Football's Top Ivy League Wins

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics

10/13/2020 6:13:00 PM | Football

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A sampling of Columbia’s best and most memorable Ivy League football victories against each of the seven conference schools.

NEW YORK—This is the 11^th story in a #CUFootball150 feature series on Top-10 Historical Lists for Columbia Football. Today we look at a list of Columbia Football's all-time Best Ivy League Victories. The games are broken down by Ivy League opponent. Ivy League games only from the 1956 season-to-current.

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BROWN

Sept. 30, 1961 (Columbia 50, Brown 0)
Columbia opens its 1961 season with an Ivy League game record 50 points in registering a 50-0 shutout victory over Brown in Providence. Dominant Columbia, which tallied 406 total yards of offense on the day, put up three touchdowns on the board before 13 minutes of play had elapsed. Tom Haggerty scored on a short run and Russ Warren caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Vassel. Warren added another touchdown in the second half on a 22-yard fumble recovery after Lee Black blocked a Brown punt. The victory set the tone for the rest of the season as Columbia went on to win a share of the 1961 Ivy League championship. The win remains Columbia's largest Ivy League victory and largest road win in school history.

Nov. 19, 1966 (Columbia 40, Brown 38)
In the 1966 season finale, Columbia overcomes an early 24-6 deficit to register a 40-38 comeback win over Brown at Baker Field. Behind a rushing attack that yielded school-records for rushing yardage (396) and first downs (29), the Lions trim the deficit to 31-26 at halftime. Jim O'Connor who scored four touchdowns and rushed for a then-Ivy League record 225 yards on 34 carries, puts Columbia ahead on a 34-yard touchdown run followed by a two-point conversion pass from quarterback Marty Domres to Richard Brown. O'Connor adds an insurance touchdown on a 1-yard run to give the Lions a 40-31 lead.

Nov. 19, 1988 (Columbia 31, Brown 13)
Columbia rushes for a school-record 444 yards on 57 carries in a 31-13 win over Brown at Wien Stadium. Greg Abbruzzese runs for 198 yards and Solomon Johnson finishes with 145 yards to lead the attack.

Nov. 23, 1996 (Columbia 31, Brown 27)
Quarterback Bobby Thomason hits David Ramirez for an 11-yard touchdown with two minutes left to give Columbia a 31-27 comeback win over Brown. The play culminates an 80-yard scoring drive. Thomason throws for 256 yards and two touchdowns as the Lions overcome a 356-yard, four-touchdown Brown passing performance.

Nov. 18, 2006 (Columbia 22, Brown 21)
Placekicker Jon Rocholl converts a 27-yard field goal with three seconds to play to give Columbia a one-point comeback victory over Brown in Providence. Columbia overcomes a 14-0 first quarter deficit and a 21-12 fourth quarter deficit. Quarterback Craig Hormann engineers an 80-yard, 14-play drive that ends in a six-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Davis with 10 minutes remaining. After Brown misses a field goal with 3:49 to play, Hormann leads the Lions on a 63-yard drive that ends in Rocholl's game-winning field goal. Todd Abrams contributes a 30-yard fumble return for touchdown and Horman completes 30 passes for 285 yards. The win in the season finale gives Columbia a 5-5 overall record in 2006.

Nov. 19, 2011 (Columbia 35, Brown 28, 2OT)
In the longest game in school history, Columbia overcomes a 21-7 second quarter deficit to win a 35-28 double overtime matchup over Brown at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. Quarterback Sean Brackett brings Columbia back time and time again as he ties a school-record with five touchdowns responsible for (four rushing, one passing). Brackett sends the game into overtime with a 1-yard fourth quarter touchdown run, forces a second overtime with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Hamilton Garner, then scores the go-ahead touchdown on a 16-yard run. Columbia's defense stops Brown on a fourth down-and-goal at the 1-yard line and the Lions win.

Nov. 10, 2018 (Columbia 42, Brown 20)
Columbia scores 28 unanswered points and rallies from a 20-14 halftime deficit to defeat Brown 42-20 in Providence. Kyle Castner is responsible for five touchdowns as he throws two TD passes and rushes for three more. Columbia's defense sets a school-record with 10 sacks in the game.

CORNELL

Nov. 3, 1962 (Columbia 25, Cornell 19)
Trailing 21-19, Columbia quarterback Archie Roberts completes an 84-yard scoring drive when he hits Al Butts for a leaping 24-yard touchdown catch with 19 seconds to play. In the scoring drive, Roberts completes six of eight passes, including five in a row, as the Lions rally from 14-0 and 21-6 deficits. The game is forever dubbed "The Miracle in the Mud" and is one of Robert's most impressive performances.

