CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

Harvard vs. Princeton

Harvard and Princeton have 95 meetings on file, the first in 1876; Princeton leads the series 51–⁠37–⁠7 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Princeton 6–⁠4, and Harvard has won the last 2.

Harvard wins
37
Princeton wins
51
Ties
7
Earliest on file
1876
Longest streak
7 Princeton
Current streak
2 Harvard
Last 10 meetings
Princeton 6–⁠4
Most recent
2025

The series at a glance

’0’1’2’3’4’5’6’7’8’9W–L
1870s1–⁠3
1880s2–⁠6–⁠1
1890s0–⁠2
1910s5–⁠1–⁠1
1920s1–⁠5–⁠1
1930s2–⁠3–⁠1
1940s3–⁠3–⁠1
1950s3–⁠7
1960s4–⁠6
1970s4–⁠5–⁠1
1980s0–⁠1–⁠1
2000s5–⁠1
2010s5–⁠5
2020s2–⁠3
Average margin
12.6 points; 44 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
At Harvard
19–⁠24–⁠4 Harvard’s record at home
At Princeton
27–⁠17–⁠3 Princeton’s record at home
Neutral sites
1–⁠0 Harvard first
Shutouts
20

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

Games that tell the story

  1. Harvard’s biggest win2014: Harvard 49, Princeton 7by 42 points
  2. Princeton’s biggest win1951: Princeton 54, Harvard 13by 41 points
  3. Upset1975: Princeton 24, Harvard 20Princeton had a 23% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  4. Upset2012: Princeton 39, Harvard 34Princeton had a 26% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  5. Upset1977: Princeton 20, Harvard 7Princeton had a 26% chance, by our ratings before kickoff

Coach against coach

YearsHarvardSeriesPrinceton
1919–⁠1925Bob Fisher1–⁠4–⁠2Bill Roper
1935–⁠1937Dick Harlow1–⁠1–⁠1Fritz Crisler
1938–⁠1942Dick Harlow3–⁠1–⁠1Tad Wieman
1950–⁠1956Lloyd Jordan2–⁠5Charles Caldwell
1957–⁠1968John Yovicsin5–⁠7Richard Colman
1973–⁠1977Joseph Restic3–⁠2Robert Casciola
1978–⁠1981Joseph Restic0–⁠2–⁠2Frank Navarro

Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Harvard’s side (Fisher 1–⁠4–⁠2 against Roper). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.

Both programs through the years

End-of-season Elo ratings of Harvard and Princeton, 1876 on13001500170018801900192019401960198020002020

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 New-York tribune's story of the 1879 game: OUT DOOR SPORTS. HARVARD BEATEN BY PRINCETON.

    1879 · New-York tribune, Nov 17, 1879

  • The New-York tribune's story of the 1880 game: PRINCETON BEATS HARVARD. rxcTryNG GAME OF FOOTBALL

    1880 · New-York tribune, New York [N.Y.], Nov 14, 1880

  • The New-York tribune's story of the 1882 game: HARVARD DEFEATS PRINCETON.

    1882 · New-York tribune, New York [N.Y.], Nov 19, 1882

  • The Wheeling register's story of the 1883 game: WHEELING. VA. MORNING. NOVENIBER 10. 1888 HURRAH FOR THE PRINCETON BOYS. Harvard's Brawn and Muscle Beaten on she Foot Bail Field by shill and Agility.

    1883 · Wheeling register, Wheeling, W. Va., Nov 19, 1883

  • The New-York tribune's story of the 1886 game: PRINCETON BEATS HARVARD. AN rxcrrINc GAME AT FOOTBALL.

    1886 · New-York tribune, Nov 14, 1886

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

From the rivalry’s and its games’ categories on Wikimedia Commons (free licenses only, each credited), and the Library of Congress’s Prints & Photographs Division (no known restrictions on publication).

