TRADITION
THE LIONS | More on the Lions
The Lion was first adopted as a sports symbol by the Columbia University Student Board in 1910, following the presentation of a blue and white banner bearing a large Lion with the motto, “Leo Columbiae” (Lion of Columbia). George Brokow of the Class of 1909 first suggested the lion nickname as a reference to the institution’s royal past. The University was originally named King’s College since its charter in 1754 by King George II of Great Britain. The lion is the animal depicted on the English coat of arms. The original banner was the gift of the Society of the Early Eighties.
COLUMBIA COLORS | More on Light Blue & White
The Columbia colors, light blue and white, were appropriated from the campus Philolexian and Peithologian Societies, the former claiming the blue and the latter the white, and were used as a combination as early as 1852. The particular shade of light blue became popularly known as Columbia Blue around the turn of the century and is in common usage today as a shade of blue. Several other colleges claim “Columbia Blue” as one of their school colors.
COLUMBIA-BARNARD CONSORTIUM | More on the Columbia-Barnard Consortium
Under a unique agreement, women at Barnard College and the undergraduate division of Columbia University compete together as members of University-wide athletic teams. The arrangement, called a consortium, is the only one in NCAA Division I athletics. Established in 1983, the consortium was designed to coincide with the admission of women to Columbia College. It was built upon an already established women’s athletic program at Barnard College. The consortium provides the opportunity for women students enrolled at the separate colleges to compete within one athletics program while drawing on the resources of all the colleges. Through the continued development of the program, the University provides all undergraduate women with the finest competitive opportunities.
C ROCK
Located on the Bronx shore at the intersection of the Harlem and Hudson Rivers and opposite of Columbia’s Baker Athletic Complex stands the “C Rock,” a giant painted letter “C” on a 100-foot high cliff wall. In 1952, Columbia medical student and coxswain of the heavyweight crew Robert Prendergrast approached the New York Central Railroad for permission to paint the sign, which was granted. By the end of the fall of 1952, the crew completed the 60 by 60 foot sign in traffic white and ultramarine blue with a 12-foot stroke. Work was aided by a boatswains chair attached to drill holes at the top of the rock by ropes. The “C Rock” has been maintained by members of the Columbia rowing teams, who most recently repainted the sign in 1987.
EMPIRE STATE BOWL | More on the Empire State Bowl
In football, Columbia and Cornell compete against each other annually in the Empire State Bowl. The rivalry took on the name Empire State Bowl in 2010, emblematic for Ivy League football supremacy in New York State. Each year’s winner earns the right to take home the Empire Cup. The two schools have been playing on the gridiron since 1889.
LOU LITTLE TROPHY | More on the Lou Little Trophy
In football, Columbia and Georgetown compete for the Lou Little Trophy. Established in 2015, the trophy’s namesake, Lou Little served as the head football coach at both institutions. Little coached at Georgetown from 1924-30 and helped bring the Hoyas into the modern era as he recorded a 41-12-13 record over six seasons, while also serving as athletics director. His .759 winning percentage is still the highest among GU head coaches who have coached more than 20 games. Little took over at Columbia in 1930 and continued his Hall of Fame career until 1956. At Columbia, he posted 110 victories and his most notable win at Columbia came in the 1934 Rose Bowl, when the Lions defeated Stanford 7-0. Overall, his teams won 149 games, lost 122 and tied 11. The two schools signed on to play a 10-game series in 2015.
ROAR-EE THE LION | More on Roar-ee
Roar-ee the Lion is Columbia’s official mascot. Roar-ee made his Columbia debut on October 15, 2005 at Homecoming. The most recent physical reincarnation of the Columbia Lion, Roar-ee’s name was determined through online voting with fans all over the world. Roar-ee can be found present at all Columbia football and men’s and women’s basketball games.
VARSITY C CELEBRATION
Formerly known as the Varsity C Event, the Varsity C Celebration is an annual banquet honoring Columbia student-athletes that has been held at the University each spring since 1922. Hosted by the Varsity C Club, the event features a variety of prestigious awards presented to student-athletes honoring both athletic and academic achievements.