Nov. 2, 1968 (Cornell 34, Columbia 25)
Led by quarterback Marty Domres, the Lions' offense puts up 572 total yards of offense in a 34-25 loss to Cornell. Domres totals 447 yards of offense on 66 plays. He totals school and Ivy League records for both total yards (447), passing yards (396) and throws three touchdown passes while completing 26 of 44 and rushes for 51 yards. He also sets a variety of Columbia career marks in the game. Receivers Robert Werner and Bill Wazevich both finish the day with 123 and 121 yards receiving respectively.

Nov. 14, 2009 (Columbia 30, Cornell 20)
Columbia intercepts a school-record tying six Cornell passes en route to a 30-20 win at Schoellkopf Field. Intercepting passes for Columbia are Augie Williams, Andy Shalbrack, Neil Schuster, Adam Mehrer and Ross Morand (two). Columbia rushes for 260 yards and four touchdowns including an 80-yard TD by Zack Kourouma, two short runs by M.A. Olawale, and a TD by Sean Brackett to win.

Nov. 13, 2010 (Columbia 20, Cornell 17)
After trailing 17-3 in the fourth quarter, Columbia scores the game's final 17 points to take a 20-17 victory over Cornell at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. After a 70-yard drive, quarterback Sean Brackett connects with tight end Andrew Kennedy for a three-yard TD pass. Luke Eddy adds a 20-yard field goal and then Sean Brackett leads the Lions on a 13-play, 59-yard drive that ends on a 1-yard touchdown dive with 37 seconds to play to complete the comeback. Brackett finishes with 355 total offensive yards, rushes for 151 yards and one touchdown and throws for 204 on 19 completions.

Nov. 10, 2012 (Columbia 34, Cornell 17)
Columbia shuts down Cornell in the second half and scores 24 unanswered points to win 34-17 at Wien Stadium. Marcorus Garrett rushes for an 86-yard touchdown and totals a career-high 187 yards on 25 touches. Sean Brackett throws three touchdown passes and Columbia's defense intercepts three passes in the win. Josh Martin adds three sacks.

Nov. 17, 2018 (Columbia 24, Cornell 21)
First-year Mike Roussos weaves through the Cornell defense while returning a squib kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown and 24-21 Columbia lead with 45 seconds to play. Roussos' heroics occurs after Cornell grabs a 21-17 lead with a touchdown with only 58 seconds to play. Earlier in the game, Roussos returned a punt 91 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Roussos became the first Columbia football player in school history to score on both a punt return and kickoff in the same game. The 206-yard all-purpose performance helped the 2018 Columbia Football team register back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1961 and 1962.

DARTMOUTH

Nov. 6, 1971 (Columbia 31, Dartmouth 29)
Nationally-acclaimed linebacker Paul Kaliades kicks a game-winning field goal with 48 seconds to play to defeat Dartmouth 31-29 at Baker Field. Kaliades' kick barely clears the goal post as the Lions stun Dartmouth, which entered the contest in first place in the Ivy League and with a 15-game win streak intact. Kaliades also handled placekicking duties as one of Columbia's last straight-ahead kickers. The Lions a built a 28-14 third quarter lead on two Don Jackson touchdown passes, but Dartmouth battles back to take a 29-28 lead. Jackson throws for 160 yards on the day. The victory jumpstarts Columbia as it wins its final three games en route to a 6-3 overall record and 5-2 third-place finish in the Ivy League.

Oct. 21, 2000 (Columbia 49, Dartmouth 21)
Columbia scores seven touchdowns in winning a 49-21 Homecoming contest over Dartmouth. The seven touchdowns and seven point after attempt conversions tied school-records for an Ivy League game, and the Lions rack up 443 total offensive yards on only 60 plays (7.4 yards per offensive play). Running back Johnathan Reese breaks the 34-year old school rushing record with 236 yards and scores a career-high four touchdowns. On only 25 carries, Reese scores on touchdown runs of 72 yards, 44, 10, and 2 and averages a school-record 9.4 yards per carry. Quarterback Jeff McCall completes 11 of 17 passes for 118 yards including a 54-yard touchdown pass to Doug Peck. Justin Logan also pitches in two touchdowns on an 82-yard kickoff return and 59-yard interception return. Columbia's defense also intercepts five passes for 129 return yards. Michael Busa runs 19 times for 106 yards, quarterback Marty Domres adds 65 yards rushing on 16 carries and throws for 103 yards and one touchdown on 8-12 completions. The win is the largest-ever vs. Dartmouth.

