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In the northeastern region of the United States reside some of the most distinguished academic institutions in the world. Aside from the elite research capabilities they possess, these schools have been responsible for producing prominent figures and important leaders throughout our nation's history. These universities belong to the Ivy League.
The Ivy League is a conference of eight schools that have been playing intercollegiate football for more than 150 years. These programs have a rich college football history, dating back to the origins of our sport. Ivy League history and college football history were synonymous in the early years of the game.
Over the next few weeks, we will be taking a closer look at all eight Ivy League teams. We will dive deeper into each school's traditions and memorable seasons, as well as notable players and coaches from their past. We will also look back at 2023 results and preview the 2024 season.
Columbia University Lions, New York, N.Y.
The Columbia University Lions are New York City's college football team. The Lions play on Robert K. Kraft Field in the picturesque Lawrence A. Wien Stadium, a 17,000-seat concrete facility overlooking the Harlem and Hudson Rivers in northern Manhattan. The Lions have called Wien Stadium home since Sept. 22, 1984; they christened the stadium with a loss to the Harvard Crimson.
Leading the Lions in 2024 will be first-year man Jon Poppe from Division III Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. Poppe was hired by Columbia as their coach in December 2023. Poppe went 10-2 in his lone season at Union, scoring a first-round playoff victory before losing to Johns Hopkins in the next round.
Poppe has spent the entirety of his coaching career in the American Northeast, mostly at Harvard. Poppe was the assistant defensive backs coach for the Crimson from 2011 to 2014. After a short stint at Columbia as the DBs coach from 2015 to 2017, Poppe returned to Harvard in 2018 to coach the secondary and special teams. He remained in Cambridge, Mass. until being hired away as the head coach at Union in 2022. Poppe played DB for the D-III Williams Ephs from 2003 to 2006.
History
Columbia University is home to a prestigious journalism school founded by Joseph Pulitzer in the early 1900s. It is one of the oldest of its kind in the world and is the only journalism school in the Ivy League. A tradition at Columbia that dates back even further than Pulitzer's prized possession is football.
Having played their first game in 1870, Columbia is the third oldest college football program in the nation. Their first game was a 6-3 loss against Rutgers in the first-ever interstate matchup. In 1872, Columbia tied Rutgers 0-0 in a rematch played at Tremont Grounds in Central Park.
In 1915, the Lions went 5-0 and were one of three unbeaten teams in the country. They played every game that season at South Field on the legendary Polo Grounds, home of the New York Giants baseball team. In 1933, Columbia complied an 8-1 record and appeared in their first and only bowl game. After the Lions defeated Stanford 7-0 in the Rose Bowl, the school self-claimed a national title for the 1933 season. In 1961, Columbia won a share of the Ivy League Championship after going 6-1 in the conference, sharing the title with Harvard. To date, that is the school's only conference title in football.
The 1980s were a time most Columbia fans would love to forget. From 1983 to 1988, the Lions set an NCAA record for most consecutive losses with 44. The winless streak totaled 47 games, with ties factored in. A win against Princeton that broke this streak in October of 1988 was the first win in Wien Stadium, which had been opened four years earlier.
Notable Alumni
Legendary New York Yankees first baseman and Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig was once a member of the Columbia football program. A Manhattan native, Gehrig was recruited out of Commerce High School to play fullback and defensive tackle for the Lions. Gehrig was banned from collegiate sports during his freshman season after he played professional summer league baseball under a fake name. Hpwever, Gehrig returned to the gridiron in 1922, a season in which the Lions finished 5-4.
He later joined the Lions baseball team, starring on the mound and at the plate. Gehrig signed with the Yankees in the Spring of 1923 and never looked back. The Iron Horse embarked on a storied career with the Bronx Bombers, setting the all-time record for most consecutive games played with 2,130. This record was not broken for over half a century when Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. cam along.
