It’s called The Game for a reason.

The gridiron rivalry between Harvard and Yale -- two schools famed for academic instead of athletic prowess -- can be just as intense as more well-known football clashes such as Texas-Oklahoma or Ohio State-Michigan, albeit on a smaller scale. That’s something Kevin Rafferty knows firsthand.

He was a Harvard junior in 1968 during perhaps the most famous Harvard-Yale matchup, one in which both teams entered with undefeated records. Harvard rallied from 16 points down in the final minute, using a backup quarterback, to tie nationally ranked Yale, 29-29.

The experience of being in the stands for such a historic game has stuck with Rafferty over the years, while he has made a living as an acclaimed documentary filmmaker.

But it wasn’t until his daughter entered Yale a few years back that Rafferty considered a film about perhaps the most famous football game in Ivy League history.

Its odd title -- Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 -- is taken from a headline in the Harvard student newspaper the day after the game, and it accurately reflected the feelings on both sides. The game ended in a tie, but because of the circumstances, Harvard players felt like they had won (the home fans stormed the field afterward in celebration), while the Yale faithful experienced the equivalent of a crushing defeat.

“I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was unforgettable,” Rafferty said by phone from New York. “When my daughter got into Yale, it brought back memories of college. I wondered if footage of this game still existed. If I could get the rights, I knew I could make a good movie.”

Rafferty found the archival footage of the game, which was broadcast at the time on a regional basis by NBC, and secured the rights for use in the film.

He then set out to track down as many players from the game as possible, and began an ambitious cross-country trek to interview them all. He bought a used car and traveled more than 15,000 miles over several months, capturing about 60 hours of interviews.

“I had a great time doing it,” he said. “For a few of them, it was as if the game had been played yesterday. It was quite vivid in their memories.”

In total, Rafferty interviewed 61 players from both sides, 49 of whom are featured in the film. Their recollections are intercut with the game footage, an editing process that Rafferty said moved quickly.

“There was kind of a natural script in the game,” Rafferty said. “It was pretty easy to select what I wanted to show.”

Among those interviewed are Oscar-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones, who was an offensive guard for Harvard, and Yale quarterback Brian Dowling, who played for several years in the NFL and was the inspiration for one of the early characters in Doonesbury, the comic strip created by Yale alum Garry Trudeau.

While most of the players were happy to share their memories, those who declined participation included former Cowboys running back Calvin Hill, who was a standout for Yale in the game.

The real-life story has a classic underdog quality that Rafferty said appealed to him as a filmmaker. Both teams entered the season finale undefeated for the first time since 1909, and Yale had a high-powered offense that featured several future NFL draft picks.

“There was incredible anticipation for the game. The book price for the tickets was $6, but they were selling for $500. That was a lot of money in 1968,” Rafferty said. “It was a big deal, especially in New England.”

The film also touches on the political and social climate during the late 1960s that provided a backdrop to the big game.

Rafferty actually broke with family tradition by attending rival Harvard. His grandfather was a team captain and later a coach for the Bulldogs in the early 20^th century, while his father and his first cousin -- former president George W. Bush -- also attended Yale.

“There’s a sense of irony and good humor attached to it,” Rafferty said of the Harvard-Yale rivalry. “They’ve been playing since 1875. The modern game of football was pretty much invented at Yale. There’s a long history, and a lot of tradition.”

Rafferty used his research to write a book about the game, with the same title, which is due out this fall. He also plans to include extra interview footage on the film’s DVD.

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29, which has opened in selected cities around the country in recent months, is now playing at the Magnolia Theater in Dallas.

TODD JORGENSON can be reached at 940-566-6871. His e-mail address is tjorgenson@dentonrc.com.