The Only Game That Matters: The Harvard/Yale Rivalry [Paperback]

Bernard M. Corbett (Author), Paul Simpson (Author), Edward M. Kennedy (Foreword), George E. Pataki (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2005

For hundreds of thousands of alumni and fans, the annual clash between Harvard and Yale inspires a sense of nostalgia and pride unequaled anywhere in sports. For much of the year, Ivy League football is overshadowed by powerhouse programs such as USC and Oklahoma. But not on the third Saturday of November, when all eyes turn to New England for the legendary battle between the Crimson and the Blue.

The Only Game That Matters takes readers through an entire Ivy League season, interweaving the modern-day Harvard/Yale experience with great stories of classic games past. As Corbett and Simpson trace this venerable battle from its inception, the anatomy of a rivalry emerges. Culminating in a typically thrilling version of The Game, The Only Game That Matters explores what makes this 130-year-old rivalry so revered, so beloved, and so pivotal in college football history.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

To the outside world, the November matchup between Harvard and Yale may be "just a couple of mediocre teams battling for position in the bottom half of the nation's football landscape," but the schools' alumni famously invest the annual gridiron meeting with near religious significance. Corbett and Simpson, collaborators on several books about Boston sports, trace this fierce competition back to college football's late–19th-century origins. Though the matter is in some dispute, they effectively make Harvard's case for having played the first real college football game in 1874—but not against Yale; that first battle would come a year later. Much of the book is devoted to a historical roundup, combining game highlights with profiles of figures like legendary Yale coach Walter Camp. The remainder focuses on the 2002 season, devoting roughly equal space to both teams as they approach the faceoff. The suspense is ladled on a bit thick in these sections, but there are several side discussions ranging from loyal tailgaters to the difficulties of recruiting high school athletes for Ivy League teams. The presentation lacks any perceptible favoritism: even the introductions offer one Crimson (Sen. Edward Kennedy) and one Eli (Gov. George Pataki) to maintain the book's genteel neutrality. 8 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“The perfect jewel of a book—engaging, informative, and, most important, interesting.” —Chicago Tribune

“Harvard is playing Yale in football again and again in The Game, and you’re part of the crowd with Bernard M. Corbett and Paul Simpson’s wonderful look at this great rivalry. Stand next to a Kennedy on one side, a Bush on the other, and watch The Only Game That Matters unfold through the years. By the end you’ll feel like a successful alum. Great stuff!” —Leigh Montville, author of Ted Williams and At the Altar of Speed

“Bragging rights to the game are taken every bit as seriously as they are in Columbus or Tuscaloosa.” —Sports Illustrated

“To understand Ohio State/Michigan, Florida/Florida State, and USC/UCLA, you need to understand Harvard/Yale. The Only Game That Matters is a great place to start.” —Lee Corso, college football analyst, ESPN

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400050693
• ISBN-13: 978-1400050697
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,748,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great piece of football history, October 26, 2004

By 

S. Poulter "stp4286" (Santa Barbara, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Only Game That Matters: The Harvard/Yale Rivalry (Hardcover)

Every fall, colleges from far and wide gather together in some of the most intense and passionate rivalries in all of sports. Whether it be the classic rivals of Ohio State-Michigan, Army-Navy, or Auburn-Alabama, nothing truly compares to a game between two longly contested institutions. However of all the great traditional rivalries perhaps none exemplifies the true and humble beginnings of football better than Harvard and Yale. With this outstanding piece of football commentary and history, Corbett and Simpson give the reader a true sense of what The Game is truly about: sportsmanship, loyalty, and tradition. Whether your a die-hard alumni or a casual fan of good football, this book will keep you interested and motivated to know more. You begin to understand and apprieciate the rivalry that this is. Since many of the great Division I-AA rivarlies, like Harvard-Yale or Lehigh-Lafayette, don't get as much attention from the press, its very refreshing to see an example of the true student-athelete at his triumphal and inspiring best. The young men of Harvard and Yale, coming from different backgrounds and lives, come together every year not to showcase their own individual skills for NFL scouts but rather represent the institutions that have come to exemplify American excellence the last 300 hundred years. You don't even have to have gone to either school to gain a general sense of pride when observing such a rivalry unfold. It is simply inspiring and uplifting to know that sports are still played for the love of the game and to know with a combined effort anything is possible for a team. A truly honorable feat by both schools to keep tradition and pride alive in a otherwise prideless sports landscape.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book, but poorly edited, October 13, 2005

By 

Michael Faro "mfaro" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Only Game That Matters: The Harvard/Yale Rivalry (Hardcover)

The book was interesting and a fun read for any Harvard or Yale grad...or any fan of college football. However, I counted at least three errors in the book. Early in the book President Theodore Roosevelt is listed as being from the Harvard Class of 1880. Several pages later he's listed as the class of 1895. (1880 is the correct date...) In discussions of Frank Hinkey, he is mentioned as one of only 5 four-time All Americans. In the photo section, his picture is accompanied by a description that says he is one of 11 four-time All Americans. Then, there is discussion of Ivy League football dropping from Division I-A to I-AA. At first this is mentioned as having happened in 1982. Later in the book, the 1974 Yale team is noted to have the best defense in Division I-AA. (But they were still in Division I-A in '74, weren't they?)

Anyway, these were three glaring errors that I picked up without doing any research or fact-checking. It just makes me wonder how many other errors are in the book that I didn't notice?

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read...Well researched., August 28, 2006

By 

Brandon M. Hughes (Montgomery, AL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Only Game That Matters: The Harvard/Yale Rivalry (Paperback)

Not only is this a good read into the history of the Harvard/Yale rivalry, but it is also a nice glimpse into the origin and development of college football as well as the development of the sport of football as it is played today. As a fan of an SEC school, it definitely gave me an appreciation of the Ivy League.