1988 Harvard Crimson football team

1988 Harvard Crimson football
Conference	Ivy League
Record	2–8 (2–5 Ivy)
Head coach	Joe Restic (18th season)
Captain	Donald C. Peterson
Home stadium	Harvard Stadium

1988 Ivy League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Penn +	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Cornell +	6	–	1	–	0			7	–	2	–	1
Princeton	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Dartmouth	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Yale	3	–	3	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
Columbia	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Harvard	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Brown	0	–	6	–	1			0	–	9	–	1
+ – Conference co-champions

The 1988 Harvard Crimson football team was an American football team that represented Harvard University during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Crimson tied for next-to-last in the Ivy League.

In their 18th year under head coach Joe Restic, the Crimson compiled a 2–8 record and were outscored 272 to 202. Donald C. Peterson was the team captain.^[1]

Harvard's 2–5 conference record tied for sixth in the Ivy League standings. The Crimson were outscored 168 to 131 by Ivy opponents.^[2]

Harvard played its home games at Harvard Stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 17	Columbia	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	W 41–7	9,000	[3]
September 24	UMass*	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	L 28–45	7,500	[4]
October 1	at Holy Cross*	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 20–35	12,441	[5]
October 8	Cornell	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	L 17–19	2,000	[6]
October 15	at Dartmouth	Memorial Field Hanover, NH (rivalry)	L 7–38	15,015	[7]
October 22	at Princeton	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ (rivalry)	L 8–23	17,400	[8]
October 29	Brown	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	W 28–3	14,900	[9]
November 5	Boston University*	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	L 23–24	6,500	[10]
November 12	at No. 19 Penn	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA	L 13–52	37,612	[11]
November 19	Yale	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA (The Game)	L 17–26	36,000	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from the latest NCAA Division I-AA poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Football Record Book: Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
2. "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. pp. 32–33. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
3. Monahan, Bob (September 18, 1988). "Harvard Extends Columbia's Skid to 42". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 54 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Pave, Marvin (September 25, 1988). "Mitchell's Feats Help UMass Blitz Harvard". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 81 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Harber, Paul (October 2, 1988). "Wiley Strong-Arms Harvard". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 70 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Concannon, Joe (October 9, 1988). "Harvard Lets It Slip Away; Cornell Takes Advantage, 19-17". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 69 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Concannon, Joe (October 16, 1988). "Harvard Blasted; Dartmouth Rips Crimson, 38-7". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 74 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Powers, John (October 23, 1988). "Princeton Dumps Harvard". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 74 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Monahan, Bob (October 30, 1988). "Harvard Snaps Out of It; Five-Game Skid Is Halted as Defense Muffles Brown, 28-3". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 64 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Concannon, Joe (November 6, 1988). "BU Picks Off Harvard". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 78 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Concannon, Joe (November 13, 1988). "Harvard Punished by Penn". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 81 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Concannon, Joe (November 20, 1988). "BC and Yale Carry The Day; Harvard Falls to Eli, 26-17". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 57 – via Newspapers.com.