Ivy League Sports

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When most people hear the term Ivy League, they immediately think of the hallowed halls of academic excellence and superiority. However, the Ivy League schools excel beyond the class room as well. Many of the elite eight excel in many different sports as well. Ivy League sports hold the same long standing traditions as the academic programs.

History of the League

While the league officially came into existence in 1954 with the first games being played in 1956, the schools have been competing with each other for long before that. It has been reported that the first competition was between the Harvard and Yale boat clubs in 1852. The informal football league started around 1900 with Yale taking the first championship.

Who is the best?

While Harvard and Yale typically battle it out for the number one position on the top academic rankings, Yale is by far the best when it comes to sports. They have won 404 championships since the league was officially banded in 1954, the most out of any team in the league. Harvard’s is a close second with 351 championships.

Who is the worst?

You rarely hear about a school being anything but stellar in the Ivy League, but which school is the worst as far as athletics? Columbia is at the bottom of the list with only 87 championships since 1956. They even hold the record for the most losses in a row with 44 football losses from 1983-1988. While they rank at the bottom of the league in wins, they had the most influential with the first ever win against an English rowing crew.

Summary

While we often think of the Ivy League in terms of the academic quality, many of the schools have high quality athletics as well. Ivy League graduates have even gone on to have careers in the NFL!