1983 Columbia Lions football
ConferenceIvy League
Record1–7–2 (1–5–1 Ivy)
Head coach
CaptainJohn Witkowski
Home stadiumGiants Stadium, Hofstra Stadium
Seasons
← 1982
1984 →
1983 Ivy League football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Harvard + 5 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 2
Penn + 5 – 1 – 1 6 – 3 – 1
Brown 4 – 2 – 1 4 – 5 – 1
Dartmouth 4 – 2 – 1 4 – 5 – 1
Cornell 3 – 3 – 1 3 – 6 – 1
Princeton 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Columbia 1 – 5 – 1 1 – 7 – 2
Yale 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions

The 1983 Columbia Lions football team was an American football team that represented Columbia University during the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Columbia placed second-to-last in the Ivy League.

In their fourth season under head coach Bob Naso, the Lions compiled a 1–7–2 record and were outscored 363 to 218. John Witkowski was the team captain.[1]

The Lions' 1–5–1 conference record finished seventh in the Ivy League standings. Columbia was outscored 221 to 130 by Ivy opponents.[2]

This season marked the start of a winless streak and a losing streak that would become the worst-ever in Division I. Following their October 15 win over Yale, Columbia would go 47 games without a win. As the Bucknell and Dartmouth games in 1983 would also be the only tie games during the streak, this meant four complete seasons (1984 to 1987) of nothing but losses, with 44 losses in a row. The streak finally ended with a homecoming win October 9, 1988, against Princeton. This stretch included 33 consecutive Ivy League losses, starting with 1983's Cornell and Brown games.[3] A decade later, Columbia's streak was surpassed by an 80-game loss streak by Prairie View A&M in 1989–1998.

Columbia scheduled most of its games on the road in 1983, as its own football stadium was being rebuilt. The Lions hosted two home games at the NFL's Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and one game at Hofstra Stadium in Hempstead, New York.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 17 at Harvard
L 14–43 8,500 [4]
September 24 at No. 17 Lafayette*
L 29–34 10,750 [5]
September 30 Penn
  • Giants Stadium
  • East Rutherford, NJ
L 10–35 7,221 [6]
October 8 at Princeton
L 26–35 12,240 [7]
October 15 at Yale
W 21–18 13,523 [8]
October 22 Bucknell*
  • Hofstra Stadium
  • Hempstead, NY
T 31–31 3,750 [9]
October 29 at No. 2 Holy Cross*
L 28–77 12,861 [10]
November 5 Dartmouth
  • Giants Stadium
  • East Rutherford, NJ
T 17–17 6,064 [11]
November 12 at Cornell
L 6–31 3,500 [12]
November 19 at Brown
L 36–42 7,500 [13]

References

  1. ^ "Columbia Football 2019 Record Book". New York, N.Y.: Columbia University. p. 215. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  2. ^ "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 30. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  3. ^ Goodman, Brett (October 9, 1988). "Columbia Ends 44-Game Loss Skid". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 1-F – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Visser, Lesley (September 18, 1983). "Harvard Gets the Bounces". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 60 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Lafayette 34, Columbia 29". Times Leader. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Associated Press. September 27, 1983. p. 7C – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Newman, Chuck (October 1, 1983). "Hall's Three TDs Help Penn Whip Columbia". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 1-D – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ O'Brien, Ken (October 9, 1983). "Tigers Top Lions by 35-26". The Home News. New Brunswick, N.J. p. E1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Apple, Ginny (October 16, 1983). "Even Columbia Tops Yale". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. pp. D14, D15 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Radosta, John (October 23, 1983). "Columbia Tied, 31-31, on Kick by Bucknell". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. pp. S5, S14.
  10. ^ Craig, Jack (October 30, 1983). "HC Stampedes to 77-28 Romp". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 56 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Markus, Don (November 6, 1983). "Columbia Game a Low-Budget Affair". The Sunday Record. Hackensack, N.J. p. S3 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Van Sickle, Kenny (November 14, 1983). "Harmon Runs Wild". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, N.Y. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Brown Tops Columbia, 42-36; Bruin Coach in Finale". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. November 20, 1983. pp. S9, S13.
Categories