Today's Tidbit... 1889 Yale-Princeton @ Berkeley Oval

The Intercollegiate Football Association game on Thanksgiving Day in New York City involved the top two teams from the previous year, which often meant Yale and Princeton since they were the best programs of the time. The 1889 version involved Yale and Princeton, attracting 30,000 fans to Berkeley Oval. After a wet autumn, the playing field and entryways into the grandstand were muddy, made worse by Penn and Wesleyan playing a morning game, so the Yale and Princeton players and fans slipped and slid alike that afternoon.

Yale was 16-0 entering the game and would end the season with a 664-31 point differential. Likewise, Princeton was 8-0 with a 484-49 point differential for the year. Yale's squad included legends such as Stagg, Heffelfinger, Gill, and McClung. Princeton countered with Cowan, Ames, and Poe.