As the Harvard-Princeton series picked up again, Princeton increased its desire for equality in the Big Three relationship. Many times since 1934 the Tigers have tried to get Harvard and Yale to alternate final games with them, but to no avail. Harvard and Yale welcomed Princeton back into the Big Three, but they refused to share their traditional get-together on the sacronsanct last Saturday of the season.
Princeton had never had a Percy Haughton or a Walter Camp, as did Harvard and Yale, but it found a memorable pair of coaches in "Fritz" Crisler and Charlie Caldwell in the 30's and 40's. And during this period, Tiger teams improved while Harvard slowly declined and fell into the Great Depression of 1949 and 1950, when it lost all but two of 17 games.
With better teams Princeton could more readily beat Harvard, beat Yale, and win the Big Three championships. These are the ways Princeton strengthens its self-respect.
AGAINST Harvard, the Tigers have done surprisingly well. In the 53-game series with the Crimson, Princeton has won 31, lost only 17, and tied five.
The Harvard-Princeton football series has not been as continuous as that of Harvard and Yale. In addition to the breach of 1926-35, there are gaps of 14 years (1896-1911) and six (1889-95) when Harvard and Princeton refused to schedule each other because of disagreements over rules in the early Inter-Collegiate Association.
Of course, as with Yale, there is no Princeton game listed for the 1885 season, the year President Eliot prohibited football at Harvard because of its brutality. Also, there are no games listed for the years during both World Wars, when the University placed all athletics on an informal basis.
Princeton was a pioneer in football. It participated in what is generally considered the most intercollegiate football game in America, soccer- like contest with Rutgers in 1869.
The Tigers have one of the best overall records against Ivy football teams, winning 198 games, losing 110, and tying 20.
They won the Ivy championship in 1957, the second year a round-robin football schedule was used in the League, formally organized in 1954. And with an undefeated Ivy games so far this year including the astounding 52-0 victory over Brown last week- they are threatening to win the title again.
To do it, they must knock off Harvard in what three weeks ago threatened to be a push-over but now has all the makings of a bone-shaking struggle. Still favored, the Tigers are expected to rely heavily on the passing talents of first-string tailback Greg Riley, whose best play is a soft ten-yarder over the middle to end Hank Large. The other tactic Princeton likes to employ is a classic singlewing reverse to wingback Dan Terpak--light, but fast and shifty. Between them, Terpak and Riley could give the Crimson a lot of trouble.
But with all the praise goes a little pity, for Princeton must play Dartmouth while Harvard plays Yale on the last day of the season