Harvard football has seen a tremendous resurgence in the number of graduates who have gone on to the professional ranks. Since 2000, over 40 Crimson players have been drafted or signed professional contracts. For the 2020 campaign, six former Harvard players made opening day NFL rosters
.
Recent history has seen Harvard alumni thrive in professional football. Kyle Juszczyk '13 became the highest-paid fullback in NFL history during the summer of 2017, signing a four-year, $21 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers, a team he helped reach Super Bowl LIV. Juszczyk became the fifth Harvard football player to reach the Super Bowl.
Continuing in Miami, Ryan Fitzpatrick '05 completed his 16th NFL season in 2020. Fitzpatrick has started 139 games in his career and thrown 223Â touchdown passes for eight different teams. Cameron Brate '14 helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV, becoming the fourth Harvard alumnus to capture the Lombardi Trophy.
Joining Juszczyk, Brate and Fitzpatrick on active rosters in 2019 were Ben Braunecker '16, Nick Easton '15 and Tyler Ott '14. Easton started on the offensive line in New Orleans, Ott was the Seahawks long snapper, while Braunecker played tight end on the Bears.Â
Former Crimson great Isaiah Kacyvenski '00 became the fourth Harvard alum to play in a Super Bowl when his Seattle Seahawks won the 2005 NFC championship and faced the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chris Pizzotti, a former finalist for the Walter Payton Award - the Division I FCS National Player of the Year honor – was picked up by the Green Bay packers during the 2009 season following a stint with the New York Jets.
Most prominent among Harvard's recent NFL contingent is Matt Birk '98, the starting center for the Minnesota Vikings who was named to the NFL's All-Pro Team in 2000, '01, '04, '05 and '07. In 2009, he was a finalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award before signing a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens.
Birk helped the Baltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, and he was generally considered among the top centers in professional football during his career.
At the 2016 NFL Draft, Cole Toner was chosen in the fifth round and 170th overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
The 2003 NFL season saw two Harvard players join the professional ranks as Jamil Soriano '03 earned a spot on the practice squad of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, while Carl Morris '03 was signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad. Jack Fadule '03, meanwhile, was signed by the Patriots in February 2004.
In April 2000, Kacyvenski was taken in the fourth round (119th overall) by the Seattle Seahawks. He went on to play six seasons in Seattle, where he was named a team captain and stood at midfield for the coin toss during Super Bowl XL. He enjoyed stints with the St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders.
Classmate and 1999 Harvard captain Chris Eitzmann '00 played four preseason games with the New England Patriots in 2000 and later signed contracts with the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers and Patriots.
Two years earlier, Fleiszer became the first overall pick in the Canadian Football League draft when he was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played for Hamilton's 1999 Grey Cup championship team before going on to play for his hometown Montreal Alouettes, winning a second Grey Cup in 2002. He then played two seasons with the Ottawa Renegades before joining the Edmonton Eskimos for the 2005 season, when he won his third Grey Cup.
That same year, Birk was a sixth-round pick by the Vikings, while Jeff Compas '98 signed with New England and was invited to preseason camp. Mike Sands '00 is another recent player to have signed a pro contract. He was with the Pittsburgh Steelers and played in NFL Europe in 2000.
Perhaps the best known of the Crimson's pros is Pat McInally '75, an All-America split end who went on to star for the Cincinnati Bengals at both receiver and punter. He played in Super Bowl XVI against the San Francisco 49ers and was an All-Pro choice a year later.
While McInally wasn't fortunate enough to play on the winning side in a Super Bowl, another Harvard graduate did earn an NFL championship ring. John Dockery '66 played on one of the most famous Super Bowl teams, the Joe Namath-led New York Jets, who won the 1969 classic over Baltimore.
