| Columbia Lions football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1870; 155 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Peter Pilling | ||
| Head coach | Jon Poppe 2nd season, 7–3 (.700) | ||
| Stadium | Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium (capacity: 17,000) | ||
| Location | New York, New York | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Ivy League | ||
| All-time record | 373–633–43 (.376) | ||
| Bowl record | 1–0 (1.000) | ||
| Claimed national titles | |||
| 2 (1875,1933) | |||
| Conference titles | |||
| 2 (1961,2024) | |||
| Rivalries | Cornell (rivalry) Fordham (rivalry) | ||
| Current uniform | |||
 | |||
| Colors | Columbia blue and white[1] | ||
| Fight song | Roar, Lion, Roar | ||
| Mascot | Roar-ee the Lion | ||
| Website | gocolumbialions.com | ||
TheColumbia Lions are thecollege football team representingColumbia University. The team competes in theNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of theIvy League.
Columbia's is the third oldest college football program in the United States, after those ofPrinceton andRutgers; Columbia played Rutgers on Nov. 12, 1870, in the fourth intercollegiate football game and first interstate game.
Having finished the2024 season tied withDartmouth andHarvard for first place in conference play, the Lions are reigning Ivy League co-champions. They play home games at the 17,000-seatRobert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium inInwood, Manhattan, the northernmost neighborhood in the island borough ofManhattan.
Some time in early November 1870 – while November 12 is most cited, others claim November 5 or 11th – Columbia's intercollegiate football journey began with a short trip to New Brunswick, New Jersey, to playRutgers. Columbia lost 3–6 in the first college football game between schools from different states. The school struggled for most of the 19th century. It was not until after the turn of the century that the team would enjoy sustained success.
The program was much more successful in the first half of the 20th century, and was at times a national power. The 1915 squad went undefeated and untied.The1933 Lions won theRose Bowl, beatingStanford, 7–0.Lou Little, who coached the team from 1930 to 1956, was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1960.
Between 1983 and 1988, the team did not have a win in 47 games and lost 44 games in a row, which was the record for the NCAAFootball Championship Subdivision untilPrairie View A&M broke the record en route to 80 consecutive losses from 1989 to 1998. In the fifth game of the 1983 season, they won 21–18 over Yale. After that game, they did not win a game again for almost five years. The streak began with a tie with Bucknell in the following game, and ending the season with a loss toHoly Cross, a tie withDartmouth, and losses toCornell andBrown. The losing streak was so bad, that at one point, when the team came out on the field, the school's band would play the theme toThe Mickey Mouse Club rather than their fight song. One notable loss during the streak was in a 1985 game vs.Harvard, where the Lions led 17–0 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, only to see the Crimson score7 touchdowns in the remaining time to lose 49–17. With their 35th loss, they set the record for the longest Division I losing streak in history (beating Northwestern's 34 game losing streak from 1979 to 1982).
After this game, Larry McElreavy, the coach at the time told reporters, "I'm realistic; there's not a lot of talent here." ESPN rated the 1983–1988 Lions teams at 4th in its list of the top 10 worst college football teams of all time.[2] The streak was broken on October 8, 1988, with a 16–13 victory over archrivalPrinceton after a missed field goal attempt by the Tigers late in the game.Matthew Fox most notably played on the '88 team. That was the Lions' first victory atWien Stadium, which was already four years old, having been opened during the streak.[3][4]
The1875 team was retroactively declared co-national champion byParke H. Davis, along withHarvard andPrinceton.[5] The school claimsnational championships in 1875 and 1933.[6]
| Year | Selector | Coach | Record | Bowl | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | Parke H. Davis | No coach | 4–1–1 | ||
| 1933 | Self-claimed | Lou Little | 8–1 | Rose Bowl | W 7–0 |
The Lions have two Ivy League conference titles. They shared the first, in 1961, with Harvard, and the second, in 2024, with Harvard and Dartmouth.[7]
| Year | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Ivy League | Aldo Donelli | 6–3 | 6–1 |
| 2024 | Ivy League | Jon Poppe | 7–3 | 5–2 |
Columbia has appeared in one bowl game and has a record of 1–0.
| Season | Coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Lou Little | Rose Bowl | Stanford | W 7–0 |
The Columbia Lions and the Cornell Big Red, the two Ivy League teams inNew York State, have met 111 times since 1889. They dedicated the Empire State Bowl in 2010. Cornell leads the series 66-42-3. Since 2018, the teams have met on the final weekend of the Ivy League season.
The Columbia Lions and the Fordham Rams, the two largest Division I programs in New York City, met 24 times between 1890 and 2015. After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the universities dedicated the Liberty Cup. Columbia discontinued the series in 2015. The series was tied 12–12.
The Columbia Lions and the Georgetown Hoyas have met 12 times. Since 2015, the teams have competed for the Lou Little Cup, named for the Hall of Fame coach who coached at both schools. Columbia leads the series 8-4 and the trophy series 5-4.
Pro Football Hall of FamerSid Luckman played his college ball at Columbia, graduating in 1938. Luckman is also in the College Football Hall of Fame. Other Lions to have success in the NFL include offensive linemanGeorge Starke, the Washington Redskins' "Head Hog," during the 1970s and 1980s, quarterbackJohn Witkowski in the 1980s, and defensive linemanMarcellus Wiley in the 1990s. One famous Lion that had limited success on the field but more success in life was writerJack Kerouac left school and went on the road after one injury-marred season as running back at Columbia. Another Lions back who became legendary for his accomplishments off the gridiron was baseball greatLou Gehrig, who was a two-sport star at Columbia.
| Name | Years | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Sid Luckman | 1935–1938 | [8] |
| Name | Years | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Governali | 1940–1942 | 1986 |
| Percy Haughton | 1923–1924 Coach | 1951 |
| Walter Koppisch | 1922–1924 | 1981 |
| Lou Little | 1930–1956 Coach | 1960 |
| Sid Luckman | 1936–1938 | 1960 |
| Cliff Montgomery | 1932–1934 | 1963 |
| Bill Morley | 1899–1901 | 1971 |
| Frank "Buck" O'Neill | 1920–1922 Coach | 1951 |
| George Sanford | 1899–1901 Coach | 1971 |
| Bill Swiacki | 1946–1947 | 1976 |
| Harold Weekes | 1899–1902 | 1954 |
Several former players have made successful careers off the football field. Players below became notable in other fields once their football career at Columbia ended. Included are notability outside of football and their position on the team, if known.
Announced schedules as of February 18, 2025.[9]
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| atLafayette | Lafayette | atLafayette |
| Georgetown | ||
| Lehigh |
Columbia has claimed two mythical national championships: in 1875 and 1933. The 1875 team went 4-1-1 and was named national champions, while the 1933 squad defeated Stanford and was referred to as a national champ.
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