The 1878 Harvard Crimson football team represented Harvard University in the 1878 college football season. They finished with a 1–2 record.[1][2] The team captain, for the second consecutive year, was Livingston Cushing.[1]
On November 9, Harvard opened its football season with a victory over Amherst at Boston's South End Grounds. Harvard scored three goals and three touchdowns, holding Amherst scoreless.[3]
On November 16, Harvard lost to Princeton in a game played before approximately 1,000 spectators at the Boston Baseball Grounds. The New York Herald called it "a magnificent contest."[4]
One week later, on November 23, Harvard lost to Yale before 700 spectators at the Boston Baseball Grounds. Yale won with a kick for goal.[5]