CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

Cornell vs. Harvard

Cornell and Harvard first met in 1890 and have played 69 times; Harvard leads the series 47–⁠21–⁠1. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Harvard 8–⁠2, and Harvard has won the last 7.

Cornell wins
21
Harvard wins
47
Ties
1
First meeting
1890
Longest streak
11 Harvard
Current streak
7 Harvard
Last 10 meetings
Harvard 8–⁠2
Most recent
2026

The series at a glance

’0’1’2’3’4’5’6’7’8’9W–L
1890s0–⁠7
1900s0–⁠1
1910s1–⁠3
1930s1–⁠0
1940s3–⁠0
1950s6–⁠2
1960s3–⁠6–⁠1
1970s4–⁠6
1980s0–⁠2
2000s1–⁠6
2010s2–⁠8
2020s0–⁠6
Average margin
15.6 points; 17 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
At Cornell
11–⁠17–⁠1 Cornell’s record at home
At Harvard
29–⁠10 Harvard’s record at home
Neutral sites
0–⁠1 Cornell first
Shutouts
14

Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.

Games that tell the story

  1. Cornell’s biggest win1951: Cornell 42, Harvard 6by 36 points
  2. Harvard’s biggest win1890: Harvard 77, Cornell 0by 77 points
  3. Upset1976: Cornell 9, Harvard 3Cornell had a 12% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  4. Upset2017: Cornell 17, Harvard 14Cornell had a 27% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  5. Upset2005: Cornell 27, Harvard 13Cornell had a 30% chance, by our ratings before kickoff

Coach against coach

YearsCornellSeriesHarvard
1913–⁠1916Albert Sharpe1–⁠2Percy Haughton
1950–⁠1956George James3–⁠2Lloyd Jordan
1957–⁠1960George James4–⁠0John Yovicsin
1961–⁠1965Tom Harp1–⁠3–⁠1John Yovicsin
1966–⁠1970Jack Musick1–⁠4John Yovicsin
1971–⁠1974Jack Musick1–⁠3Joseph Restic
1977–⁠1981Bob Blackman2–⁠3Joseph Restic

Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Cornell’s side (Sharpe 1–⁠2 against Haughton). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.

Both programs through the years

End-of-season Elo ratings of Cornell and Harvard, 1890 on1300150017001900192019401960198020002020

Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.

From the newspapers

  • The Pittsburg dispatch's story of the 1890 game: CORNELL BADLY BEATEN. Harvard's Kickers Have Picnic and Win by a Score of a. to o.

    1890 · Pittsburg dispatch, Pittsburg [Pa.], Nov 2, 1890

  • The The sun's story of the 1892 game: CLOSE CALL FOR HARVARD. TIE SPLENDID PLAYING OF CORNELL sUEPRTSED TIE CRIMSON TEAM

    1892 · The sun, New York [N.Y.], Nov 6, 1892

  • The The herald's story of the 1893 game: VARSITY PIG SKIN K|CKERS, Stanford Defeats the Olympic Club Team. The Berkeley Boys Beat the Re- lance Athletes. Tho Princeton Tigers Tnko Revenge on the Pennsylvanians =. Harvard Has an Easy victcry Over Cornell.

    1893 · The herald, Nov 5, 1893

  • The New-York tribune's story of the 1894 game: HARD FIGHT FOR HARVARD THE CORNELL PLAYERS SCORE 1" ELN l. POINTS AGAINST THE CRIMSON.

    1894 · New-York tribune, New York [N.Y.], Oct 28, 1894

  • The The Wichita daily eagle's story of the 1895 game: CORNELL Is BEATEN HARVARD ELEVEN MAKES 1T twenty-five TO NOTHING.

    1895 · The Wichita daily eagle, Kansas, Oct 27, 1895

Public-domain newspapers from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through the American Stories dataset (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The earliest meetings with a story on file; each game’s page has the full text.

Photos

  • Cornell vs. Harvard football game, October 12, 2019, at Harvard Stadium. Harvard won, 35-22.
    Cornell vs. Harvard football game, October 12, 2019, at Harvard Stadium. Harvard won, 35–⁠22.Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    The 2019 game
  • Cornell vs. Harvard football game, October 12, 2019, at Harvard Stadium. Harvard won, 35-22.
    Cornell vs. Harvard football game, October 12, 2019, at Harvard Stadium. Harvard won, 35–⁠22.Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    The 2019 game
  • Cornell University football coach David Archer at Harvard game, October 12, 2019, at Harvard Stadium. Harvard won, 35-22.
    Cornell University football coach David Archer at Harvard game, October 12, 2019, at Harvard Stadium. Harvard won, 35–⁠22.Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    The 2019 game
  • Cornell University head football coach David Archer. Cornell vs. Harvard football game, October 12, 2019, at Harvard Stadium. Harvard won, 35-22.
    Cornell University head football coach David Archer. Cornell vs. Harvard football game, October 12, 2019, at Harvard Stadium. Harvard won, 35–⁠22.Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    The 2019 game

From the rivalry’s and its games’ categories on Wikimedia Commons (free licenses only, each credited).

