A black-and-white image of the Tufts Football team from 1893.

The 1893 football team notched a 4-7 record and were captained by Charles Dow "C.D." Clark, who holds the football in this photo. The following year, Clark took a leave of absence from Tufts to become the head coach of the University of Mississippi football team. He returned to complete his studies and graduated in 1895 and later became an actor. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center

Sports

Celebrating 150 Years of Tufts Football in Photos

A collection of images and other media reveals the journey of Tufts football since its 1875 beginnings

An image of a letter about Tufts Football celebrating its 100th anniversary.

A 1975 letter from then-Tufts University President Burton Hallowell to then-football coach Rocky Carzo, commemorating Tufts Football's 100th anniversary. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center

It may come as a surprise, but modern American football has roots at Tufts. This year the university celebrated the 150th anniversary of the first organized Jumbos football game, which was also apparently the first college football game in the nation. 

The contest—Tufts defeated Harvard 1-0 on June 4, 1875—was played at Jarvis Field in Cambridge, and has since been memorialized in books, news articles, and events.

To commemorate the occasion of Tufts 100th football anniversary in 1975, President Burton Hallowell wrote to former head coach and later Jumbos athletic director Rocky Carzo, saying, “Football has been, and will continue to be, an integral part of the educational process at Tufts University.”

Carzo was hired as Tufts head football coach in 1966, promoted to athletic director in 1973, and retired in 1999. In his roles at the university, Carzo “taught us that what our students learn through sport they carry with them for a lifetime: the importance of teamwork, leadership, fair play, respect for others, integrity, commitment, and hard work,” said former Tufts President Larry Bacow in 2002. 

Coach Rocky Carzo, holding a football, with players Peter Watson and Ken Wilson in 1971. First hired as football coach in 1966, Carzo oversaw Tufts sports for more than a quarter century.

Coach Rocky Carzo with players Peter Watson and Ken Wilson in 1971. “Everything Rocky did had the best interests of the student-athletes in mind,” said John Morris, former director of athletics. Photo: Tufts Archival Research Center

One of Carzo’s contributions to Tufts was his work on the history of the university’s athletics teams for his book, Jumbo Footprints: A History of Tufts Athletics, 1852-1999. Needless to say, the history of Tufts football plays a prominent role.

In the following photos, take a journey through the first 150 years of Jumbo football, courtesy of images provided by of the Tufts Archival Research Center. 

 

The Early Years (1876-1925)

    A black-and-white image of football team members seated and standing on steps. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1876 A group photo of the 1876 football team, one year after Tufts played its first recorded game.
    A black and white image of Tufts 1890-91 football team. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1890 The Tufts 1890 football team is pictured here, one student-athlete shy of the listed 14 men on the Jumbos' season roster.
    A black-and-white image of Tufts 1891 football team with caption information below it. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1891 The Tufts football team posed for a team photo, taken by Davis and Dow photographers in 1892.
    A black-and-white image of the Tufts Football team from 1893. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1893 The 1893 football team notched a 4-7 record and were captained by Charles Dow "C.D." Clark, who holds the football in this photo. The following year, Clark took a leave of absence from Tufts to become the head coach of the University of Mississippi football team. He returned to complete his studies and graduated in 1895 and later became an actor.
    An informal black-and-white photo of the 1895 Tufts football team seated along a set of outdoor stairs. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1895 This photo, captioned an "informal photograph of Tufts football team" in the Tufts Archival Research Center, was taken in 1895.
    A black-and-white image of the 1900 Tufts football team. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1900 A team photo of the 1900 Jumbos, including partial attribution and position information for the photographed student-athletes.
    A studio photograph in black and white of the 1906 Tufts football team, seated and standing across four rows. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1906 The 1906 Tufts football squad posed for an image attributed to E. Chickering and Co., owned by photographer Elmer Chickering and operated in Boston.
    A black-and-white image of Tufts 1909 football team wearing their practice uniforms and pads. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1909 The 1909 Jumbos posed for this image while wearing their practice uniforms and pads.
    A black-and-white image of the 1913 Tufts football team. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1913 Tufts University's 1913 football team. The photo's reverse indicates the team was named "Minor Champs" that season.
    A black-and-white image of the 1915 football team in various seated and standing positions along a set of outdoor stairs. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1915 The 1915 Jumbos went 5-1-2 under head coach Charles Whelan who held the position for seven seasons.
    A black-and-white image showing four men standing behind seven men in a three-point stance. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1916 In a 2016 piece for Tufts Now, Charlie Trantanella, E89, wrote that the 1916 Tufts football team was an "integrated anomaly" and race was not an issue for the players on the team or the then-coach, Charles Whelan. The Black players on the team faced considerable adversity while playing against other institutions and while traveling to compete as Jumbos.
    A black-and-white image of the football team seated on rows of stairs outside Goddard Chapel. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1920 The 1920 team posed for this group photo outside Goddard Chapel.
    A black-and-white image of the Tufts football team from 1921. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1921 The 1921 Tufts football team was captained by Frank Russo that year in the first of two consecutive seasons. Here, the team sits on the steps at Barnum Hall.
    A black-and-white image of the 1923 Tufts football team. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1923 A team photo of the 1923 Jumbos.
    A black-and-white image of the football team seated in wooden bleachers. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1924 The 1924 team was captained by Evander French who later became an architect with his father's Boston-based firm, Hutchins & French.
    A black-and-white image of three men kicking their right foot in the air with their arms raised above their heads. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1925 A trio of Jumbos practiced kicks in this 1925 image.

