Richard Clasby ’54, a rare nine-time letter winner who played on the football team, described the differences between football now and football then. Clasby discussed the aggressive tactics involved in recruiting during the 1950s, when coaches were able to offer recruits money or even jobs for relatives.

Clasby contrasted his experience with that of his son, who went to Notre Dame in pursuit of an NFL career. Clasby said his son had difficulty fitting classes he wanted to take around the football schedule, a fact which he said he found regrettable. “Players who come to college should get an education,” Clasby said.

John L. Powers ’70, a noted Boston Globe columnist and the final panelist, spoke more directly on the history of Harvard Stadium. Football during the sixties was an important social event, Powers said. Men wore jackets and ties, their dates wore heels and pearls, and in what Powers called the “social event of the season,” the Yale game was largely about what people were wearing and who had the best tailgate.

Powers went on to discuss the various events that made use of Harvard Stadium, including the Olympics, student protests during the 1970s, a Harvard presidential inauguration and several Class Days.

Powers calls the 1968 Harvard-Yale game the greatest game ever played in the stadium, a 29-29 tie, in which the Crimson made a furious 16-point rally in the final minute. The pressure on Harvard coaches was enormous, Powers said.

“Blowing the Yale game would leave one in a situation similar to that of [current Boston Red Sox manager] Grady Little,” Powers said.

The Harvard Athletics Department last celebrated the stadium during its 50th anniversary, and will have two more events for its 100th anniversary. During halftime of this weekend’s Princeton game, former captains and Hall of Famers of Harvard football were on the field, and there was a special Stadium Centennial Dinner Saturday night.

Dartmouth, the first opponent to play the Crimson in Harvard Stadium, will be in town next Saturday, and the Athletic Directors of both schools will be on hand to officially dedicate Harvard Stadium as a national landmark. A commemorative plaque will be placed in front of the historic stadium.