Oldest New England College Football Teams

Yale (1872): Walter Camp, who played at Yale and was later a head coach for the school, pioneered the transition from rugby to the game we know today, thus he is known as the “Father of American Football”. The Bulldogs are also one of five teams with more than 900 wins (943 thru 2024), they lay claim to 27 national championships, they won two of the first three Heisman Trophies. Yale also had the first live mascot, Handsome Dan, the first bowl-shaped stadium in the country, as well as the second oldest continuing rivalry against Harvard.

Harvard (1874): In 1874, Harvard accepted a proposal from McGill University for a two-game series that was played May 14th and 15th.  Just over a year later, the Crimson played its first-ever intercollegiate games against Tufts.  The historical relevance of the matchup against the Jumbos is that Harvard was outfitted in what’s believed to be the first football uniform.  Later that same year, on November 13, Harvard and Yale played for the first time, with the Crimson winning the initial meeting. Like Yale, the Crimson have over 900 wins (909 thru 2024).

Tufts (1875): Unfortunately, the only historical thing I know about the sixth-oldest team is that they were the first American opponent (and the first “American” football game?) of Harvard.  The Jumbos currently play in the NESCAC with other historical programs Amherst, Trinity – as well as Williams, Wesleyan, and Bowdoin

Amherst (1877): Amherst’s first opponent were the Jumbos from Tufts in 1877, a game won by the Lord Jeffs, 8-4.  Of course, Williams would become their most important rival, as it has become known as “The Biggest Little Game in America” and it is the fourth most played NCAA game at any level. And one other thing, Amherst was one of the first teams to be scouted (or spied upon – a practice that got started in the 1880s) as Walter Camp missed a game at Yale to watch his upcoming opponent.

Trinity (1877): Played their first game in 1877 against the Yale Bulldogs, and waited ten years to get their first victory – which was against current NESCAC rival Amherst.  Since 2002 though, the Bantams have led the NESCAC in victories with 159 wins – while losing just 24 games.