Columbia Lions
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Columbia Lions |
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| Institution | Columbia University |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Founded | 1754 |
| Location | Morningside Heights, New York City, New York |
| Conference | Ivy League |
| Mascot | Roaree the Lion |
| Fight Song | Roar, Lion, Roar |
Contents |
[edit] The Ivy League
Columbia University, whose athletic teams go by the name lions, are part of the Ivy League, which includes Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown and Dartmouth.
[edit] Ivy League Athletics
The Ivy League conference sponsors conference championships in 33 men's and women's sports and averages 35 varsity teams at each of its eight universities. The League provides intercollegiate athletic opportunities for more men and women than any other conference in the United States. All eight Ivy schools are listed in the top 20 NCAA Division I schools in number of sports offered for both men and women.
[edit] The Lions
Columbia University was founded in 1754 and proudly maintains a rich legacy of athletic history. The Lions currently field 29 men’s and women’s teams. All of them compete at the Division I level in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). The football team competes at the 1-AA level.
[edit] History
Intercollegiate sports at Columbia date to the foundation of the baseball team in 1867. Association Football (i.e. soccer) followed in 1870, and crew in 1873. The third ever intercollegiate soccer match was played between Columbia and Rutgers, who beat Columbia 6-3. Columbia joined the football movement soon after Harvard and Yale played the first game in 1875.
While the Lions have not had a tremendous amount of success in major commercial sports (football and basketball in particular), the Columbia teams have experienced a great amount of success in other sports. Since the late 1960s, the Columbia program has maintained a tradition of outstanding achievements. Crew was one of Columbia's early best sports, and Columbia was the first non-English school to win the Henley Regatta. The Columbia football team, though 1-AA now won the Rose Bowl in 1934. The Lions' wrestling team is also amonst the nation's oldest.
Columbia also boasts being involved in the first-ever televised sporting event. On May 17, 1939 fledgling NBC filmed the double-header of the Columbia Lions vs. Princeton Tigers at Columbia's Baker Field at the northernmost point in Manhattan. [1]
[edit] Men’s Teams
Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lacrosse, Rowing, Rugby, Skiing, Soccer, Swimming and Diving, Tennis, Track and Field, Football and Wrestling.
[edit] Women's Teams
[edit] Achievements
Columbia University hosts one of the oldest traditions of athletics in the United States (source).
[edit] Football
[edit] Fencing
- NCAA Championships: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992 and 1993
[edit] Women's Cross Country
- Five Straight Heptagonal Championships: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005
- Caroline Bierbaum won the Honda Award for most outstanding female NCAA athlete the fall of 2005.
[edit] Men's Track and Field
Once sported the world's fastest man, Benjamin Washington Johnson, the Columbia Comet. The sprinting champion's most incredible achievement was at the 1938 Millrose Games, in front of more than 17,000 fans at Madison Square Garden. His winning time in the 60 yard dash was 5.9 seconds, breaking the world record of 6.2 seconds for the third time in the same day. His final time of 5.9 seconds was rounded up to 6.0 seconds, because the referees claimed it must have been a timing error, arguing that no human being could ever break 6 seconds in the 60 yard dash.
[edit] Basketball
Participated in the NCAA tournament in 1968, led by future New York Knick Jim McMillian.
[edit] Notable Athletes
The Lions' most renown athlete is baseball legend Lou Gehrig. Other notable athletes include:
- Eddie Collins - Baseball
- Gene Larkin - Baseball
- Sid Luckman - Football
- Marcellus Wiley - Football
- Jim McMillian - Basketball
- Caroline Bierbaum - Cross Country
- Ben Johnson - Track and Field
- Erison Hurtault - Track and Field
- Lindsey Stephenson - Track and Field
- Christina Teuscher - Swimming
