches higher, allowing water to drain to the sides.

Once that is done, workers must plant new grass, move the goal posts and draw new lines. In total, the adjustments will cost about $50,000, Veneziano said.

The off-centered football field may explain many instances of dropped balls, fumbles and heartbreak throughout the football team's history.

With the visitor's section closer to the field, Bulldog fans and others may have had a marginal advantage in getting their heretical exhortations heard.

Against Yale in Harvard Stadium, the football team has a 20-22-3 record, while overall the team's record is 370-197-34, Veneziano said.

But Veneziano said a larger sideline has its perks.

"We've had the advantage of having more sideline room for our trainers [and] positional huddles," he said.

The most important part of winning is the players who perform on the field Veneziano said.

"I think the record will continue to improve because we're fielding a real good team this year," he said.

The Ivy League Champion football team will get its first chance to play on the recentered field on October 3 against Lehigh.

Veneziano said the recentering is true to the original vision of the stadium, which was built in 1903.

"Now I think the [field] captures the building and vice versa," Veneziano said. "The best stadium in the country just got better."