NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) – Saturday was a big day for football in New Haven. For the first time since 1980, Yale finished the season atop the Ivy League alone. Fans stormed the field.
They watched Yale crush Harvard 24-3 to win its first outright Ivy League title in 37 years. The rain didn’t dampen their enthusiasm.
“It’s always exciting. Every time you play someone like Harvard there’s just so much energy,” said Austin Emser of New York City.
After the game there was bumper to bumper traffic in New Haven as fans left the game. They weren’t worried about that, however. They were still talking about the game, reliving the excitement.
“As the time was ticking down – 3,2,1,0 – we all stormed the field,” said Nicholas Pham when he left the game. “It was absolutely amazing.”
“Yale was throwing a bunch of great passes, people catching it, running around,” said Michael Shang, a fan from San Francisco. “It was awesome. Harvard didn’t stand a chance!”
Fans were also talking about what they’d do after the game. Many wanted to continue the celebration. Bars and restaurants in New Haven were busy. Some, like Box 63, started the party early.
“I was, I think, a 50/50 crowd. We did get some Harvard people here, a lot of alumni people here,” said Carl Carbone, managing partner of Box 63.
The TVs in the restaurant were set to the big game. Box 63 hosted a watch party, so fans who didn’t make it to the game could still see every play. Fans also stopped by after Yale’s big win – some who had cheered for Yale, others who were for Team Harvard.
“It was really interesting. We sat on the Harvard side for half of the game and we moved across to the Yale side for the other half,” said Anusha Rajadorai, who was rooting for Harvard. She watched the game with Senthu Arumugam, a Yale fan.