August 3, 1852 – It was the first American intercollegiate sporting event that had ever taken place. The Harvard heavyweight rowing crew competed against their rivals Yale on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. Harvard triumphed by 2 lengths in over 2 miles over the Eli rowing group.
This started the competitive athletic rivalry between the two Eastern Universities. Most famously the football rivalry between the schools dates back to 1875 and is the second-oldest rivalry in college football, but as we see these two were rivals long before that.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network

Baltimore Football History: What A Story!
Baltimore professional football history is like a good soap opera; heroes to love and

Super Bowl XXIII (Bengals vs. 49ers): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXIII, which was held on January 22, 1989, at

The First Five Rocky Movies (How I Remember Them)
In this segment, I am going to cover the First 5 Rocky Movies the

Eras of NFL Playoff Frustration (My Top 15)
We always hear about the teams that win it all, and walk away with

The First Game of the Packers vs. Cardinals Rivalry
It was a big deal in 1921, and it’s still a big deal in

Don of All Dons (Don Muraco) – A “Mad Man Parody”
In this episode, we travel down villainy lane via a MAD MAN parody, for

Loserville: How Professional Sports Remade Atlanta and Atlanta Remade Professional Sports
In this episode I chat with Clayton Trutor about his forthcoming book – Loserville:

1980 Oakland Raiders: The Unlikely Super Bowl Champs
Few saw it coming–before the season began and even at mid-season. But with excellent