NEW YORK—This is the 10^th feature in a #CUFootball150 series on Top-10 Historical Lists for Columbia Football. Below is a list of Columbia Football's all-time Top-10 Teams. The list has two categories: Ivy League Era teams (1956-current) and pre-Ivy League Era teams (1870-1956). Criteria includes impact of achievements, overall and conference won-loss record, championships, finish in Ivy League standings, national ranking, and other accomplishments.
 
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IVY LEAGUE ERA TEAMS (1956-current)
 
4. 1971
Columbia's 1971 squad improved with every game and finished with the three-game win streak to conclude the year at 6-3 overall and 5-2 in the Ivy League. Coached by Frank Navarro, the Lions won four games decided by three points or less. Key victories included a 22-20 win over Princeton, a 15-14 win over Yale on Homecoming, and a 31-29 victory over Dartmouth in which linebacker Paul Kaliades kicked the game's winning field goal in the closing minutes. Columbia allowed just 17 touchdowns on the year and relied on a balanced run-pass offense led by quarterback Don Jackson, who threw for an Ivy-League leading 1,155 yards and 12 touchdowns. Jackson's top targets included Jesse Parks (30 receptions for 558 yards, four TD, 18.6 yards per catch), Mike Jones (24 catches for 413 yards, three TD, 17.2 yards per catch), and specialist John Sefcik (24 catches, 253 yards, three touchdowns). Steve Howland (360 yards) and George Georges (204 yards) led the rushing game bolstered by lineman Dave Klingerman. Kaliades (five interceptions) and defensive back Ted Gregory (five interceptions), lineman Mike Evans, back Charles Johnson, tackle Ed Miller, and linebacker Max McKenzie led the defense which allowed just 15.1 points per game and 296 yards per game. Kaliades led the team in scoring with 38 points.
 
3. 1996
For the first time since 1945, Columbia won its first six games en route to an 8-2 overall record and 5-2 second-place Ivy League finish. Featuring NFL players such as running back/defensive lineman Marcellus Wiley and linebacker Rory Wilfork, the Lions continually won close games including a 20-13 overtime victory over Harvard in the season opener, 20-19 overtime win over Penn, a 13-10 decision at Yale, and a 3-0 win vs. Lafayette on Homecoming. Columbia allowed just 16 touchdowns and only 270 yards per game while registering 32.0 sacks and 97.0 tackles for loss. Wilfork led the Lions' defense with 103 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss and five sacks, Wiley added 63 tackles, seven sacks and 17.0 tackles for loss. Other leaders included Joey Bolder (97 tackles), Jeremy Taylor (91 tackles, 5.0 sacks), Michele Bellanca (six interceptions), Roy Hanks (five interceptions), and Mike Jennings (40 tackles, 6.0 sacks). On offense, quarterback Bobby Thomason threw for 1264 yards and seven touchdowns, Jason Bivens rushed for 649 yards and three touchdowns and caught 25 passes, Wiley scored five rushing touchdowns, while Bert Bondi (48 catches, 483 yards) and David Ramirez (45 catches, 573 yards) were the leading receivers. Placekicker Matt Linit converted 13 field goals and led the team with 57 points. All-Ivy League picks included unanimous picks Wiley (Third Team All-American) and Wilfork, Hanks, Jennings, Matt Linit, Austin Milliken, Randy Murff, David Ramirez, Ryan Gabriele, Jeremy Taylor, Joey Bolder, and Michele Bellanca. Head Coach Ray Tellier was named the AFCA National Coach of the Year.
 