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Video: We Are the Jumbos

Hear Rocky Carzo narrate the storied history of Tufts football in this video compilation produced in 2014.


The Next 50 Years (1926-1975)

    A black-and-white image of five men standing behind seven men in a football stance. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1926 The 1926 Jumbos pause for a photo during football practice.
    A black-and-white image of football players huddled on foot and knee on the football sideline, close to the bench where other teammates sit. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1927 The Jumbos huddle on the sideline of this 1927 game. Tufts was reportedly one of the first teams to use the huddle on offense in a 1914 game versus Indiana, when the quarterback gathered the players because the crowd made it hard to hear.
    Four Jumbos football players stand side-by-side for this black-and-white photo from 1928. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1928 Players on the 1928 Jumbos, with names reading from left: "Husky" Phillips, Fred Kennedy, Fred Ellis, and Charlie Hingston.
    The 1931 Tufts football team is photographed on the bleachers in this black-and-white image. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1931 The 1931 Jumbos were coached by Lewis Manly, then in his second season in the role. He coached for a total of 16 seasons culminating in 1945.
    A black-and-white image of three tiers of football players standing and kneeling in sweaters with the letter "T" on the front. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1933 In 1933, the Tufts football team finished the season with a 6-2 record under coach Lewis Manly, then in his fourth of 16 consecutive seasons.
    A black-and-white image of guests seated at banquet tables filling a gymnasium. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1934 Football players and guests gather for a banquet to honor the 1934 Jumbos' undefeated season (8-0).
    A man squats after holding a football that was kicked by a second man in the photo Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1937 Captain Roger Keith looks on after kicking a football that had been held by Lou Abdu
    A black-and-white image of the Tufts football team seated on five levels of bleachers Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1944 The 1944 Tufts football team sits on bleachers for a group photo.
    A man stands bent at the waist with his arms raised and bent in at the shoulders Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1950 John Baronian, A50, a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran who served in the South Pacific from 1941-46 in World War II, stood for this portrait in 1950. Now, 75 years after he graduated, the top Tufts linebacker each year receives the Baronian Award.
    A man kneels on his right knee, holding a football with both hands and resting it on his left knee Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1955 Coach Harry Arlanson led the Jumbos from 1954-65, directly preceding Rocky Carzo. Arlanson is pictured here in 1955.
    Four men wearing lettermen jackets stand and shake hands in this black-and-white photo. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1966 From left, John Cluney, A66, and Bob Mastrovita, A66, co-captains of the 1965 Jumbos, shake hands with the 1966 co-captains, Mike McLaughlin, A67, and Frank Hekimian, A67.
    Four men wearing suits stand and talk with another suited man in a chair, who holds a football, in this black-and-white photo Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1967 Generations of Tufts head football coaches gathered in 1967. From left: Lewis Manly (1930-45), Rocco "Rocky" Carzo (1966-73), Fred Ellis (1946-53), and Harry Arlanson (1954-65); seated: Arthur Sampson (1926-29).
    A 1968 photo of Tufts University football versus Bates College. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1968 Tufts running back John Dember, A71, tallied 1706 total yards and 11 touchdowns as a Jumbo (1968-70) under coach Rocky Carzo. In this photo Dember carries the ball in a 1968 contest against Bates College.
    Two football players look on in this black-and-white photo shot from below. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1969 Peter Cohen, left, and Rich Giachetti, right, look on from the sideline. The team went 6-2 that year.
    A Tufts football player is tended to by an athletic trainer in a black-and-white image from 1969. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1969 Tufts football trainer Hal Knolton, right, examines football player Sam Bryant in 1969.
    A black-and-white image of a football player catching a football, his uniform pants covered in mud Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1969 Split end Rich Giachetti makes a muddy reception during a 1969 game for the Jumbos. Giachetti, the captain of the team that year, was a three-year national leader in receptions.
    The 1972 football team poses for a photo, some kneeling while most stand, wearing light colored jerseys in this black-and-white photo Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1972 The 1972 Tufts football team, which was the second to last coached by Rocky Carzo.
    A black-and-white photo of the Tufts football team wearing dark jerseys, standing and kneeling along six rows of bleachers. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1974 The 1974 Jumbos were coached by Paul Pawlak during his first season as head coach. He remained in the role through 1977.

