The more things change, the more they remain the same.  In my ten
years at RPI, I do not recall having seen RPI play Harvard.  Looking
at the schedules, RPI played Harvard four times while I was there:
in early January in 1967, 1968, and 1969 and in a second-round ECAC
playoff game in Boston in 1974.  The only one of these in Troy was
the 1/4/68 game and I may have been out of town on break.  As I was
recently reminded, the 1969 game was not completed due to a brawl,
and RPI and Harvard did not play again in a regular season game
until the 78-79 season. This must have been when mandatory scheduling
started.
 
Prior to 1967, RPI played Harvard only twice, strangely enough both
times in the RPI Holiday tourney.  Supposedly, Harvard deemed that RPI
played too roughly, or at least this is what I had heard.  (But I also
heard that the reason Cornell wears Red and White uniforms is that Ned
Harkness took RPI's when he left Troy. :-) )
 
Obviously not having been at the game yesterday, I can't say who
started the fight.  I do know that Danny Riva has not missed a game
in his 3+ years at RPI and I suspect that he did would not want to
have that streak end in this manner.
 
Ralph Baer
RPI '68, '70, '74
As Tom Lehrer once said, "Fight fiercely, Harvard, fight, fight,
fight!"  :-)
 
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