1987 Columbia Lions football team
The 1987 Columbia Lions football team was an American football team that represented Columbia University during the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Amid a record-setting loss streak, Columbia finished last in the Ivy League.
| 1987 Columbia Lions football | |
|---|---|
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| Conference | Ivy League |
| Record | 0–10 (0–7 Ivy) |
| Head coach |
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| Captain | Mike Bissinger |
| Home stadium | Wien Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Harvard $ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brown | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yale | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Princeton | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cornell | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dartmouth | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Columbia | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In their second season under head coach Larry McElreavy, the Lions compiled an 0–10 record and were outscored 311 to 104. Mike Bissinger was the team captain.[1]
The Lions' winless (0–7) conference record was the worst in the Ivy League standings. Columbia was outscored 185 to 67 by Ivy opponents.[2]
By losing all of their games in 1987, the Lions extended a winless streak and a losing streak that began in 1983. The team would later set a Division I record for consecutive games without a win, 47. It would not win or tie another game until October 9, 1988, a win.[3] At the end of 1987, the streak stood at 44 games without a win, and 41 straight losses.
Columbia played its homes games at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium in Upper Manhattan, in New York City.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 19 | Harvard |
| L 0–35 | 6,449 | [4] | ||
| September 26 | at Lafayette* | L 7–38 | 9,100 | [5] | |||
| October 3 | Penn |
| L 0–23 | 4,150 | [6] | ||
| October 10 | at Princeton | L 8–38 | 11,247 | [7] | |||
| October 17 | Yale
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| L 13–27 | 7,750 | [8] | ||
| October 24 | at Bucknell* | L 20–62 | 7,330 | [9] | |||
| October 31 | Lehigh* |
| L 10–26 | 3,415 | [10] | ||
| November 7 | Dartmouth |
| L 10–12 | 6,875 | [11] | ||
| November 14 | at Cornell | L 20–31 | 7,500 | [12] | |||
| November 21 | at Brown | L 16–19 | 27,050 | [13] | |||
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References
- "Columbia Football 2019 Record Book". New York, N.Y.: Columbia University. p. 215. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 32. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- Goodman, Brett (October 9, 1988). "Columbia Ends 44-Game Loss Skid". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 1-F – via Newspapers.com.
- Powers, John (September 20, 1987). "Harvard Jolts Columbia, 35-0". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 60 – via Newspapers.com.
- Meixell, Ted (September 27, 1987). "Lafayette Deals 33rd Loss in Row to Columbia". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C5 – via Newspapers.com.
- Juliano, Joe (October 4, 1987). "Quakers Overcome Early Scare; Columbia Drops 34th in Row, 23-0". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 11-D – via Newspapers.com.
- Grumhaus, David (October 11, 1987). "Columbia Sets Mark for Losses; Princeton Rolls; Lions' Streak 35". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 11-D – via Newspapers.com.
- Smith, George (October 18, 1987). "Yale Defeats Columbia, 27-13". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. E11 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Once Upon a Time, Columbia Was a Streak Breaker ... but the Current Skid Still Hasn't Stopped". The Daily News. Lebanon, Pa. Associated Press. October 25, 1987. pp. 6C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
- Groller, Keith (November 1, 1987). "Lehigh Extends Columbia Skid". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
- "A Missed Field Goal, a 39th Columbia Loss". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. Associated Press. November 8, 1987. p. 13-D – via Newspapers.com.
- Van Sickle, Kenny (November 16, 1987). "Cornell Extends Columbia's Streak". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, N.Y. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Columbia Streak Hits 41; Brown Wins 19-16 on TD with :47 Left". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. Associated Press. November 22, 1987. pp. E9, E12 – via Newspapers.com.