Photo by: Columbia University Athletics
Great Teams: 1947 Columbia Lions
10/31/2020 8:24:00 PM | Football
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Led by stellar defense and an explosive offense, 1947 Columbia Lions are one of two teams in school history to finish ranked among the nation’s top-20 teams at the end of a year.
NEW YORK—Coached by Hall of Famer Lou Little, Columbia's 1947 team featured some of most well-known players in the university's football history: Louis Kusserow, Gene Rossides, Ventan Yablonski, Bill Swiacki and Bruce Gehrke. Four of those players saw action in the National Football League. But it was the team's resiliency and toughness that won over fans and gained national acclaim.
While Columbia's offense received all the recognition and public accolades, it was Columbia's defense that guided the way in the Lions' five-game win streak to close out the season. Following halftime of the Army game, Columbia's defense allowed zero points the rest of the way and shut out opponents over the next 18 quarters. Syracuse managed to score its eight points on a safety and touchdown on interception return.
Columbia's 1947 team was a combination of returning veterans and a maturing of an outstanding group from its 1945 squad, an age grouping of several players who played in 1941 and 1942.
The Lions opened their season with a 40-28 victory over Rutgers. After leading 27-0, then trailing 28-27 with six minutes to play, Columbia found a way to score two late period touchdowns to register the win.
Following a hard-fought 13-6 win at Navy, No. 11 Columbia dropped a Homecoming battle of nationally ranked teams with No. 14 Yale 17-7.
The next week, before a record-70,000 Franklin Field fans, No. 8 Penn jumped out to an early lead en route to a 34-14 win over Columbia. The loss dropped the Lions to 2-2 on the year.
Coming off its loss at No. 8 Penn and trailing 20-7 and before a home crowd of 35,000 strong at Baker Field, Columbia showed its resiliency and achieved the improbable as the Lions notched an improbable 21-20 come-from-behind victory over the No. 6 ranked Cadets. In the second half, the Lions used an unorthodox passing attack to fight back and score two touchdowns – the second a TD pass from quarterback Gene Rossides to All-American receiver Bill Swiacki with 3:32 on the clock – to upset the mighty Black Knights 21-20. The victory halted a 32-game unbeaten streak by Army.
Following the Army victory, Columbia registered three consecutive shutouts and closed out its 1947 season on a five-game win streak.
First, No. 20 Columbia claimed its first game at Schoellkopf Field since 1933 with a 22-0 shutout of Cornell.
The following week, the Lions' defense forced five Big Green fumbles and scored a safety, touchdown and extra point in the third period to down Dartmouth 15-0 at muddy Baker Field.
A Gene Rossides pass to Bill Swiacki broke a scoreless 0-0 tie in the third quarter and Ventan Yablonski added a field goal to give the Lions a 10-0 win over Holy Cross and 6-2 overall record.
The Lions closed out the 1947 season with a penalty-filled 28-8 win over Syracuse. The two teams combined for 25 penalties on the day.
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TEAM NOTES
•The majority of the 1947 team fought in World War II. The squad was a combination of players who played for Columbia before the war in 1941 and 1942 and returning veterans.
•Columbia's 1947 team was the last team in program history to close out a season ranked among the nation's top-25 teams in the Associated Press poll, as the Lions finished at No. 20.
•Columbia dropped two games on the year: both to nationally ranked teams: No. 14 Yale (17-7) on Oct. 11 and No. 8 Penn (34-14) on Oct. 18).
•On the year, Columbia outscored its opponents 170-113.
•Ironically, Columbia's defense led the way. Following halftime of the famous and well-publicized Army game (Oct. 25), no points were scored against the Lions' defense during the remainder of the season and through the last four contests . The points scored by Syracuse in the season finale were registered by a safety and an interception return.
•Columbia end Bill Swiacki earned First Team All-America honors and finished eighth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
1947 LETTERMEN
Bacauskas, John '50
Briggs, Henry '49
Chaky, Emil '50
Gehrke, Bruce '48 (C)
Hampton, Clyde '49
Hasselman, Werner '48 (C)
Kachadurian, Albert '48
Karas, Joseph '49
Kisiday, George '48
Klemovich, Charles '49
Levy, Donald '41
Lincoln, Robert '49
Mazziotta, John '48
Moran, Edward '48
Nork, John '49
Olson, Charles '49
O'Shaughnessy, Henry '49 (C)
Rakowski, Adam '50
Rossides, Eugene '49
Russell, Robert '50
Shekitka, Eugene '49
Swiacki, William '48 (C)
Valma, John '48
Van Bellingham, Leon '50
Yablonski, Ventan '48 (C)
COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Lou Little
Backfield: Joe Stancyzk
Backfield: Robert Bruce
Line: John F. Bateman
Ends: Anthony "Red" Matal
B Squad: Leno Ferrarini
JV: L. Carroll Adams
Freshman: George Furey
While Columbia's offense received all the recognition and public accolades, it was Columbia's defense that guided the way in the Lions' five-game win streak to close out the season. Following halftime of the Army game, Columbia's defense allowed zero points the rest of the way and shut out opponents over the next 18 quarters. Syracuse managed to score its eight points on a safety and touchdown on interception return.
