Alumni of The Game

As two historic institutions collide on the football field with unprecedented stakes, it’s important to take a look back at some of the alumni of The Game.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Before leading a 17-year NFL career across nine different teams, Fitzpatrick quarterbacked the Crimson from 2001 to 2004. Most notably, he led a Harvard squad that thrashed the Bulldogs 35-3 to cap off a perfect 10-0 season. After being named Ivy League Player of the Year and completing the Wonderlic test in nine minutes, he went on to throw for 34,990 yards, 223 touchdowns, and 169 interceptions as a journeyman in the league. Now, the retired Crimson legend continues his career in the spotlight as a ‘Thursday Night Football’ analyst for Amazon.

Kyle Juszczyk

Playing tight end in college, Juszczyk’s career included 125 catches for 1,576 yards and 22 touchdowns. In a 45-7 drubbing against Yale in 2011, the unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection caught seven passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. Entering the draft as a tight end, he was selected by the Ravens in the fourth round, becoming the tenth player in Harvard’s history to be drafted. After being told he was too short to be a tight end in the NFL, Juszczyk made a positional switch to fullback that would define his career. Now a staple of the San Francisco 49ers offense, he’s a nine-time Pro Bowler and multiple-time first-team All-Pro selection.

President Gerald Ford

Before becoming the 38th President of the United States, President Ford played on the University of Michigan’s football team. Denying offers from the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, Ford opted to serve as both the boxing and assistant football coach at Yale in 1935, hoping to attend its law school. In his first season, the Bulldogs defeated the Crimson 14-7. Ford didn't gain admission to the law school until 1938, at which point his annual salary was raised to $3,600.

Walter Camp

Dubbed the “Father of American Football,” Camp played halfback for the Bulldogs before serving as the team’s head coach from 1888 to 1892, when the team posted a 67-2 record. Camp is credited as the mastermind behind several of the sport’s most influential rules and strategies, including the line of scrimmage, snap from under center, and the introduction of a points system.

Tommy Lee Jones

Before becoming a famous movie star, Tommy Lee Jones donned the Harvard Crimson football jersey as an offensive tackle, famously playing in the 1968 game, often referred to as the most popular football game in Ivy League history. With both teams entering the game undefeated, the Bulldogs stormed out to a 22-0 lead. Down 29-13 with just two minutes remaining, Harvard tied the game by scoring 16 points in the last 42 seconds, leading to the acclaimed 2008 film “Harvard Beats Yale 29-29” that Jones starred in. Other notable works include “Men in Black,” “No Country for Old Men,” and “The Fugitive.”

While much has changed with The Game turning 150 years old, there’s no doubt that the field will be filled with future doctors, professional athletes, lawyers, businessmen, and potentially even a president.

—Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at praveen.kumar@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Jude Stafford can be reached at jude.stafford@thecrimson.com.