Back in the spring of 2026, Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry received a phone call from his former college coach Tim Murphy.
On that call, after the two caught up, Murphy surprised Berry with the news that he was being inducted into the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2026. The 12 members of the class of 2026 will join over 600 athletes from Harvard's 42 varsity teams who have previously been inducted. Berry and the class of 2026 will be honored at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Oct. 23.
"It was a really cool, pleasant surprise and it's an incredible honor," Berry said. "It's pretty cool because Harvard has obviously been around for centuries, and they have 42 Division I sports. I think for me, going there was my first time ever playing corner, so I don't know that I would have guessed that I would receive this honor after my playing career. And you just think about all the athletes, because it's not just football but you're competing against all the other Division I sports where there have been great Olympians, basketball players, you name it. And so, to be among a very select group is very humbling."
When Berry was initially recruited by Murphy to play football at Harvard, he was recruited as a quarterback. Berry had spent his high school playing career as the quarterback at Bel Air High School in Maryland. At Harvard, Berry was set to learn behind an upperclassman during his first season.
But early in his first camp following an injury to the starting senior cornerback, the defensive staff saw the potential in Berry as a corner due to his athleticism. They also believed he could earn the opportunity to take the field as a freshman. Murphy spoke with Berry about the change in plans from his initial recruitment to Harvard but laid out all the information to Berry for him to make the final decision.
"I remember being on the phone with my parents talking it through, and then the next day I was like, 'All right, well, look, if I can play as a freshman, let me make this switch,'" Berry recalled. "And then I was fortunate enough to earn the starting job and go from there."
As the only underclassman in the secondary, Berry had a number of upperclassmen — who were also starters — that supported him as he made the switch to cornerback. Harvard's defensive coordinator and secondary coach Kevin Doherty also helped teach Berry the fundamentals to playing cornerback. They simplified his role during his freshman season to where Berry played mainly man coverage as he learned the coverages and nuances of the position. As he excelled in his new position, they grew his role.
Berry was a four-year starting cornerback, as well as a three-time All-Ivy League team selection and an All-America honoree. He totaled 125 career tackles and five interceptions playing for the Crimson.
"Kevin Doherty probably put on a clinic in terms of how to raise a young player, so to speak, and so I was fortunate to be placed in a really, really great environment," Berry said. "He was a fantastic coach that really took the time to teach me from scratch."
Berry graduated cum laude in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in computer science in four years. He was one of five finalists for the John Wooden Citizenship Cup, which is awarded to the nation's highest-achieving student-athlete who best displays character, teamwork and citizenship. He was also a finalist for the Draddy Trophy as the national scholar-athlete of the year and was named the 2009 Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Director Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
"(My education) was really important because I realized how blessed I was to attend Harvard, because it really wasn't on the radar until they started recruiting me my junior year of high school. And I was fortunate enough to enter with like a year of credits," Berry said. "I'm going to try and maximize everything that I possibly can in the next four years, and so, I really wanted to make sure that I didn't waste the opportunity with my time on campus. "
Following his graduation from Harvard, Berry has stayed involved with the institution and its football program over the years. He was a part of the committee to hire Andrew Aurich, who succeeded Murphy as The Thomas Stephenson Family Head Coach for Harvard Football following Murphy's retirement in 2024.
The relationships he formed with his coaches and teammates have also continued beyond their days in the program. His former teammate Steven Williams, who is now an assistant coach at Harvard and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2025, was a part of Berry's wedding.
"Coach Murphy's like family now because he really changed my life, in terms of getting me to Harvard, " Berry said. "The ties run deep. We've had a couple of Harvard football players here in Cleveland that have passed through, which has been pretty cool. I'm still a big supporter of the program."