Oct. 21, 2017 (Columbia 22, Dartmouth 17)
Columbia notches a 22-17 win over Dartmouth in Hanover. With Dartmouth in the red zone and the clock dwindling down, defensive end Mike Hinton storms around the right end sacks the Big Green quarterback to end the game. Leading 16-0 at halftime, Columbia holds off the Big Green as quarterback Anders Hill runs for 39 yards and throws for 298 yards and completes 27 of 35 passes and Josh Wainwright catches 11 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. With the win, Columbia improves to 6-0 for the first time 1996 and begins Ivy League play at 3-0 or the first time since 1996.

HARVARD

Oct. 20, 1956 (Columbia 26, Harvard 20)
Columbia's first-ever Ivy League win came with a 26-20 win over Harvard at Baker Field. Claude Benham connects with Ed Spraker for a 69-yard touchdown pass with 2:58 to give the Lions the win.

Oct. 21, 1961 (Columbia 26, Harvard 14)
Columbia took advantage of a variety of Harvard mistakes and used its rushing attack to notch a 26-14 win over the Crimson at Harvard Stadium. The game was significant because the two teams tied for the Ivy League title at the end of the season. Tom Haggerty (83 yards), Russ Warren (79 yards), and Jim O'Connor (74 yards) keyed the rushing attack as Columbia improved to 3-1 in Ivy League play.

Sept. 21, 1996 (Columbia 20, Harvard 13, OT)
Columbia scores 20 unanswered points, Marcellus Wiley blocks a late field goal to send the game into overtime and a 12-yard pass from quarterback Bobby Thomason to David Ramirez in overtime gives Columbia a 20-13 victory in the 1996 season opener at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. Columbia trails 13-0 in the second quarter and overcomes a 13-7 deficit in the third quarter. The second of two Matt Linit field goals (48-yarder) ties the game at 13-13 with seven minutes to play. Harvard drives deep into Columbia territory and the Lions defense forces a 23-yard field goal, which was swatted down by Wiley with 1:02 left in regulation. Columbia wins it in overtime on a 12-yard pass from Thomason to Ramirez. The victory begins a six-game win streak for the Lions, who finish the year 8-2 overall and in second place in the Ivy League with a 5-2 record.

Nov. 8, 2003 (Columbia 16, No. 23 Harvard 13)
Columbia upsets No. 23 ranked Harvard 16-13 at Baker Field. A 10-yard pass from Jeff Otis to Zach Van Zant with 1:08 to go keys Columbia's comeback victory. The Lions rally from a 13-6 deficit as the defense shuts out Harvard the rest of the way and holds the Crimson to just 56 total offensive yards in the second half. Nick Rudd converts a 19-yard field goal after a 90-play, 14-play drive in the third quarter, then Prosper Nwokocha intercepts a pass and returns it 22 yards to set up the game-winning touchdown. Otis throws for 253 yards, Wade Fletcher catches nine passes for 107 yards and Stephen McCoy (two sacks) and Adam Brekke each lead the defense with 12 tackles. Current Columbia Director of Personnel Mike DeFazio rushes five times and catches three passes in the victory.

Nov. 9, 2019 (Columbia 17, Harvard 10, OT)
In overtime, safety Ben Mathiasmeier seals the victory for Columbia as he picks off a Harvard pass at the goal line in walk-off, game-ending fashion. Mathiasmeier's interception occurs after Mike Roussos gives Columbia a 17-10 lead following a 1-yard touchdown run. The touchdown is set up by a 25-yard pass from quarterback Ty Lenhart to Rory Schlageter. Columbia sends the game into overtime when Alex Felkins connects on a 26-yard field goal with 1:45 left in regulation. The victory snapped Columbia's 15-game losing streak to Harvard.

PENN

Nov. 18, 1961 (Columbia 37, Penn 6)
Before 17,066 Baker Field fans, Columbia clinches a tie for the Ivy League championship and concludes its year with a 6-1 Ivy League record with a 37-6 win over Penn. The Lions, which led 23-0 at halftime, dominate the game as they outrush the Quakers 328-108. Tom Haggerty led the Lions with 119 yards in 20 carries, along with a 68-yard run in the third quarter. The Lions score their first touchdown of the day on a blocked punt by Dick Hassan, which was caught in the end zone by Lee Black. Fans storm the field and carry captain and offensive lineman Bill Campbell off the field. The 31-point win stood as the largest victory margin ever over Penn until the 2019 Lions set that record.

