Scott Larkee ‘99, the defensive coordinator of Harvard football, has a large family.

He’s married to Judy Collins, a legend of Crimson field hockey. The couple has six children who range in age from one to 10. The Larkee kids frequently watch Harvard football and sometimes tail the team on road trips.

In terms of sheer numbers, though, Larkee’s largest parenting role occurs on the field. That’s where the former linebacker ministers to 50-plus defensive players. He creates schemes and also demonstrates tackling. He spends hours talking with head coach Tim Murphy and also discusses technique with freshman linebackers.

In other words, Larkee manages the defense with a mix of efficiency and collegiality. He operates both as authority figure and playmate—not unlike a parent managing his children.

“He’s almost like a father figure,” senior safety Tanner Lee said. “He’s always trying to get the best out of you no matter what.”

Larkee, though, noted certain differences between running a family and running a defense.

“I yell at the players, and they usually do what I tell them to do,” he said, laughing. “If I yell at my kids, they don’t.”

Larkee has certainly gotten a lot out of his players in the nine years that he has served as defensive coordinator. The 2014 Crimson ranked first in the FCS with 12.3 points allowed per game. In 2012, Harvard held opponents to 69.4 rushing yards per game while racking up 4.2 sacks, again tops in the FCS.

This year has presented new challenges, as the 2017 defense has faced a plague of injuries. Only five defensive starters remain from the week one lineup. The Crimson lost several more in preseason, including a handful of linebackers.

These challenges have tested Larkee, Murphy, and the whole program, but Harvard has responded with familiar tactics. Work out early in the morning. Focus on tackling form. Avoid shortcuts.

“Hopefully [our identity] is always that we hustle and hit hard—that we show great effort,” Larkee said. “Hopefully, when any other coaches throw in the film…they see good, base fundamentals.”

Historically, this approach has propelled Harvard to success. Larkee knows this especially well, since he once played under it.

In the fall of 1994, Larkee was a high school linebacker in Wisconsin. Murphy noticed something in the hard-nosed kid and persuaded Larkee to join the coach’s second recruiting class.

The partnership proved fruitful. Larkee developed into a cornerstone of the Harvard defense. He finished his career with 243 tackles, then the third-most in program history.

“Scotty was a tough Wisconsin kid,” Murphy said. “As a player, he epitomized the type of kid we want to recruit here—that is, someone who’s very tough and resilient.”

The duo of junior defensive tackle Richie Ryan (50) and senior linebacker Alex White (38) lock down Columbia senior quarterback Anders Hill. In the final moments of the game, the Crimson held off a potential game-tying play from the Lions as Hill's pass went incomplete. By Timothy R. O'Meara

Aside from the Wisconsin part, a similar description applies to Hutton, the captain of the 2017 team. Like Larkee, Hutton is a no-nonsense linebacker who anchors the defense. The Austin, Texas, native dons the same No. 35 jersey that Larkee wore. And last year, Hutton made the All-Ivy second team, an award that Larkee also received.

These likenesses have established Larkee as a natural mentor. Hutton, who is weighing the possibility of coaching football, has observed Larkee closely.

“He’s played the position at the University, so his opinions [and] his critique of our game are very credible,” the captain said. “He’s been there, he’s done it, and he was a really good football player here.”

Larkee returned the admiration. Although the defensive coordinator saw himself as most similar to sophomore linebacker Joey Goodman—”We both had to work hard at it,” Larkee said—he reserved high praise for Hutton.

“He’s a way brighter football player than I ever was,” Larkee said. “I wish I had his way of seeing the game as a player. I would’ve been so much better if it moved as slow as it does for him.”

At Harvard, Larkee stayed busy off the field. He earned in a degree in Anthropology and met an athletic classmate named Judy Collins. The two formed an epic power couple, with Larkee leading Harvard football and Collins leading field hockey.

Two decades later, the pair is still together. As Murphy pointed out, though, only one of them has a spot in the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame. That’s Collins, who graduated with program records for most career goals and points. (Marissa Balleza ’17 broke both marks last year.)

After graduation, Larkee moved through a series of coaching jobs. His resume reads like the itinerary of a prep school student visiting colleges. Bowdoin College (graduate assistant) from 1999 to 2001. Bates College (special teams coordinator and linebackers coach) from 2002 to 2004. Columbia University (defensive assistant) shortly after.

The lone exception came in 2001, when Larkee relocated to France to play for a year with Les Cougars de St. Ouen l'Aumône, a football club team. He still holds the team record for tackles in a game (14) and a season (85).

“If you’ve been in our program for four years, you need to go out and learn from some other people,” Murphy said. “I think his parents still hold it against me that he’s a college football coach after paying to go to Harvard.”

But Larkee could escape Cambridge for only so long. In 2001, he returned for a brief stint as an assistant coach. That season, the Crimson went 9-0 for the first time since 1913.

Six years later, having completed his tour of the Northeast, Larkee came back to Harvard again—this time as running backs coach and a recruiting coordinator. By 2009, he had taken over as defensive coordinator.

On the sideline during a game, Murphy and Larkee hardly communicate. They don’t have much reason to talk. The head coach, who works with tight ends during the week, relays plays to the quarterback.

As for the defense—well, Larkee controls that fiefdom. Between series, he gives instructions and builds up motivation. Harvard players listen.

“I think he’s the best defensive coordinator in the country,” Lee said. “He’s a great guy to learn from, a great guy to play for, and a great guy to have as a role model.”

—Staff writer Sam Danello can be reached at sam.danello@thecrimson.com.