Juszczyk '13 Becomes First Harvard Player to Catch NFL Touchdown Since 1980

It had been 12,327 days since a Harvard graduate caught a touchdown pass in an NFL regular season game.

On Sunday, Baltimore Ravens fullback Kyle Juszczyk ’13 became the most recent player to accomplish the feat, the school’s first player to do since former Crimson punter and wide receiver Pat McInally ’75 scored a touchdown for the Cincinnati Bengals on December 21, 1980.

Juszczyk scored the first touchdown of his NFL career on his first NFL reception, a nine-yard pass from quarterback Joe Flacco with 7:24 left in the second quarter. The catch put the Ravens ahead of the host Cleveland Browns, 10-7, in a game that Baltimore would ultimately win 23-21.

The game was a homecoming for Juszczyk, having grown up in Medina, Ohio, 33 miles south of Cleveland.

Juszczyk played tight end while with the Crimson and was a two-time All-American and three-time All-Ivy League performer. He concentrated in Economics and lived in Pforzheimer during his time in Cambridge.

Juszczyk was drafted by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft and spent most of his rookie season on special teams. His role as an offensive player has increased during the 2014 season after the team released fullback Vonta Leach during the offseason and halfback Ray Rice on Sept. 8.

This season Juszczyk has started two of the Ravens’ (2-1) first three games, and after three catches yesterday has 54 receiving yards on the season. He is first all-time among Harvard tight ends in receptions (125), receiving yards (1,576), and touchdowns (22).

Juszczyk is one of three former Crimson players to have appeared in an NFL game this season, along with Cleveland Browns defensive end Desmond Bryant ’09 and Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05.

The Ravens hope to extend their two-game winning streak on Sunday when they play host to the Carolina Panthers—and Harvard hopes it does not have to wait another 12,327 days for its next NFL touchdown reception.