Nov. 14, 1964 (Columbia 33, Penn 12)
Quarterback Archie Roberts is responsible for 377 of Columbia's 460 total offensive yards in leading the Lions to a 33-12 win over Penn at Baker Field. One of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in school history, Roberts totals 377 yards of offense and is responsible for four touchdowns. On the ground, he gains 202 yards rushing on only 19 carries (10.7 average) and a touchdown. Through the air, Roberts tosses three touchdown passes and completes 14 of 19 passes (74 percent) for 175 yards.

Oct. 7, 1995 (Columbia 24, No. 13 Penn 14)
Columbia upsets No. 13 ranked and undefeated Penn 24-14 at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. Trailing 14-10 in the third quarter, Columbia scores on a 39-yard punt return touchdown by Roy Hanks, then Columbia's Eric Keck recovers a fumble caused by Charles Bettinelli which leads to a 2-yard touchdown run by Mike Cavanaugh to seal the win. On defense, Rory Wilfork totals 16 tackles, one sack and 4.0 tackles for loss for Columbia. At the time, current Head Coach Al Bagnoli was Penn's head coach and current offensive coordinator Mark Fabish finished the game with six receptions for 94 yards and a 40-yard touchdown for the Quakers.

Oct. 12, 1996 (Columbia 20, Penn 19, OT)
Columbia defeats Penn 20-19 in overtime at Franklin Field after a blocked point after attempt by Brett Bryant and a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Paris Childress to Dennis Lee. Matt Linit converts the extra point to break the 19-19 tie and give Columbia the victory. With the first possession in overtime, Penn scores on a 1-yard touchdown to take a 19-13 lead, but Bryant gets a hand on the point after kick. Jason Bivens keyed Columbia with 94 rushing yards and Childress threw for 197. Current Columbia Head Coach Al Bagnoli was on the sideline as Penn's head coach, while current Lions Offensive Coordinator Mark Fabish racked up 180 all-purpose yards and caught seven passes for 75 yards for Penn. The win gave Columbia a 4-0 start to the season.

Oct. 14, 2017 (Columbia 34, Penn 31, OT)
Trailing 21-7 in the fourth quarter, Columbia scores 21 unanswered points to force overtime before 13,081 Homecoming fans at Robert K. Kraft Field. In overtime, Columbia wins on a dramatic, walk-off 24-yard touchdown pass from Anders Hill to Josh Wainwright. Penn takes a 31-28 lead after a 41-yard field on the first possession of overtime, but Columbia responds when Hill finds Wainwright wide open in the middle of the field on a third-down-eight play for the game-winning play. The crowd responds by storming the field in celebration. Wainwright catches 10 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, Hill completes 21 of 33 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns, and linebacker Michael Murphy leads the Lions defense with 12 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries. With the win, Columbia begins a season with five straight wins for the first time in 21 years and snaps a 20-game losing streak to Penn.

Oct. 19, 2019 (Columbia 44, Penn 6)
The game marks Columbia's largest-ever Homecoming victory, tied for the largest-ever Ivy League home win, was Columbia's largest-ever against Penn. Columbia rushes for a season-high 255 yards and the Lions' defense limits Penn to 93 yards as it registers its largest Homecoming victory in school history and largest ever win over Penn, 44-6. The Lions led 44-0, outgained Penn 413-232 in total yards and registered 24 first downs to Penn's 14. Columbia rushed for 255 yards and four touchdowns on 54 carries an quarterback Ty Lenhart keyed the Lions offense for a career-best 95 rushing yards and two touchdowns and also threw for 158 yards and a touchdown.

PRINCETON

Oct. 8, 1988 (Columbia 16, Princeton 13)
Columbia wins its first-ever game at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium with a 16-13 Homecoming victory over Princeton. Solomon Johnson's 2-yard touchdown run with under five minutes to play seals the win. Princeton has one last chance to tie the game, but a 49-yard field goal falls short in the closing seconds. Columbia's Greg Abbruzzese rushes for 182 yards on 37 carries. The win also snaps the program's 44-game losing streak.

Nov. 1, 1997 (Columbia 17, Princeton 0)
In rain at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium, Columbia shuts down Princeton for a 17-0 victory. Princeton is held to 120 yards of total offense, 1.8 yards per offensive play, and just eight first downs. The game saw a total of 10 fumbles but only two were lost. Hashim Dalton intercepts two passes and Paul Roland leads the Lions with 14 tackles. Columbia wins the game after completing just 3-11 passes for 41 yards. Two of the three completions were Bobby Thomason touchdown throws. Norman Hayes rushes 43 times for 175 yards.

