1883 Michigan-Harvard Game
Michigan's 1883 team was the only non-Eastern team playing football at their level. This series uses period publications to cover Michigan's trip east to play Wesleyan, Harvard, Yale, and the Stevens Institute in nine days.
Previous posts in the series: Intro | Wesleyan | Yale
Michigan traveled east from Ann Arbor and arrived in Hartford shortly before their Monday afternoon game with Wesleyan. They played Yale on Wednesday in New Haven and then traveled to Cambridge for a Thursday game with 7-0 Harvard. Though tired, bruised, and confused about recent rule changes, they were eager to test themselves against the Harvard eleven.
The game started at 3:45 p.m. on Harvard's Jarvis Field. Each team appointed an umpire, and Henry S. Mahon of Michigan acted as referee. The game accounts suggest it was a back-and-forth affair, but Harvard won. Dott, Gemmons, and Killilea played well for Michigan, with Dott running well throughout the game.
Harvard scored a touchdown within the first 15 minutes but did not catch the puntout, so the score stood 2-0. Harvard soon kicked a field goal, which their umpire claimed was good, which Mr. Mahon negated because it was a "poster," meaning the ball had flown over one of the goal posts.
After playing in the middle of the field for some time, Harvard forced Michigan to take a safety, giving Harvard a 3-0 advantage.
Due to the game's late start, much of the second inning was played in the dark. When Michigan's Killilea made an excellent run for a touchdown, Mahon, the referee, disallowed it because he could not see the play. The game was soon called due to darkness, with the score 3-0 in Harvard's favor.
Despite the Harvard team and fans questioning the referee's familiarity with the rules, the teams were to meet again two days later.
The referee to-day, who was evidently not well posted in the rules, proved unsatisfactory, and some of his decision created considerable astonishment.
'College Foot-Ball,' New York Times, November 23, 1883.
Shortly after the game, however, Harvard's faculty athletic committee banned the team from further play due to dissatisfaction with football's rules, particularly their tolerance for unsportsmanlike behavior. (The referee had to warn a player twice about foul behavior before they could disqualify them from the game.)
Harvard's team resolved its dispute with the faculty in time to play Yale on Thanksgiving Day, but Michigan's return match did not occur.
Without the second Harvard game to play, Michigan rested and repaired itself in preparation for their Tuesday game with the Stevens Institute at the St. George Cricket Club Grounds in Hoboken.
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