1981 Columbia Lions football team

The 1981 Columbia Lions football team was an American football team that represented Columbia University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Columbia tied for last place in the Ivy League.

1981 Columbia Lions football
ConferenceIvy League
1981 record1–9 (1–6 Ivy)
Head coach
Captains
  • Tom McNally
  • Vince Pellini
Home stadiumBaker Field
1981 Ivy League football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Yale + 6 –1 –0  9 –1 –0
Dartmouth + 6 –1 –0  6 –4 –0
Princeton 5 –1 –1  5 –4 –1
Harvard 4 –2 –1  5 –4 –1
Brown 2 –5 –0  3 –7 –0
Cornell 2 –5 –0  3 –7 –0
Columbia 1 –6 –0  1 –9 –0
Penn 1 –6 –0  1 –9 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions

In their second season under head coach Bob Naso, the Lions compiled a 1–9 record and were outscored 243 to 116. Vince Pellini and Tom McNally were the team captains.[1]

The Lions' 1–6 conference record tied for seventh in the Ivy League standings. Columbia was outscored 160 to 93 by Ivy opponents.[2]

This would be Columbia's last season in the NCAA's top level of football competition. Shortly after the season ended, the NCAA reassigned all of the Ivy League teams to the second-tier Division I-AA,[3] which would later be renamed the Football Championship Subdivision.

Columbia played its home games at Baker Field in Upper Manhattan, in New York City.

Schedule
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 19 Harvard
  • Baker Field
  • New York, NY
L 6–23 4,745 [4]
September 26 Lafayette*
  • Baker Field
  • New York, NY
L 13–28 3,795 [5]
October 3 Penn
  • Baker Field
  • New York, NY
W 20–9 4,375 [6]
October 10 at Princeton
L 14–21 12,360 [7]
October 17 Yale
  • Baker Field
  • New York, NY
L 17–48 10,025 [8]
October 24 Colgate*
  • Baker Field
  • New York, NY
L 3–41 4,975 [9]
October 31 at Holy Cross*
L 7–14 8,041 [10]
November 7 Dartmouth
  • Baker Field
  • New York, NY
L 7–21 3,860 [11]
November 14 at Cornell
L 9–15 3,500 [12]
November 21 at Brown
L 20–23 4,800 [13]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming

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. 29. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  3. Roberts, Ernie (December 4, 1981). "Big Guys on Block Bully Ivy, HC Football". The Boston Globe. Boston, Mass.
  4. Craig, Jack (September 20, 1981). "Cuccia Sparks Harvard". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 56 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Compton, Eric (September 20, 1981). "Columbia Defense No Match for Lafayette, 28-13". Daily News. New York, N.Y. p. 72 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Shister, Gail (October 4, 1981). "Columbia Surprises Penn, 20-9". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 9-F – via Newspapers.com.
  7. O'Brien, Ken (October 11, 1981). "Holly Drives Tigers". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Yantz, Tom (October 18, 1981). "Yale Turns Columbia's Roars to Whimpers, 48-17". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. C12 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "5 TDs by Colgate Frosh". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton, N.Y. October 24, 1981. pp. 6B, 2B – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Singelais, Neil (November 1, 1981). "Holy Cross Holds Off Columbia". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 86 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Newman, David (November 8, 1981). "It's Dartmouth -- in a Real Breeze". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 80 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Van Sickle, Kenny (November 16, 1981). "Cornell Goes to the Wire to Beat Columbia". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, N.Y. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Brown 23, Columbia 20". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. November 22, 1981. p. 84 – via Newspapers.com.
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