2. 2017
Using resilience and toughness, Columbia experienced its best season in 21 years as Head Coach Al Bagnoli guided the Lions to an 8-2 overall record and second-place finish in the Ivy League at 5-2 record. Just three years prior, Columbia's 31-member senior class endured a winless 0-10 season. Led by Bagnoli and senior captains Landon Baty, Anders Hill, Lord Hyeamang, and Bewley Wales, the Lions went through a transformative culture change that boosted their success in 2017. Wins over Wagner (17-14), Georgetown (35-14), Princeton (28-24), which featured a school-record 236-yard receiving game from Ronald Smith, and Marist (41-17) set the Lions up for something special. Columbia improved to 5-0 after defeating Penn 34-31 on Homecoming when Hill hit Josh Wainwright for a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime. Then the Lions went on the road to defeat Dartmouth 22-17 to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 1996 and the second time since 1945. It was a total team effort as the Lions ranked among national leaders in 15 different statistical categories. On offense, Hill proved to be the league's most improved player as he threw for 2,407 yards and 16 touchdowns while completing a school-record 63.4 percent of his passes, Wainwright set a school-record for receiving yards (1,001) on 78 receptions and eight touchdowns, Smith finished with 31 catches for 437 yards and four touchdowns, and Chris Schroer emerged as a formidable runner as he rushed for 638 yards and 4.7 yards per carry. Defensively, the Lions were strong with Ryan Gilbert (95 tackles), Baty (66 tackles, four interceptions), linebackers Michael Murphy (42 tackles) and Sean White (48 tackles), corners Cameron Roane and Ben McKeighan, and a top-flight line featuring Hyeamang, Dominic Perkovic, Connor Heeb, Daniel DeLorenzi, Mike Hinton, Alex Holme, and Arman Samouk. First Team All-Ivy Leaguers included Wainwright, Hyeamang, Roane and punter Parker Thome. Also earning All-Ivy honors were Hill, Baty, Wales, Smith, defensive lineman Perkovic, Murphy, return specialist Will Allen, and offensive lineman Markham Paukune. Bagnoli was honored as Ivy League Coach of the Year and was a finalist for all national coach of the year awards.
 
1. 1961
The 1961 Ivy League champion Columbia Lions finished with a 6-1 Ivy League record, the best in school-history. The Lions ended up tying Harvard for the Ivy League title, a team they defeated 26-14 during the season. Columbia's lone Ivy League loss was to Princeton on Homecoming, 30-20, where it came just minutes away from a victory. After the loss, the Lions won their next five Ivy League games in convincing fashion. The Lions clinched a share of the title with a 37-6 home win over Penn. Coached by Aldo T. "Buff" Donelli, Columbia's squad relied upon a solid offensive line, strong running game, and a stout defense. The Lions allowed just 13.0 points per game (117 points in nine games) and set a school-record by allowing just 212.7 yards of offense per game. Columbia's defense also contributed five touchdowns on the year. Five Lions were named First Team All-Ivy League following the year—tackle Bob Asack, center Lee Black, guard Tony Day, back Tom Haggerty, and back/punter Russ Warren, while end Dick Hassan earned Second Team honors. Associated Press All-Ivy honorees included Asack, Day, Haggerty, Black, back Tom O'Connor, tackle Ed Little, and quarterback Tom Vasell. Haggerty led the Ivy League in rushing (557 yards) and scoring (62 points), Warren led the league in receiving yards (173) and punting (40.9). The leader of the squad was offensive lineman William Campbell. But more important than any single victory, or individual highlight, the 1961 Lions were all about the team. Read more about the 1961 Lions at this link.
 
PRE-IVY LEAGUE ERA TEAMS (1870-1956)
 
8. 1915
The only team in school history to finish a season undefeated at 5-0, the 1915 Columbia Lions outscored opponents 128-28. After football was banned at Columbia from 1906-14, the university brought the sport back with rousing success. Led by Head Coach T. Nelson Metcalf, the Lions played their home games at South Field at the center of Morningside Heights campus. Columbia defeated St. Lawrence (57-0), Stevens (15-6), Connecticut (17-6), NYU (19-16), and Wesleyan (18-0). September 23 marked the start of practice after the 10-year lapse. Thirty-three men reported and the squad later was increased considerably. It was a gala day at South Field on October 23 when Columbia had its first opportunity to cheer for a Lion varsity 11 when the Lions played St. Lawrence. The Lions responded with a 57-0 win over St. Lawrence.
 
7. 1931
Columbia allowed a school-record 26 points, held seven opponents scoreless, and outscored opponents 236-26 on the year in compiling a 7-1-1 overall record. In just his second season as Columbia's head coach, Lou Little It was also the year of the great 19-6 victory over Dartmouth, one of the most satisfying triumpfs of all-time. The Lions tied Syracuse 0-0 and lost a 13-0 decision at Cornell. Ralph Hewitt, Bill McDuffie, Cliff Montgomery and Anthony "Red" Matal, the last two playing their first season of varsity football, were among the stars. Montgomery's long pass to Matal won the Cornell game 6-0. With Montgomery on the field, Columbia went 25-3-1 during his three years (1931-33) and he scored 177 career points.
 
