Harvard’s football roots are as deep as football roots come. When thinking of classic American sports, baseball usually comes to mind. But only 10 years after professional baseball was brought to the states, before the sport of basketball was even a thought in its creators head and a year before the first indoor hockey game was played (Hockey Hall of fame), the annals of football were being written by the Harvard Football Club. The beginnings of Harvard’s adaptation of what would become football were more like rugby and players did not wear much in the way of protective gear. One of the most infamous early installments of The Game occurred on Nov. 24, 1894. Also known as “the bloodbath at Hampden Park,” the Harvard-Yale matchup resulted in so many critical injuries that administrators banned the matchup for the next two years. According to The Athletic, about 76 college football players died from injuries between 1890 and 1892. President Theodore Roosevelt ‘80 called a committee to the White House in 1905 which revolutionized the sport. In an effort to make the game safer, the rules were changed to allow the forward pass. Black turtleneck sweater. Player name (BURDEN) is sewn into the back tail, in a light brownish color. Harvard’s (H) is designed in crimson on the chest. Burden played on the Harvard freshman football team in 1896. The following season he became the backup center on the varsity team. In 1898 he became a starting guard and in 1899 was the team captain. This sweater is properly marked, presented to us as game-used and in our opinion shows appropriate use - remaining in excellent condition with expected aging and a couple of repairs.