Dan Jiggetts '76, who captained the Crimson's first outright Ivy championship team in 1975, played eight seasons with the Chicago Bears before retiring in 1983. He went on to announce NFL games for CBS and worked with former Harvard basketball great James Brown '73 in 1987 to form the first all-African-American broadcasting team at a major sporting event. He was also calling the Harvard-Yale game in 2007 when the Crimson pulled off a 37-6 victory in the Yale Bowl, winning the league title and dashing Yale's chance at a perfect season.
Pro Crimson Alumni
| Crimson In Professional Football |
| Name |
Team(s) |
Position(s) |
Year(s) |
|
| Larry Allen, Jr. '19 |
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Chargers |
Offensive Line |
2019
2019Â Â Â |
|
| Joe Azelby '84 |
Buffalo Bills |
Linebacker |
1984 |
|
| Michael Berg '07 |
New York Giants |
Defensive End |
2007 |
|
| Matt Birk '98# |
Minnesota Vikings
Baltimore Ravens |
Center |
1998-2008
2009-2012 |
|
| Cameron Brate '14 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Tight End |
2014-2015
2015
2015-present |
|
| Ben Braunecker '16 |
Chicago Bears |
Tight End |
2016-19 |
|
| Andrew Brecher '08 |
Dallas Cowboys |
Tackle |
2007 |
|
| Desmond Bryant '09 |
Oakland Raiders
Cleveland Browns |
Defensive Tackle |
2009-2012
2013-2017 |
|
| Stanley Burnham '19 |
Frankford Yellow Jackets |
Back |
1925 |
|
| Roger Caron '85 |
Indianapolis Colts |
Tackle |
1985-86 |
|
| Eddie Casey '20 |
Buffalo All-Americans |
Back |
1920 |
|
| Charlie Clark '20 |
Chicago Cubs |
Guard |
1924 |
|
| Jeff Compas '98 |
New England Patriots |
Defensive Back |
1998 |
|
| Bill Craven '73 |
Cleveland Browns |
Back |
1976 |
|
| Harrie Dadmun '19 |
Canton Bulldogs
New York Giants |
Guard |
1920
1921 |
|
| Clifton Dawson '07 |
Cincinnati Bengals
Indianapolis Colts |
Back |
2007
2007-09 |
|
| John Dockery '68 |
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers |
Back-End |
1968-71
1972-73 |
|
| Nick Easton '15 |
Baltimore Ravens
San Francisco 49ers
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints |
Center |
2015
2015
2015-2018
2019-present |
|
| Chris Eitzmann '00 |
New England Patriots |
Tight End |
2000 |
|
| Carl Etelman '26 |
Providence Steamrollers |
Back |
1926 |
|
| Earl Evans '25 |
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Bears |
Tackle |
1925
1926-29 |
|
| Anthony Fabiano '15 |
Baltimore Ravens
Cleveland BrownsÂ
Washington Redskins
New York Giants
New England Patriots
Indianapolis Colts
Cleveland Browns
Philadelphia Eagles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Green Bay Packers
Cleveland Browns                |
Center |
2016
2016
2017
2017
2017
2017
2018
2018-19
2019-20
2020
2021-present |
|
| Jack Fadule '03 |
New England Patriots |
Tackle |
2003-04 |
|
| Matt Farbotko '07 |
Indianapolis Colts |
Tight End |
2007 |
|
| Anthony Firkser '17 |
New York Jets
Kansas City Chiefs
Tennessee Titans |
Tight End |
2017
2017
2018-present |
|
| Ryan Fitzpatrick '05 |
St. Louis Rams
Cincinnati Bengals
Buffalo Bills
Tennessee TitansÂ
Houston Texans
New York JetsÂ
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Miami Dolphins