Oct. 4, 2003 (Columbia 33, Princeton 27)
In the largest deficit overcome in school history (20 points), quarterback Jeff Otis connects with tight end Wade Fletcher for a 49-yard touchdown as time expires to complete a miraculous comeback and give the Lions a 33-27 victory. Columbia trailed 20-0 in the first quarter after Princeton scored touchdowns on three straight possessions. The Lions chipped away at the lead and eventually took a 27-20 lead with 8:50 to play, but Princeton scored on a 1-yard run to tie the game at 27-27 with 26 seconds to play. A 23-yard Prosper Nwokocha kickoff return and 18-yard completion to Pete Chromiak set up the game-winning touchdown. Otis concluded the day with 326 passing yards and one touchdown while completing 22 of 38 passes. Nick Rudd kicked four field goals in the win.

Oct. 3, 2009 (Columbia 38, Princeton 0)
Columbia forces three turnovers and blanks Princeton 38-0 at Princeton Stadium. M.A. Olawale throws two touchdown passes and 201 yards and rushes for 63 yards and a touchdown. The Lions recover two fumbles and Jared Marine returns an interception 51 yards for touchdown. The win marks the second largest Ivy League road victory in school history.

Sept. 30, 2017 (Columbia 28, Princeton 24)
With 1:12 to play, Ronald Smith grabs a pass from Anders Hill and races 63 yards down the middle of the field for the game-winning score. Ben McKeighan's second interception of the day seals the win for the Lions at Princeton. Smith set a school and stadium record with 236 yards receiving on 10 receptions and two touchdowns and Hill finished the day with 400 yards passing and two touchdowns while completing 27 of 40 passes. The victory gives Columbia a 3-0 record for the first time since 1996.

YALE

Oct. 11, 1958 (Columbia 13, Yale 0)
Columbia stuns Yale 13-0 before 17,000 Baker Field fans. Guard Gene Appel intercepts a Yale pass and runs 63 yards for a touchdown and 7-0 first quarter lead. Later in the third quarter, Bob McCool recovered a fumble for the Lions to keep Yale at bay and Bob Federspiel scored a touchdown to put the game out of reach. Yale completed just 7 of 24 passes.

Oct. 16, 1971 (Columbia 15, Yale 14)
Before, 18,530 fans at Baker Field, Columbia overcomes a 14-0 third quarter deficit in thrilling fashion. Trailing 14-13, Columbia converts a game-winning two-point conversion when John Sefcik takes a pitch and completes a pass to Mike Jones for the win. William Irish makes a one-handed touchdown catch on a Don Jackson pass to pull Columbia to within one point at 14-13 with 1:36 to play. The Lions decide to go for the win and it pays off. Jackson throws for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Oct. 21, 1995 (Columbia 21, Yale 7)
Columbia recovers four Yale fumbles en route to a 21-7 win at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. Joseph Cormier recovers two fumbles and Jim Lill and Jake Lill each grab one. Yale converts just 1-12 third downs, rushes for just 75 yards, and avoids a shutout when it scores on a 27-yard pass with 35 seconds to play. John Harper totals 138 rushing yards, scores three touchdowns on runs of 15, 27, and 18 yards for Columbia.

Oct. 26, 1996 (Columbia 13, Yale 10)
In a pivotal game at Yale, Columbia defeats the Bulldogs 13-10 to start the 1996 season with a perfect 6-0 record. Linebacker Rory Wilfork and defensive end Marcellus Wiley are a two-man defensive wrecking crew as they hold Yale to just eight first downs and 156 yards of total offense. With constant pressure from the duo, the Lions intercept four passes. Wilfork totals 11 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss for 27 yards and two sacks for 19 yards, while Wiley finishes with eight tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss for 27 yards and 2.0 sacks for 19 yards, a pass breakup and blocks a Yale 41-yard field goal attempt. Wiley also rushes for 45 yards. A fourth quarter Matt Linit field goal breaks a 10-10 tie and gives Columbia the win.

Oct. 31, 2015 (Columbia 17, Yale 7)
Columbia wins for the first time at the Yale Bowl since 1996 as the Lions give new head coach Al Bagnoli his first Ivy League victory at Columbia, a 17-7 victory over Yale. Columbia's defense rises to the occasion as it holds Yale to an Ivy League school-record 120 total offensive yards, five first downs, and -14 rushing yards. Hank Trumbull ties the game on a touchdown pass from Skyler Mornhinweg in the second quarter and punter/placekicker Cameron Nizialek gives the Lions a 10-7 lead on a career-long 40-yard field goal in the third quarter. The Lions add an insurance score in the fourth quarter when Nizialek takes a pitch on a fake field goal attempt and runs 13 yards for a touchdown.