Once a year, the Harvard University and Yale University football teams face off in a spectacle known simply as "The Game." For the past 127 years, the Crimson and Bulldogs have pushed, shoved, clobbered and hurled one another in a bitter rivalry that has been renewed each generation. To many, the outcome of the Harvard-Yale game is more important than either team's record for the rest of the season.Though the days of collegiate football at Brandeis may be long gone, college football continues to be significant to at least one member of the University staff. Pete Varney, the head coach of the Brandeis baseball team, played tight end for Harvard during the late '60s, and he played an instrumental role in the most famous game between the schools in their storied history.

"[The Game is] something that every player looks forward to after they're admitted to Harvard," Varney said. "They know their chief rival is Yale, so [everyone] want[s] an opportunity to play in the game-number one, and, number two, [they] want to beat 'em. It's something you always remember. . It's a conversation piece for the rest of your life with your teammates."

Heading into the 1968 matchup, both Harvard and Yale had battled their way to undefeated seasons. Not since 1909 had both Harvard and Yale been undefeated coming into The Game. Interest in the event was thus elevated to unparalleled heights, as a perfect season was now on the line for both teams.

Yale dominated much of the game, scoring early and often. The Bulldogs seemed to have wrapped up the game, with a lead of 29-13 with less than 1 minute left in the fourth quarter.

"Quite honestly, Yale had dominated the game up to the last 2 minutes. I mean, they were just running all over us," Varney said.

However, Harvard launched one of the greatest comebacks of all time, scoring a touchdown with a 2-point conversion and adding a touchdown as time expired to bring the Crimson within 2 points.

"It just seemed like momentum had changed. And it was only for the last 2 minutes of the game. Everything seemed surreal. Everything seemed like a tidal wave. It was nothing you could control. It just happened. . There was something magical and mystical about it that everything just went our way."

In order to tie the game, Harvard had one play to complete a 2-point conversion. The Crimson called on Varney's number for that play.

"Frank Champi actually came to the huddle-the guy who was quarterbacking then-and said [to me], 'We're going to use this. Get open-I'm coming to you,'" Varney said.

Varney found his way to the end zone and was hit in the midsection by a pass from Champi-a gorgeous completion for 2 points. In iconic photographs from the day, Varney can be seen raising the football above his head in celebration.

"It was a play that we had run a hundred times that season successfully," he said. "Basically, even though I was as big as I was-I was like 240-they used to split me out so I was away from the interior line of scrimmage. I was split out like a wide receiver. Basically, what they were trying to do was use my size as an advantage over whoever was going to be covering me."

"It's always better to be remembered as the guy who caught it then as the guy who missed it-that's for sure," Varney added.

The game ended in a tie, but it was a remarkable comeback and a victory of sorts for Harvard, who was able to remain undefeated. The headline of the student newspaper, the Harvard Crimson, declared the next day "Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29," and in 2008 a documentary with the same title was created.

"I was part of a very unique experience," Varney said. "Both teams were undefeated, . and it wound up in a tie. If it hadn't wound up in a tie, I don't know if people would remember it as much as if one team had really beat one team or another."

Varney has roots in college football, but most of the Brandeis community knows him as the head coach of the baseball team. After finishing his college football career, he played professional baseball. Varney reached the majors in 1973, where he batted .247 and clubbed five home runs in 69 games over the course of four seasons, primarily with the Chicago White Sox.

Varney has coached at Brandeis for 29 years and has reached the postseason in 20 of those seasons. Varney's true passions are in coaching, and he said he loves watching the men he has coached grow up.

"When I get together with the alumni, we have a golf tournament," he explained. "Seeing the kids come back and seeing the camaraderie they have with each other-that's important to me. It's important to me that they've done very well in their lives and with their families and the occupations that they've chosen. "

"Whatever they're doing, they're doing it well, and that kind of sparks a little bit of pride in me; that the kids have gone through Brandeis and gotten their education and have gone on and been successful in life, in their family [lives] and professional careers," Varney added.

Looking back at his legacy with the Harvard football team, Varney considers himself fortunate to have been just one of many great players in such an historic game.

"A lot of people have come to me for over 40-some years about the game and I feel [bad] sometimes . because I think I was a small part of that game," he said. "A lot of people did a lot of great things in that game. . It was a great thrill, obviously, but to think I'm a celebrity? No, I don't think that at all. They still charge me a buck 99 for coffee at Dunkin' Donuts.