The Twelfth Man: An Open Letter to the Fans

Dear Harvard Student Body,

On behalf of the Harvard Football Team, I would like to express our gratitude for your amazing spirit and support at last Saturday’s Ivy Championship Game versus The University of Pennsylvania. Similar to the athletes at Harvard, sometimes our student body is (improperly) stereotyped,in their case as lacking school spirit. Anyone who attended the Penn game now knows that couldn’t be further from the truth. The atmosphere provided by the thousands of Harvard students in attendance at the Stadium gave us a home field advantage that was like having a twelfth man.

I will never forget the scene as the students and young alumni poured over the stands and engulfed our team at midfield as time ran out. The sense of community we felt at that moment is something we will always treasure and associate with this year’s championship.

We greatly appreciate your support throughout the entire season. If we can ever reciprocate in any way, please don’t hesitate to call upon us.

Thanks and see you at Yale,

Timothy L. Murphy

Head Football Coach