Columbia's 1947 team was a combination of returning veterans and a maturing of an outstanding group from its 1945 squad, an age grouping of several players who played in 1941 and 1942.The Lions opened their season with a 40-28 victory over Rutgers. After leading 27-0, then trailing 28-27 with six minutes to play, Columbia found a way to score two late period touchdowns to register the win.
Following a hard-fought 13-6 win at Navy, No. 11 Columbia dropped a Homecoming battle of nationally ranked teams with No. 14 Yale 17-7.
The next week, before a record-70,000 Franklin Field fans, No. 8 Penn jumped out to an early lead en route to a 34-14 win over Columbia. The loss dropped the Lions to 2-2 on the year.
Coming off its loss at No. 8 Penn and trailing 20-7 and before a home crowd of 35,000 strong at Baker Field, Columbia showed its resiliency and achieved the improbable as the Lions notched an improbable 21-20 come-from-behind victory over the No. 6 ranked Cadets. In the second half, the Lions used an unorthodox passing attack to fight back and score two touchdowns – the second a TD pass from quarterback Gene Rossides to All-American receiver Bill Swiacki with 3:32 on the clock – to upset the mighty Black Knights 21-20. The victory halted a 32-game unbeaten streak by Army.
Following the Army victory, Columbia registered three consecutive shutouts and closed out its 1947 season on a five-game win streak.
First, No. 20 Columbia claimed its first game at Schoellkopf Field since 1933 with a 22-0 shutout of Cornell.
The following week, the Lions' defense forced five Big Green fumbles and scored a safety, touchdown and extra point in the third period to down Dartmouth 15-0 at muddy Baker Field.
A Gene Rossides pass to Bill Swiacki broke a scoreless 0-0 tie in the third quarter and Ventan Yablonski added a field goal to give the Lions a 10-0 win over Holy Cross and 6-2 overall record.
The Lions closed out the 1947 season with a penalty-filled 28-8 win over Syracuse. The two teams combined for 25 penalties on the day.
Follow Columbia Football: TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
TEAM NOTES
•The majority of the 1947 team fought in World War II. The squad was a combination of players who played for Columbia before the war in 1941 and 1942 and returning veterans.
•Columbia's 1947 team was the last team in program history to close out a season ranked among the nation's top-25 teams in the Associated Press poll, as the Lions finished at No. 20.
•Columbia dropped two games on the year: both to nationally ranked teams: No. 14 Yale (17-7) on Oct. 11 and No. 8 Penn (34-14) on Oct. 18).
•On the year, Columbia outscored its opponents 170-113.
•Ironically, Columbia's defense led the way. Following halftime of the famous and well-publicized Army game (Oct. 25), no points were scored against the Lions' defense during the remainder of the season and through the last four contests . The points scored by Syracuse in the season finale were registered by a safety and an interception return.
•Columbia end Bill Swiacki earned First Team All-America honors and finished eighth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
1947 LETTERMEN
Bacauskas, John '50
Briggs, Henry '49
Chaky, Emil '50
Gehrke, Bruce '48 (C)
Hampton, Clyde '49
Hasselman, Werner '48 (C)
Kachadurian, Albert '48
Karas, Joseph '49
Kisiday, George '48
Klemovich, Charles '49
Levy, Donald '41
Lincoln, Robert '49
Mazziotta, John '48
Moran, Edward '48
Nork, John '49
Olson, Charles '49
O'Shaughnessy, Henry '49 (C)
Rakowski, Adam '50
Rossides, Eugene '49
Russell, Robert '50
Shekitka, Eugene '49
Swiacki, William '48 (C)
Valma, John '48
Van Bellingham, Leon '50
Yablonski, Ventan '48 (C)
COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Lou Little
Backfield: Joe Stancyzk
Backfield: Robert Bruce
Line: John F. Bateman
Ends: Anthony "Red" Matal
B Squad: Leno Ferrarini
JV: L. Carroll Adams
Freshman: George Furey
Highlights: FB | Columbia 29, Cornell 12
Saturday, November 22
Preview: FB | Coach Poppe - Week 10 | Presented by Amity Hall Uptown
Friday, November 21
Podcast: FB | Captains' Corner (S7, E10)
Thursday, November 20
Postgame: FB | Coach Poppe after Brown
Saturday, November 15
