1876 Harvard Freshman Football Team (Class of 1880)

 

Very early and rare Harvard rugby football photo from 1876

The class of 1880 freshman team played the Yale freshman twice in 1876. The first game, in November, was played in New Haven. The roster was listed as Osborn, Clark, W. Hopper, Jordan (Captain), Winsor, Nickerson, A.W. Hopper, Tebbits, Tiffany, Holden and Davis.

The second meeting with the Yale freshman was in Boston, in December, in front of several hundred spectators.

The Harvard roster for this game was much the same and was listed as rushers: Davis, Tibbits (Tebbets), Bacon, Holden, W. Hooper, Nickerson; halfbacks Blanchard, E.D. Jordan (Captain (pictured with the ball)), Grant; backs Winsor, Osborne. Substitutes are listed as Tiffany, Hooper and Clark.  Harvard won the game by a score of 3 goals, 2 touchdowns to Yale’s 0 goals and 0 touchdowns.

The most noteable player in the photo is Robert Bacon, top right, who played on the University football team for three years, 1877,78 and 79 (captain in 1879). He rowed crew in 1880. Bacon was an Assistant Secretary of State for four years followed by a three year stint as Ambassador to France. Bacon had a lucky streak which included “missing the boat”, which happened to have been the Titanic.

Note: In the photo to the right of captain Jordan is John Sever Tebbets. A good number of different sources list him as Tibbits or even Tebbits, which are incorrect. Tebbets did play for the varsity University team in 1879.

Besides being one of the earliest Harvard football photos (we know of only six earlier photos of  Harvard football teams, including those from the Harvard - McGill games of 1874 and 1875, and the Harvard - Tufts stereoview from 1875 (see blog post dated December 26, 2019)) , this photo is of great rarity in that it shows players wearing pillbox caps. We've only seen a handful of football photos with team members wearing pillbox caps. These include the later 1878-79 University of Michigan and the 1878 Brown football teams.  In the case of the Brown team, the caps very well could have been based on the pillbox caps in the Harvard photo. New to the game in 1878 (apparently no one involved  had seen a game), Brown sent Alfred Eddy and George Macom to Harvard to view practice and pick up on the particulars of the game.  Uniforms, a last minute consideration were made by a local tailor and finished just days before their first and only game of the year.  

The original label from the back of the frame. Of particular interest to us is the last line of the label, referencing the framing of "college shingles of all types" (see our blog post dated June 13, 2015, "The H.F.B.C. and the Foundations of Football: Beginnings of a Game: 1873 Membership Shingle"). Beck Hall, referred to on the label was a Harvard residence hall.

Matthew Holbeche Bloxam

 

Matthew Bloxam was best known as an Antiquarian and author, and for being the historian of all things Rugby - that being the town, the school, and the sport. In addition, he was known as a notable architectural historian (author of "Principles of Gothic Architecture”), archeologist, genealogist and art collector. Throughout his life he maintained a close relationship with the Rugby school, having attended from 1813 through 1821 and later bequeathing to Rugby much of his collection, inclusive of books, art and paintings, ancient weaponry, armor and pottery. Most notable to us is that Bloxam was the source of the information on William Webb Ellis. Most often referenced in regard to Webb Ellis are Bloxam's letter to “The Meteor” and extracts from the book “Rugby: The School and the Neighborhood”, 1889. This book was put together after his death by the Rev. W.H. Payne Smith from a partial selection of his papers, articles and recollections, starting with a paper published by Bloxam in 1836. The book included publications by Bloxam that were published at “various times and in various ways over a period of fifty years”.

Ellis’ name was made famous for his part in the evolution of early rugby football and is now the source of several controversies that have since followed. The plan is to address the controversies in a separate blog post.  I have much to say on the subject, but do not intend to write a book or lengthy article as many have done - and not surprisingly have a differing take than some, based on research and common sense. 

From Bloxam’s writings:

“In the latter half-year of 1823, some 57 years ago, originated though without premeditation, that change in one of the rules, which more than any other has since distinguished the Rugby School game from the Association Rules.

A boy of the name of Ellis — William Webb Ellis — a town boy and a foundationer, who at the age of nine entered the School after the midsummer holidays in 1816, who in the second half-year of 1823, was, I believe, a praepostor, whilst playing Bigside at football in that half-year, caught the ball in his arms. This being so, according to the then rules, he ought to have retired back as far as he pleased, without parting with the ball, for the combatants on the opposite side could only advance to the spot where he had caught the ball, and were unable to rush forward till he had either punted it or had placed it for some one else to kick, for it was by means of these placed kicks that most of the goals were in those days kicked, but the moment the ball touched the ground, the opposite side might rush on. Ellis, for the first time, disregarded this rule, and on catching the ball, instead of retiring backwards, rushed forwards with the ball in his hands towards the opposite goal, with what result as to the game I know not, neither do I know how this infringement of a well known rule was followed up, or when it became, as it is now, a standing rule. Mr. Ellis was high up in the School, and as to scholarship of fair average abilities. He left School in the summer of 1825, being the second Rugby Exhibitioner of that year, and was entered at Brasenose College, Oxford. He subsequently took Holy Orders, and at a later period became incumbent of the church of St. Clement Danes, Strand, London. He died on the continent some years ago. When at School, though in a high Form, Mr. Ellis was not what we should call a " swell," at least none of his compeers considered him as such ; he had, however, no lack of assurance, and was ambitious of being thought something of. In fact he did an act which if a fag had ventured to have done, he would probably have received more kicks than commendations. How oft it is that such small matters lead to great results!”

It is appropriate that the autograph and bookplate of Bloxam (and Rugby School) are found inside the front cover of a 1677 edition of "THE ANTIQUITIES OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE”. This volume was deaccessioned a few years back in a very controversial auction of 300 texts to raise money for the Rugby bursaries. Reports at the time called the auction a “flogging”, many objecting to the sale. Included in the auction were books by Shakespeare, “Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies” from 1632, a first edition Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol”, a rare copy of “Robinson Crusoe”, a first edition of  “Don Quixote”, a rare first edition of John Milton's “Paradise Lost”, as well as many “splendid books from the library of Matthew Bloxam". It is an early and fitting addition to our collection.