"No one even fell on the ball...That just shows you that there is a very human side behind all that fierce competitiveness."
The Game sticks with its participants long after they leave Harvard or Yale. Pete Varney, now a baseball coach at Brandeis University, says that having been a part of the famous 1968-team leads him credibility when he tells his team that anything is possible in a game.
"But more importantly, the pride of having won, of having been a member of that team becomes part of your character, and that's not something you can change."
Game memories apparently stay with participants no matter where they go after leaving the locker room--even if it's Capitol Hill. "One hundred years after the Crimson faced off against the Bulldogs for the first time, and of course defeated them, the Harvard-Yale game remains a highlight of the football season," says Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '54 (D-Mass.) "I played in The Game myself (unfortunately Harvard lost but I did catch a touchdown pass)."
Longtime Harvard Coach John Yovicsin says that while winning every game is important. The Game stands out.
"I fish a lot and I'll be out on my boat with some friends and they'll catch a big fish or something and say 'It's almost as good as beating Yale.' 'Not quite,' I say."