Over the next few weeks, GoColumbiaLions.com will take a look at the teams, student-athletes, coaches and staff members set to be inducted in the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame this October. Our next installment features one of the most fearsome defensive players in Lions' football history.
Paul Kaliades '73CC
Paul Kaliades was a great student-athlete who starred for Columbia, picking up All-Ivy League honors in all three of his varsity seasons.
Kaliades' career began early in high school where his exploits first caught the attention of many scouts. At Snyder High School, he was all-state and an honorable mention All-American as a defensive end.
As a sophomore, he started mostly on the defensive line and was selected as a defensive guard to the All-Ivy League second team the same year. Doubling as the team's placekicker, he cemented his reputation as a clutch kicker when he scored a miraculous game-winner against Dartmouth at Baker Field.
All-Americans are not machines, but Paul Kaliades was sure built like one. He was known to be a tough character on the field. In one of the most clasic games in program history, Kaliades made 20 crunching tackles at Cornell during the 1971 campaign, despite having a broken arm and dislocated shoulder.
Kaliades helped the Lions post a 6-3 overall record and a 5-2 mark in Ivy League play, earning third team All-America honors from the Associated Press.
In 2000, Paul was voted into Columbia Football's Team of the century by a panel that included sports historians and journalists.
He currently serves as the President of Renters Legal Liability Insurance, LLC.