From the first intercollegiate football game in 1869 through World War I, the “Big Three” teams of Harvard, Yale and Princeton dominated the college scene and drew national attention.  During the 1890s, Princeton played many football games at the neutral site of Manhattan Field in New York, with thousands of spectators gathering to watch.  On November 26, 1891, Princeton’s unbeaten, untied and unscored-upon team met a Yale squad with an identical record in front of a crowd of 40,000 people, establishing a tradition of Thanksgiving Day championship college games in this venue.  On that day, Yale emerged victorious with a score of 19-0.  The drawing pictured here appeared on the cover of the game day program.

• To learn more about Princeton’s athletic facilities, see Café Vivian picture #6, 7, 48, 49, 61, and 111.
  
  
• To learn more about football at Princeton, see quotation #22, and Café Vivian picture #9, 12, 38, 39, 48, 49, 102, and 111.
  
  
• To learn more about athletics at Princeton, see quotation #4, 9, 21, and 22, and Café Vivian picture #6, 7, 9, 18, 22, 39, 48, 49, 54, 61, 69, 72, 97, 102, 111, 123, and 126.

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