IVY LEAGUE | More on the Ivy League
In what has always been the nation’s premier group of academic institutions, the Ivy League began as an athletic league formed in 1954. In October, 1933, Stanley Woodward of the New York Herald Tribune first used the phrase "Ivy colleges" in print to describe the eight current Ivy schools (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale, plus Army). On February 8, 1935, Associated Press Sports Editor Alan Gould first uses the exact term "Ivy League. In 1945, the first "Ivy Group Agreement" is signed, applying only to football. It affirms the observance of common practices in academic standards and eligibility requirements and the administration of need-based financial aid, with no athletic scholarships. The agreement creates the Presidents Policy Committee, including the eight Presidents; the Coordination and Eligibility Committee, made up of one senior non-athletic administrator from each school; and the committee on Administration, comprised of the eight directors of athletics. In February, 1954, the Ivy Presidents extend the Ivy Group Agreement to all intercollegiate sports. Their statement also focuses on presidential governance of the league, the importance of intra-League competition, and a desire that recruited athletes be academically "representative" of each institution's overall student body. Although 1954 is the League's official founding date, the first year of competition was in 1956-57.
ROAR, LION ROAR | Hear it!
Roar, Lion Roar! is Columbia’s fight song and over time has become more closely associated with the University. When the Columbia University Alumni Federation offered up a prize for a new football song in 1923, Corey Ford, 1923 CC repurposed a song from that year’s Varsity Show (which he co-wrote) and “concocted new words for the final chorus of the show and sent the entry in. Thus did “Bold, Buccanneers!” become “Roar, Lion Roar!” In addition to crediting Ford for the lyrics, songbooks credit Roy Webb, 1910 CC and Morris Watkins 1924 CC for the melody. Today the song is performed without the first stanza.
COLUMBIA SONGS
ROAR, LION, ROAR | Hear it!
When the bold, teams of old
Wore the Blue and White,
Deeds of fame, made their name,
Here at old Columbia.
Nowadays we can praise
Fighting teams again.
Hear the lion roar in pride,
While the men of Morningside
Follow the Blue and White to Vict’ry…
Roar, Lion, roar,
And wake the echoes of the Hudson Valley.
Fight on to vict’ry evermore
While the sons of Knickerbocker rally
‘Round Columbia! Columbia!
Shouting her name forever!
Roar, Lion, roar,
For Alma Mater, on the Hudson Shore.
STAND COLUMBIA (Columbia University Alma Mater) | Hear it!
Mother, stay’d on rock eternal,
Crown’d and set upon a height,
Glorified by Light supernal
In thy radiance we see light,
Torch thy children’s lamps to kindle,
Beacon-star to cheer and guide,
Stand, Columbia! Alma Mater
Through the storms of Time abide!
Stand, Columbia! Alma Mater
Through the storms of Tide abide!
Honor, love, and veneration
Crown forevermore thy brow!
Many a grateful generation
Hail thee as we hail thee now!
Till the lordly Hudson seaward
Cease to roll his heaving tide,
Stand, Columbia! Alma Mater
Through the storms of Time abide!
Stand, Columbia! Alma Mater
Through the storms of Time abide!
SANS SOUCI (Columbia College Alma Mater)
What if tomorrow bring
Sorrow or anything
Other than joy?
What if’t be wintry chill
Rain, storm or summer’s thrill?
Tomorrow’s the future still;
This is today!
Tomorrow’s the future still;
This is today!
Out on life’s stormy seas
All of us soon may be,
Far, far away.
Still hold your glasses high,
Here’s to youth while it’s nigh
Though we tomorrow die,
This is today!
Though we tomorrow die,
This is today.
One last toast e’er we part,
Written on ev’ry heart.
This motto stay
Long may Columbia stand,
Honored throughout the land,
Our Alma Mater grand,
Now and for ay!
Our Mater grand,
Now and for ay.
WHO OWNS NEW YORK? | Hear it!
Oh, who owns New York!
Oh, who owns New York!
Oh, who owns New York!
Some people say—
Why, we own New York!
Why, we own New York!
Who? C-O-L-U-M-B-I-A!
STAND UP AND CHEER
Stand up and cheer!
Stand up and cheer for old Columbia!
For today, we raise
The Blue and White above the rest,
Our boys are fighting,
For they are bound to win the fray.
We’ve got the team,
We’ve got the steam,
For this is old Columbia’s day.
