Tag Archives: Harvard University

“The Brick” (Jake Guidone)

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  1. General Info
    1. Locker room tradition
    2. Informant: Andrew Irwin
    3. Place of Origin: Cambridge, MA
    4. Material Tradition
  2. Informant Data:
    1. Andrew Irwin is a twenty-two year old male who plays football at Harvard University. Andrew was born and raised in Altoona, PA, where he attended Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School. Andrew is currently a senior linebacker on the Harvard football team, and has resided in Cambridge, MA for the past four years.
  3. Contextual Data:
    1. In recent years, Harvard has always been at the top in terms of Ivy League football. But it wasn’t always like that. Back in the 1980’s and most of the 1990’s Harvard football was a disaster. They were not playing well, and it was like the program had hit a roadblock. The coaching staff and players were unsure if it was just their time in history to be average, or if they were cursed. Something had to be done in order to get the program back on track. In the year 2000, after having lost to the Ivy League champions (University of Pennsylvania) by just one point, things seemed to be trending in the wrong direction. However, things changed after a team trip to the local swimming spot nearby. 
  4. Item/Tradition:
    1. No one is sure of how this tradition started, or by whom, but on that trip to the swimming spot, a Harvard football player picked up a brick in the middle of the lake. He began throwing in the air as high as possible, and everyone had to run away before being hit. Apparently, the team was enthralled by the brick since there was nothing to do at the lake besides swim. They ended up bringing the brick back to their football locker room. As a joke, the player who found the brick brought it to the team’s first game. They pumbled their opponent by 35 points. Since that point, the team brought the brick to every game, and would make sure to safely return it to the locker room immediately after. That year, Harvard went 9-0, and was one of only two teams to ever go undefeated in the Ivy League. Now, the brick resides in the Harvard Locker room, and is brought to every game for good luck.

“Ten Thousand Men of Harvard” (Zack Bair)

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  1. General Info
    1. Verbal Lore
    2. Place of Origin: Cambridge, Massachusetts
    3. Informant: Nasir Darnell
  2. Informant Data
    1. Nasir is currently a 22-year-old graduate senior on the Harvard University football team. Nasir is originally from Matawan, New Jersey and attended Red Bank Catholic High School.
  3. Contextual Data
    1. The song “Ten Thousand Men of Harvard” originated at Harvard in the year 1918. Composed by Charrles Putnam. The song is generally sung by the Harvard Glee Club at its annual joint concert with the Yale Glee Club prior to the famous Harvard-Yale rivalry game.  
  4. Item
    1. Just as the Harvard Glee Club sings “ten Thousand Men of Harvard” before games, the Harvard football team also sings the famous song following wins. The lyrics go:

Ten Thousand Men of Harvard want victory today

For they know that ov’r old Eli

Fair Harvard holds sway.

So then we’ll conquer all old Eli’s men,

And when the game ends we’ll sing again:

Ten thousand men of Harvard gained vict’ry today.

  1. Informants comments 
    1. “‘ Ten Thousand Men of Harvard’ holds an important place with not just the football team singing it in the locker room after wins, but with the entirety of the Harvard community. I remember when the band performed the song in Harvard Yard my freshman year, that was my first exposure to it.” 
  2. Collector’s Name: Zack Bair