Every game

Oct 10, 2026Harvard 41, Cornell 29at Cornell
Oct 10, 2025Harvard 34, Cornell 10at Harvard
Oct 11, 2024Harvard 38, Cornell 20at Cornell
Oct 6, 2023Harvard 41, Cornell 23at Harvard
Oct 7, 2022Harvard 35, Cornell 28at Cornell
Oct 9, 2021Harvard 24, Cornell 10at Harvard
Oct 12, 2019Harvard 35, Cornell 22at Harvard
Oct 6, 2018Cornell 28, Harvard 24at Cornell
Oct 7, 2017Cornell 17, Harvard 14at Cornell
Oct 8, 2016Harvard 29, Cornell 13at Harvard
Oct 10, 2015Harvard 40, Cornell 3at Cornell
Oct 11, 2014Harvard 24, Cornell 7at Harvard
Oct 12, 2013Harvard 34, Cornell 24at Cornell
Oct 6, 2012Harvard 45, Cornell 13at Harvard
Oct 8, 2011Harvard 41, Cornell 31at Cornell
Oct 9, 2010Harvard 31, Cornell 17at Harvard
Oct 10, 2009Harvard 28, Cornell 10at Cornell
Oct 11, 2008Harvard 38, Cornell 17at Harvard
Oct 6, 2007Harvard 32, Cornell 15at Cornell
Oct 7, 2006Harvard 33, Cornell 23at Harvard
Oct 8, 2005Cornell 27, Harvard 13at Cornell
Oct 9, 2004Harvard 34, Cornell 24Neutral site
Oct 11, 2003Harvard 27, Cornell 0at Cornell
Oct 10, 1981Harvard 27, Cornell 10at Cornell
Oct 11, 1980Harvard 20, Cornell 12at Harvard
Oct 13, 1979Cornell 41, Harvard 14at Cornell
Oct 14, 1978Cornell 25, Harvard 20at Harvard
Oct 8, 1977Harvard 17, Cornell 7at Cornell
Oct 9, 1976Cornell 9, Harvard 3at Harvard
Oct 18, 1975Harvard 34, Cornell 13at Cornell
Oct 19, 1974Harvard 39, Cornell 27at Harvard
Oct 20, 1973Harvard 21, Cornell 15at Cornell
Oct 21, 1972Harvard 33, Cornell 15at Harvard
Oct 16, 1971Cornell 21, Harvard 16at Cornell
Oct 17, 1970Harvard 27, Cornell 24at Harvard
Oct 18, 1969Cornell 41, Harvard 24at Cornell
Oct 19, 1968Harvard 10, Cornell 0at Harvard
Oct 21, 1967Harvard 14, Cornell 12at Cornell
Oct 15, 1966Harvard 21, Cornell 0at Harvard
Oct 16, 1965Cornell 3, Harvard 3at Cornell
Oct 17, 1964Harvard 16, Cornell 0at Harvard
Oct 12, 1963Harvard 21, Cornell 14at Harvard
Oct 6, 1962Cornell 14, Harvard 12at Cornell
Oct 7, 1961Harvard 14, Cornell 0at Harvard
Oct 8, 1960Cornell 12, Harvard 0at Cornell
Oct 10, 1959Cornell 20, Harvard 16at Harvard
Oct 4, 1958Cornell 21, Harvard 14at Cornell
Oct 5, 1957Cornell 20, Harvard 6at Harvard
Oct 13, 1956Harvard 32, Cornell 7at Cornell
Oct 8, 1955Cornell 20, Harvard 7at Harvard
Oct 9, 1954Harvard 13, Cornell 12at Cornell
Oct 13, 195117Cornell 42, Harvard 6at Cornell
Oct 14, 195017Cornell 28, Harvard 7at Harvard
Oct 8, 194917Cornell 33, Harvard 14at Harvard
Oct 9, 1948Cornell 40, 18Harvard 6at Cornell
Oct 11, 1941Cornell 7, Harvard 0at Harvard
Oct 8, 1938Cornell 20, Harvard 0at Harvard
Oct 28, 1916Harvard 23, Cornell 0at Harvard
Oct 23, 1915Cornell 10, Harvard 0at Harvard
Nov 1, 1913Harvard 23, Cornell 6at Harvard
Nov 5, 1910Harvard 27, Cornell 5at Harvard
Nov 6, 1909Harvard 18, Cornell 0at Harvard
Oct 27, 1897Harvard 24, Cornell 5at Harvard
Oct 24, 1896Harvard 13, Cornell 4at Cornell
Oct 26, 1895Harvard 25, Cornell 0at Harvard
Oct 27, 1894Harvard 22, Cornell 12at Harvard
Nov 4, 1893Harvard 34, Cornell 0at Harvard
Nov 5, 1892Harvard 20, Cornell 14at Harvard
Nov 1, 1890Harvard 77, Cornell 0at Harvard

Every game is listed as played on the field.