One of the best football players in school history, Marcellus Wiley spent time at running back during his first two seasons for the Lions before bulking up and moving to defensive end his junior year. While at Columbia, Wiley garnered All-Ivy and All-America honors and was the two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. In 1996, Wiley and the Lions went 8-2 and finished in second place in the Ivy League.
In the 1997 NFL Draft, Wiley was taken in the second round by the Buffalo Bills. Wiley played four years with the Bills before joining the San Diego Chargers in 2001. He racked up 13 sacks that season and was named an All-Pro. Wiley had stints with the Dallas Cowboys and the Jacksonville Jaguars over the span of his 10-year career in the NFL. Wiley was inducted into the Columbia Hall of Fame in 2006.
Rivalries
As the only two Ivy League schools in the state of New York, Columbia and Cornell play on the last weekend of the regular season each year in the Empire State Bowl. Columbia-Cornell is the ninth-oldest rivalry in college football. The prize for winning this game is the Empire Cup, a glass vase that is either retained by the victor or begrudgingly surrendered by the loser. Cornell leads the all-time series between the two schools, although Columbia has a 7 to 6 advantage since the inception of the Cup. The Lions have won the last three matchups against the Big Red.
Uniforms
A light shade of blue known as "Columbia blue" and white are the official colors of Lions athletics. Navy blue is also a major component of the team's color scheme. Columbia's traditional helmets are white or navy blue and feature the school's Lion logo on the right side and the player uniform number on the left side.
The Lions will occasionally wear helmets with the block "C" replacing the Lion logo. Columbia has gone through a series of changes to the helmet over the years, with the current Lion logo added to the helmet in 2015. From the late 1980s until the early 2000s, Columbia rocked a classic helmet design with an interlocking "CU" on a Columbia blue helmet. These helmets were first introduced by coach Larry McElreavy in 1987.
2023 Season Review
Once branded as the best football team in New York City, Columbia's 2023 season was a bit of a disappointment. The Lions finished 3-7 overall and 1-6 in the Ivy League, as their lone league victory came in the season finale against rival Cornell. Following former coach Al Bagnoli's abrupt retirement, the Lions called on offensive coordinator Mark Fabish to be the interim head coach last season. Bagnoli cited growing health concerns as the reason for his exit from Columbia in August of 2023.
The Lions were never able to establish consistency on offense, scoring only 15.6 points per game while scoring fewer than 10 points four times last season. Columbia averaged less than 140 yards per game through the air, with a bleak 6 TDs to 6 INTs.
The bright spot for the Lions last season was the defense. Columbia only allowed only 18 points per game and pitched shutouts against Georgetown and Marist. This unit was spearheaded by linebacker Anthony Roussos and defensive lineman Justin Townsend, two players who earned All-Ivy honors.
2024 Season Outlook and Schedule
Poppe and company have put last year to rest and are focused entirely on 2024. The Lions will have to rely on their veteran defense to compete in the Ivy League. Roussos and last year's Ivy League sack leader Townsend are back in 2024, to go along with linebacker and Team Captain CJ Brown. In the secondary, Aaron Brebnor returns for his senior season looking to continue his impact play after leading the team in interceptions a year ago.
If they hope to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2022, the Lions simply must get better offensively. One of the returning leaders from last year's offense is running back Joey Giorgi, a senior from Grafton, Wis. The Lions' leading rusher a season ago, Giorgi will be vital to any success the Lions offense may have in 2024.
Columbia opens their 2024 campaign at home against Lafayette on Sep. 21. Several weeks later, the Lions will play their Ivy League opener in the friendly confines of Wien Stadium against Princeton on Oct. 5. The prime-time Friday night matchup on ESPNU will be at home against Yale Nov. 1, as the Lions look to avenge last year's close loss to the Bulldogs. The season will conclude with the Empire State Bowl against Cornell on Nov. 23.
Stay tuned to College Football Dawgs throughout the 2024 season for more coverage of your favorite Ivy League teams!
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