Washington Football Team |
Quarterback |
2005-06
2007-08
2009-2012
2013
2014
2015-2016
2017-2018
2019-2021
2021-present |
|
| Erwin Gehrke '24 |
Boston Bulldogs |
Back |
1926 |
|
| Herman Gundlach '35 |
Boston Redskins |
Guard |
1935 |
|
| Stone Hart '19 |
Cleveland Browns |
Defensive Tackle |
2019 |
|
| Zack Hodges '15 |
Indianapolis Colts
St. Louis Rams
San Diego Chargers |
Linebacker |
2015
2015
2016 |
|
| Arnie Horween '21 |
Chicago Cubs |
Back |
1921-24 |
|
| Ralph Horween '18 |
Chiacgo Cubs |
Back |
1921-23 |
|
| Dan Jiggetts '76 |
Chicago Bears |
Tackle |
1976-83 |
|
| Kyle Juszczyk '13~ |
Baltimore Ravens
San Francisco 49ers |
Fullback |
2013-2016
2017-present |
|
| Isaiah Kacyvenski '00 |
Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Rams
Oakland Raiders |
Linebacker |
2000-06
2006
2007 |
|
| Dick King '16 |
Hammond Pros
Milw.-Rochester Jeffersons
St. Louis Browns |
Back |
1919-21
1922
1923 |
|
| Bobby Leo '67 |
Boston Patriots |
Back |
1967-68 |
|
| Jacob Lindsey '16 |
Buffalo Bills |
Linebacker |
2017 |
|
| Joe McGlone '26 |
Providence Steamrollers
Boston Bulldogs |
Quarterback |
1926
1926 |
|
| Pat McInally '75+ |
Cincinnati Bengals |
Punter/End |
1976-85 |
|
| Al Miller '27 |
Boston Bulldogs |
Quarterback |
1929 |
|
| Carl Morris '03 |
Miami Dolphins
San Diego Chargers |
Receiver |
2003-04
2004-05 |
|
| Kevin Murphy '12 |
San Francisco 49ers
Minnesota Vikings |
Tackle |
2012-13
2013-14 |
|
| Brent Osborne '11 |
Seattle Seahawks |
Tackle |
2011-12 |
|
| Tyler Ott '14 |
New England Patriots
St. Louis Rams
New York GiantsÂ
Cincinnati Bengals
Seattle Seahawks |
Long Snapper |
2014
2015
2015-2016
2016
2016-present |
|
| Joseph Pellegrini '79 |
New York Jets
Atlanta Falcons |
Center |
1982-83
1984-86 |
|
| Chris Pizzotti '08-09 |
New York Jets
Green Bay Packers |
Quarterback |
2009-10
2010-11 |
|
| Adam Redmond '16 |
Indianapolis Colts
Buffalo Bills
Dallas Cowboys |
Guard |
2016-17
2017-18
2018-present |
|
| Max Rich '17 |
New England Patriots |
Tackle |
2017 |
|
| Justice Shelton-Mosley '19 |
Kansas City Chiefs |
Wide Receiver |
2020 |
|
| Jamil Soriano '03 |
New England Patriots |
Tackle |
2003-04 |
|
| Red Steele '20 |
Canton Bulldogs |
End |
1921 |
|
| Richie Szaro '71 |
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets |
Kicker |
1975-78
1979 |
|
| Cole Toner '16 |
Arizona Cardinals
Cincinnati Bengals
New England Patriots
Los Angeles Chargers |
Guard |
2016-2017
2017
2017
2017-present |
|
| James Williams '09 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Tackle |
2010-13 |
|
|
# Pro Bowl Selection (2000, '01, '04, '05, '06, '07)
+ Pro Bowl Selection (1982)
~ Pro Bowl Selection ('16, '17, '18, '19)
|
|
| Canadian Football League |
|
| Tim Fleiszer '98 |
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Montreal Alouettes
Ottawa Renegades
Edmonton Eskimos
Sasketchewan Roughriders |
End |
1998-99
2000-02
2003-04
2005-06
2006-07 |
|
| Marco Iannuzzi '11 |
BC Lions |
Wide Receiver |
2011-17 |
|
| Nic Sobic '07 |
Toronto Argonauts |
Tackle |
2008-11 |
|
| David Sauve '82 |
Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
End
Team President |
1982-88
2004-05 |
|
