For the purposes of this column, I'd like to go back, back 28 years to the fall of 1923. The Harvard football schedule hadn't been especially impressive that year. The team had beaten Rhode Island, Holy Cross, and Tufts, but it had been held to an ignominous tie by little Middlebury College.

Up to November 10, the date of the Princeton game, the Crimson eleven had lost its only major game, to Dartmouth, 16 to 0, the worst defeat in 16 years.

Graduation had taken a heavy toll on Coach R. T. Fisher's squad, and, in the opener, he had experimented with 34 men, an enormous total back in those days of the iron man.

Quoting a CRIMSON of those dog days, "The team had played poorly; the line had been disorganized; the backs, ineffective." Harvard had not beaten Princeton in seven long, lean years. Sportswriters throughout the nation were calling the Tigers one of the best teams in the nation, and even the gamblers were reluctant to predict what the final outcome would be when the mighty Orange and Black team met "Hapless Harvard."

And so, when the Crimson journeyed to Palmer Stadium on that chill November day, a victory was something people thought about, but something they never mentioned.

The first half of that game was cold and rough. Two Harvard backs had to be carried off the field and another, Van Gerhig had been sidelined during practice that previous week. There was no score at halftime, but it looked as if Princeton were about ready to move.

Just what happened in that dressing room between halves is still a mystery, but when the Crimson returned to the playing field it was inspired.

Midway in the the third period the break came. Backed to its owns 28-yard line, Princeton was forced to punt. The ball bounded off the back of a Tiger lineman and the Harvards recovered on the 25. After two plays had failed to advance the ball, the coach sent in Karl Pfaffman; Pfaffman kicked a field goal and Harvard led, 3 to 0.

The rest of the game didn't really matter. The Crimson picked up two points on a technicality of the day, a defensive safety intentionally scored by Princeton so that it could take the ball out to its 30 and try to come back. The Tigers never did come back, though, and when it was all over the score was Harvard 5, Princeton 0.

No one thought it was possible then, either.