Harvard and Yale have long been rivals in many ways. One that doesn’t often come to mind is the rivalry between their shooting teams. While little known, it has a long history: both schools founded shooting clubs within a few years of each other in the early 1880s.
Within a decade, headlines regarding match results fanned the flames. In 1896, the New York Times reported, “YALE MEN THE BEST SHOTS.” Yale won the match, 66-46, with the copy reporting that “Harvard butts are on low ground.” Princeton competed in that match, too, coming in second place with 57 points.
Membership in both clubs has fluctuated over the decades, but both schools presently report having approximately 50 active members each. More than 125 years later, the desire for each team to be the best still remains. The Harvard club website notes, “We have many goals, but we have one mission. Beat – nay, destroy – Yale.”
Often wearing team jackets and specialized shooting gear, today’s collegiate shooting teams look nothing like those of the past.
Now let’s take a look at the Harvard and Yale teams of yesteryear:
So, do we have any members of TTAG’s Armed Intelligencia with allegiance to either school’s team?