| Year: | 1886 |
| Team: | Harvard Crimson |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Independent |
| Record: | 12–2 |
| Head Coach: | Frank A. Mason |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Captain: | William A. Brooks |
| Stadium: | Jarvis Field |
| Prev Year: | 1884 |
The 1886 Harvard Crimson football team represented Harvard University in the 1886 college football season. The team finished with a 12–2 record and outscored opponents 765 to 41 under first-year head coach Frank A. Mason.[1] [2] On November 3, 1886, in a game played at Exeter, New Hampshire, the Crimson defeated the team from Phillips Exeter Academy by a score of 158-0, the highest point total ever achieved in a football game to that point. The team's two losses were against rivals Princeton (0–12) and Yale (4–29). Princeton and Yale are recognized by various selectors as the 1886 national champions.