Harvard Crimson
| Harvard Crimson | |
|---|---|
| University | Harvard University |
| Conference | Ivy League (primary) ECAC Hockey EIWA (wrestling) NEISA (sailing) EISA (skiing) CSA (squash) CWPA (women's water polo) NWPC (men's water polo) |
| NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
| Athletic director | Erin McDermott |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Varsity teams | 42 teams |
| Football stadium | Harvard Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Lavietes Pavilion |
| Ice hockey arena | Bright-Landry Hockey Center |
| Baseball stadium | Joseph J. O'Donnell Field |
| Soccer stadium | Jordan Field, Ohiri Field |
| Lacrosse stadium | Harvard Stadium |
| Rowing venue | Newell Boathouse, Weld Boathouse |
| Sailing venue | Harvard Sailing Center |
| Mascot | John Harvard Harvard Turkey (unofficial) |
| Nickname | Crimson |
| Fight song | "Ten Thousand Men of Harvard" |
| Colors | Crimson, white, and black |
| Website | gocrimson |
The Harvard Crimson is the nickname of the college sports teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country. Like the other Ivy League colleges, Harvard does not offer athletic scholarships.
Athletics at Harvard began in 1780 when the sophomores challenged the freshmen to a wrestling tournament with the losers buying dinner. Since its historic boat race against archrival Yale in 1852, Harvard has been in the forefront of American intercollegiate sports. Its football team conceived the modern version of the game and devised essentials ranging from the first concrete stadium to a scoreboard to uniform numbers to signals. Originally inspired by varsity matches between Oxford University and Cambridge University in England, Harvard and Yale have influenced the development of college sports in the United States.