1985 Columbia Lions football
ConferenceIvy League
Record0–10 (0–7 Ivy)
Head coach
CaptainBill Strack
Home stadiumWien Stadium
Seasons
← 1984
1986 →
1985 Ivy League football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Penn $ 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 1
Harvard 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Princeton 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Brown 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 1
Yale 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1
Dartmouth 2 – 4 – 1 2 – 7 – 1
Cornell 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Columbia 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 10 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion

The 1985 Columbia Lions football team was an American football team that represented Columbia University during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Amid a record-setting loss streak, Columbia finished last in the Ivy League.

In their first and only season under head coach Jim Garrett, the Lions compiled an 0–10 record and were outscored 333 to 75. Bill Strack was the team captain.[1]

The Lions' winless (0–7) conference record was the worst in the Ivy League standings. Columbia was outscored 243 to 54 by Ivy opponents.[2]

By losing all of their games in 1985, the Lions extended a winless streak and a losing streak that began in 1983. They would not win or tie another game until an October 9, 1988, win against Princeton, an NCAA Division I record streak at the time.[3] At the end of 1985, the streak stood at 24 games without a win, and 21 straight losses.

Columbia played its homes games at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium in Upper Manhattan, in New York City.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 21 at Harvard
L 17–49 7,921 [4]
September 28 at Lafayette*
L 0–20 3,500 [5]
October 5 Penn
  • Wien Stadium
  • New York, NY
L 14–46 4,272 [6]
October 12 at Princeton
L 0–31 7,080 [7]
October 19 Yaledagger
  • Wien Stadium
  • New York, NY
L 12–28 6,719 [8]
October 26 Bucknell*
  • Wien Stadium
  • New York, NY
L 10–13 2,420 [9]
November 2 at Colgate*
L 11–55 6,300 [10]
November 9 Dartmouth
  • Wien Stadium
  • New York, NY
L 3–34 6,013 [11]
November 16 at Cornell
L 8–21 1,000 [12]
November 23 at Brown
L 0–34 4,250 [13]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming

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. 31. 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. ^ Duffy, Bob (September 22, 1985). "Harvard Gets Going, 49-17". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 68 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Lafayette Keeps Columbia on the Skids". The Sunday Record. Hackensack, N.J. September 29, 1985. pp. S-9, S-10 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Penn Hammers Columbia, 46-14". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. October 6, 1985. p. 68 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Esterman, Sue (October 13, 1985). "Records Fall as Princeton Drubs Columbia, 31-0". The Home News. New Brunswick, N.J. pp. C1, C13 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Apple, Ginny (October 20, 1985). "Flat Yale Comes Around in Time, 28-12". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. E13 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Rhoden, William C. (October 27, 1985). "Columbia Leads, but Bucknell Wins". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S5.
  10. ^ "2 Players Set Marks in 55-11 Colgate Win". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton, N.Y. October 6, 1985. pp. 7D, 2D – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Make It 19 Straight Losses for Columbia". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. November 10, 1985. p. 74 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Van Sickle, Kenny (November 18, 1985). "Red Rips Lions Under the Lights". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, N.Y. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Brown Routs Columbia (0-10)". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. November 24, 1985. pp. S4, S6.
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