Harvard–Penn football rivalry

Harvard–Penn football rivalry
SportFootball
First meetingNovember 2, 1881
Harvard, 2–0
Latest meetingNovember 16, 2024
Harvard, 31–28
Next meetingNovember 15, 2025
Statistics
Meetings total94
All-time seriesHarvard leads, 53–39–2
Largest victoryHarvard, 50–0 (1888)
Longest win streakHarvard, 9 (1973–1981)
Current win streakHarvard, 4 (2021–present)
110km
68miles
Harvard
Penn
Locations of Harvard and Penn

The Harvard–Penn football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Harvard Crimson and Penn Quakers. The first game was played in 1881.

In the first 18 games played in the series, Harvard won 13 and Penn won 5. By 1958 Penn pulled even with 14 games won by each school. There was 1 tie (1940). From 1959 through 1981 Harvard dominated the series winning 20 games to Penn's winning 2 games (1963, 1972). There was 1 tie (1965). However, in recent years the Harvard–Penn football game in mid-November has usually had Ivy League Football Championship implications. Since 1982 Harvard and Penn have won 29 Ivy League Football Championships between them. Penn has won 17 and Harvard has won 12. Penn has been undefeated 8 times in the Ivy League and Harvard has been undefeated 6 times in the Ivy League during this time span.