6. 1903     
Coached by former Columbia All-American William F. Morley, the Lions won eight games, lost only one, and tied one. Key wins included a 17-12 victory at Cornell and 18-6 triumpfh over Penn. Following a school-record eight-game win streak, Yale ended the chances for an undefeated season, winning 25-0 decision at the Polo Grounds. Fullback Dick Smith earned All-America honors.
 
5. 1875
Columbia shared the mythical national championship in a three-way tie with Princeton and Harvard. Captained by Edward W. Price, the 1875 Lions finished 4-1-1 with a loss to Princeton (6-2) and a tie at Rutgers (1-1). The Lions outscored their opponents 13-10 using a different scoring system than today's game. Only 11 schools competed in football at the time.
 
4. 1945
Columbia's 1945 squad formed the youthful core of what would become its well-accomplished 1947 team. Playing its 1945 season during the conclusion of World War II, the Lions won their first six games of the year, went 8-1 overall, and finished ranked No. 20 in the final Associated Press national college football poll. Coached by Lou Little, the Lions were ranked as high as No. 11 in the nation at the season's mid-point and featured the young Goal Dust Twins duo of Louis Kusserow and Eugene Rossides. Kusserow led the team in rushing with 516 yards and 15 touchdowns, all-purpose yards (729), and interceptions (seven), while Rossides rushed for 476 yards and nine touchdowns and threw for 510 yards and six touchdowns, and completed 60.5 percent of his passes. Other key players included Jack Nork (260 yards rushing and 261 yards passing), Emil Ladyko (14 receptions for 232 yards), Charles Olson (three interceptions, 325 all-purpose yards), and Leslie Thompson (12 receptions for 298 yards and four touchdowns). Regularly playing in front of 30,000 fans, Columbia outscored its opponents 251-105.
 
3. 1932
Considered Columbia's greatest team to that point, the 1932 Lions were led by quarterback Cliff Montgomery and team captain Steve Grenda. For the second straight season, Head Coach Lou Little's Lions compiled a 7-1-1 record which included victories over Princeton (20-7), Cornell (6-0) and Navy (7-6). The Lions outscored their opponents 199-32 and registered four shutouts on the year.
 
2. 1947
Coached by Lou Little, the 1947 Columbia Lions featured some of the most well-known players in the university's football history: Louis Kusserow, Eugene Rossides, Ventan Yablonski, Bill Swiacki, and Bruce Gehrke. The 1947 Lions finished the season with a 7-2 overall record and No. 20 national ranking in the final Associated Press poll. Columbia was ranked as high as No. 16 during the year. Columbia's 21-20 comeback win over Army was its featured contest, but the Lions also notched impressive wins at Navy (13-9), at Cornell (22-0), Dartmouth (15-0), Holy Cross (10-0), and Syracuse (28-8). Columbia's two losses were to ranked teams: No. 14 Yale (17-7) and No. 8 Penn (34-14). While Columbia's offense received the majority of 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 the way and shut out opponents over the next 18 quarters. Yablonski led the Lions in rushing (505 yards and 10 touchdowns), quarterback Rossides was an all-around star as he accumulated 820 all-purpose yards and threw seven touchdown passes and 787 yards, Swiacki (31 catches for 517 yards, 4 TD) and Bruce Gehrke (20 catches for 291 yards, 3 TD) were an outstanding wide receiver duo, and Kusserow finished with five interceptions and 544 all-purpose yards. Al Kachadurian was the Lions' interception leader with six. Earning Associated Press All-Ivy honors were Swiacki, Rossides, Kusserow, and guard Joe Karas. The majority of the team fought in World War II and were granted an extra year of eligibility.
 
1. 1933
Following one of the greatest upsets in college football history, a 7-0 win over an undefeated Stanford team in the 1934 Rose Bowl, Columbia was crowned the mythical National Champions by national media members. The 8-1 Lions ended the season on a six-game win streak which included victories over Virginia (15-6), Penn State (33-0), Cornell (9-6), Navy (14-7), Syracuse (16-0), and Stanford (7-0). Columbia's lone setback was a 20-0 loss to Fritz Crisler's undefeated defending national champion Princeton team. Led by legendary head coach Lou Little and his single-wing offense, the Lions averaged 20 points per game, outscored its nine opponents 179-45, registered four shutouts, and yielded only 5.0 points per game on defense. Captain/quarterback Cliff Montgomery was named the 1934 Rose Bowl Player of the Game and consensus All-America selection. Other key players included Al Barabas, Joe Ferrara, Anthony "Red" Matal, and Edward Brominski.