Every game

Oct 24, 2026Princeton at Harvard upcomingat Harvard
Oct 25, 2025Harvard 35, Princeton 14at Princeton
Oct 26, 2024Harvard 45, Princeton 13at Harvard
Oct 21, 2023Princeton 21, Harvard 14at Princeton
Oct 21, 2022Princeton 37, Harvard 10at Harvard
Oct 23, 2021Princeton 18, Harvard 16at Princeton
Oct 26, 2019Princeton 30, Harvard 24at Princeton
Oct 20, 2018Princeton 29, Harvard 21at Harvard
Oct 20, 2017Princeton 52, Harvard 17at Harvard
Oct 22, 2016Harvard 23, Princeton 20at Princeton
Oct 24, 2015Harvard 42, Princeton 7at Harvard
Oct 25, 2014Harvard 49, Princeton 7at Princeton
Oct 26, 2013Princeton 51, Harvard 48at Harvard
Oct 20, 2012Princeton 39, Harvard 34at Princeton
Oct 22, 2011Harvard 56, Princeton 39at Harvard
Oct 23, 2010Harvard 45, Princeton 28at Princeton
Oct 24, 2009Harvard 37, Princeton 3at Harvard
Oct 25, 2008Harvard 24, Princeton 20at Princeton
Oct 20, 2007Harvard 27, Princeton 10at Harvard
Oct 22, 2005Princeton 27, Harvard 24at Harvard
Oct 23, 2004Harvard 39, Princeton 14Neutral site
Oct 25, 2003Harvard 43, Princeton 40at Harvard
Oct 24, 1981Harvard 17, Princeton 17at Harvard
Oct 25, 1980Princeton 7, Harvard 3at Princeton
Oct 27, 1979Princeton 9, Harvard 7at Harvard
Oct 28, 1978Princeton 24, Harvard 24at Princeton
Oct 22, 1977Princeton 20, Harvard 7at Harvard
Oct 23, 1976Harvard 20, Princeton 14at Princeton
Nov 8, 1975Princeton 24, Harvard 20at Harvard
Nov 9, 1974Harvard 34, Princeton 17at Princeton
Nov 10, 1973Harvard 19, Princeton 14at Harvard
Nov 11, 1972Princeton 10, Harvard 7at Princeton
Nov 6, 1971Princeton 21, Harvard 10at Harvard
Nov 7, 1970Harvard 29, Princeton 7at Princeton
Nov 8, 1969Princeton 51, Harvard 20at Harvard
Nov 9, 1968Harvard 9, Princeton 7at Princeton
Nov 11, 1967Princeton 45, Harvard 6at Harvard
Nov 5, 1966Princeton 18, Harvard 14at Princeton
Nov 6, 1965Princeton 14, Harvard 6at Harvard
Nov 7, 1964Princeton 16, Harvard 0at Princeton
Nov 9, 1963Harvard 21, Princeton 7at Harvard
Nov 10, 1962Harvard 20, Princeton 0at Princeton
Nov 11, 1961Harvard 9, Princeton 7at Harvard
Nov 5, 1960Princeton 14, Harvard 12at Princeton
Nov 7, 1959Harvard 14, Princeton 0at Harvard
Nov 8, 1958Princeton 16, Harvard 14at Princeton
Nov 9, 1957Princeton 28, Harvard 20at Harvard
Nov 10, 1956Princeton 35, Harvard 20at Princeton
Nov 5, 1955Harvard 7, Princeton 6at Harvard
Nov 6, 1954Harvard 14, Princeton 9at Princeton
Nov 7, 1953Princeton 6, Harvard 0at Harvard
Nov 8, 195219Princeton 41, Harvard 21at Princeton
Nov 10, 19514Princeton 54, Harvard 13at Harvard
Nov 11, 19508Princeton 63, Harvard 26at Princeton
Nov 5, 1949Princeton 33, Harvard 13at Harvard
Nov 6, 1948Princeton 47, Harvard 7at Princeton
Nov 8, 1947Princeton 33, Harvard 7at Harvard
Oct 12, 1946Harvard 13, Princeton 12at Princeton
Oct 31, 1942Harvard 19, Princeton 14at Harvard
Nov 1, 1941Harvard 6, Princeton 4at Princeton
Nov 2, 1940Harvard 0, Princeton 0at Harvard
Nov 4, 1939Princeton 9, Harvard 6at Princeton
Oct 29, 1938Harvard 26, Princeton 7at Harvard
Oct 30, 1937Harvard 34, Princeton 6at Princeton
Oct 31, 1936Harvard 14, 17Princeton 14at Harvard
Nov 9, 1935Princeton 35, Harvard 0at Princeton
Nov 3, 1934Princeton 19, Harvard 0at Harvard
Nov 6, 1926Princeton 12, Harvard 0at Harvard
Nov 7, 1925Princeton 36, Harvard 0at Princeton
Nov 8, 1924Princeton 34, Harvard 0at Harvard
Nov 10, 1923Harvard 5, Princeton 0at Princeton
Nov 11, 1922Princeton 10, Harvard 3at Harvard
Nov 5, 1921Princeton 10, Harvard 3at Princeton
Nov 6, 1920Harvard 14, Princeton 14at Harvard
Nov 8, 1919Princeton 10, Harvard 10at Princeton
Nov 11, 1916Harvard 3, Princeton 0at Harvard
Nov 6, 1915Harvard 10, Princeton 6at Princeton
Nov 7, 1914Harvard 20, Princeton 0at Harvard
Nov 8, 1913Harvard 3, Princeton 0at Princeton
Nov 2, 1912Harvard 16, Princeton 6at Harvard
Nov 4, 1911Princeton 8, Harvard 6at Princeton
Nov 7, 1896Princeton 12, Harvard 0at Harvard
Nov 2, 1895Princeton 12, Harvard 4at Princeton
Nov 16, 1889Princeton 41, Harvard 15at Harvard
Nov 17, 1888Princeton 18, Harvard 6at Princeton
Nov 12, 1887Harvard 12, Princeton 0at Harvard
Nov 13, 1886Princeton 12, Harvard 0at Princeton
Nov 19, 1884Princeton 36, Harvard 6at Harvard
Nov 17, 1883Princeton 26, Harvard 7at Princeton
Nov 18, 1882Harvard 2, Princeton 1at Harvard
Nov 19, 1881Princeton 0, Harvard 0at Princeton
Nov 13, 1880Princeton 2, Harvard 1at Princeton
Nov 15, 1879Princeton 1, Harvard 0at Princeton
Nov 16, 1878Princeton 1, Harvard 0at Princeton
Nov 17, 1877Princeton 1, Harvard 0at Princeton
Mar 3, 1877Harvard 1, Princeton 0at Harvard

Every game is listed as played on the field.