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With the Program

Tufts Archival Research Center is home to dozens of programs from Tufts' football games over the last 150 years, including these three featuring original illustrations.

    An illustration of a white woman wearing a military hat, smiling, with golden brown hair Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1943 A program from Tufts' 1943 game against Camp Edwards.
    An illustration of a white football player in a blue jersey and helmet with a bandage on his forehead, torn jersey at the shoulder, and lipstick kisses on his face. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1956 The cover of the program from Tufts' Oct. 13, 1956 game against Trinity College, which Tufts won handily, 52-20.
    A solid blue illustration of a football player making a catch over the letter "T" on top of a photo of Tufts' campus in brown Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1963 A program from Tufts' 1963 competition with Williams.

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Through the Millennia (1976-2025)

    Two kneeling football players flank their coach in this black-and-white photo from 1981. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1981 Captains Bob Lederman, left, and Terry Richards, right, flank their coach, Vic Gatto.
    A black-and-white image of Tufts football players standing on the sideline, holding their helmets in 1985. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1985 Football teammates stand on the sideline during the 1985 homecoming game, held October 30.
    A black-and-white photo of the 1989 Tufts football team in uniform with dark jerseys standing on stairs. Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center
    1989 The 1989 Jumbos pose for a photo outside Cousens Gymnasium.
    A football player carries the football while avoiding a tackle by another. Photo: Alonso Nichols
    2012 Tufts running back Justin Weaver, A16, advances the ball in a game against Colby College on Nov. 3, 2012.
    A football player in a white uniform and helmet jumps over an opposing player who lays on the ground and wears a black uniform and helmet Photo: Kelvin Ma
    2013 Tufts running back Mike Rando, A17, jumps over an opponent during a long return in Tufts' game at Wesleyan on Sept. 21, 2013.
    A football player wearing a helmet on the right hugs a teammate on the left in celebration Photo: Kelvin Ma
    2014 Tufts offensive lineman Akene Farmer-Michos, A16, left, and wide receiver Jack Cooleen, A16, celebrate in the locker room after Tufts' 24-17 win over Hamilton at Zimman Field on Sept. 20, 2014. The win snapped a 31-game losing streak.
    A football player wearing a gray uniform with grass stains on the hip carries the ball down the field Photo: Matthew Healey
    2016 Tufts running back Chance Brady, A17, charges towards the end zone for a fourth quarter touchdown in the season home opener against Wesleyan on Sept. 24, 2016.
    Three football players stand with their helmets on and look down at the camera Photo: Alonso Nichols
    2017 From left: Tufts running back Jay Tyler, A19, defensive back Trey Nelson, A19, and wide receiver Jack Dolan, A19, pose for a "sportrait" on Sept. 25, 2017.
    A football player wearing light blue uniform and white helmet carries a football with his right arm into the end zone Photo: Alonso Nichols
    2019 Quarterback Dominic Borelli, A13, scores the first touchdown against Bowdoin College during the 2019 homecoming game. The Jumbos defeated the Polar Bears 49-0.
    A group of cheerleaders runs along a wet track raising their pom-poms in the air Photo: Anna Miller
    2023 Tufts cheerleaders pump up the crowd at the 2023 homecoming game against Bates College, which the Jumbos won 44-16.
    Fans in the bleachers cheer for Tufts, with one holding up a blue foam finger reading Go Jumbos Photo: Anna Miller
    2024 Tufts fans cheer on the Jumbos at the 2024 homecoming game at Ellis Oval.

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A 'Jumbo Legacy'

Four men wearing suits stand and talk with another suited man in a chair, who holds a football, in this black-and-white photo

Generations of Tufts head football coaches gathered in 1967. From left: Lewis Manly (1930-45), Rocco "Rocky" Carzo (1966-73), Fred Ellis (1946-53), and Harry Arlanson (1954-65); seated: Arthur Sampson (1926-29). Photo: Courtesy of Tufts Archival Research Center

Dan Santamaria, the director of Tufts Archival Research Center, honored the Jumbo legacy of Tufts' football with a look at the team’s history. Explore his deep dive to learn more about the history of the sport on the Medford/Somerville campus.

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