I returned to the Yale Bowl this past weekend to watch Fordham lose to the home team 7-6. Yeah, that's right. 7-6. There were two huge plays for the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter as sub QB Brook Hart threw a 29y TD pass to WR Jordan Forney for a 7-6 lead and then DT Chris Dooley blocked a go-ahead FG attempt to end final Fordham drive into Yale red zone. Yale is now 4-1 on the season as they look to compete for the Ivy title while the Rams fell to 2-5.
While the stirring action on the field was on a break, it was time to look around the old dame for signs of its past glory. You need a lot of imagination. It's place as an inspiration to other fields and stadiums is evident by how much of its age shows through. The Yale Bowl was shaped by digging out the bowl shape--with the field in the middle--and then putting the fans on the pitch heading up to the perimeter as inspired by similar fields in Ancient Rome. And when you walk through the portals to get to your seats (mind the splinters) you can imagine yourself in Rome for a brief moment. But to truly remember its days hosting football powerhouses, one would have to return when Harvard is in town and the now 61,000 capacity is stretched. But the game served our purpose, which was to enjoy a great fall day with family and friends. This was my daughter Pilar's fourth game and she had fun with her friends. They especially enjoyed running onto the field after the game (not as vandals but partaking in a Yale tradition). So while the glory days are long gone--and a Fordham-Yale match-up would have been one to watch 75 years ago--the Yale Bowl can still put a smile on a kid's face.
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