1988 Columbia Lions football team

The 1988 Columbia Lions football team was an American football team that represented Columbia University during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Columbia ended a five-year losing streak with two wins, and tied for next-to-last in the Ivy League.

1988 Columbia Lions football
Conference	Ivy League
Record	2–8 (2–5 Ivy)
Head coach	Larry McElreavy (3rd season)
Captain	John Alex
Home stadium	Wien Stadium
Seasons ← 1987 1989 →

1988 Ivy League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Penn +	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Cornell +	6	–	1	–	0			7	–	2	–	1
Princeton	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Dartmouth	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Yale	3	–	3	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
Columbia	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Harvard	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Brown	0	–	6	–	1			0	–	9	–	1
+ – Conference co-champions

In their third and final season under head coach Larry McElreavy, the Lions compiled a 2–8 record and were outscored 303 to 140. John Alex was the team captain.^[1]

The Lions' 2–5 conference record tied for sixth in the Ivy League standings. Columbia was outscored 177 to 103 by Ivy opponents.^[2]

After losing all of their games in 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987, Columbia entered the season on a 44-game winless streak, and 41-game loss streak, dating back to the 1983 season. Both were all-time NCAA Division I football records at the time. By registering a victory over Princeton in the fourth week of the 1988 season, Columbia ended the streak at 44 straight losses and 47 games without a win.^[3]

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

Senior wide receiver Matthew Fox would later go on to a successful acting career.^[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 17	at Harvard	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	L 7–41	9,000	^[5]
September 24	No. 12 Lafayette*	Wien Stadium New York, NY	L 3–49	6,560	^[6]
October 1	at Penn	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA	L 10–24	11,640	^[7]
October 8	Princeton	Wien Stadium New York, NY	W 16–13	5,420	^[3]
October 15	at Yale	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	L 10–24	16,346	^[8]
October 22	Bucknell*	Wien Stadium New York, NY	L 7–21	3,825	^[9]
October 29	at Lehigh*	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	L 27–56	7,250	^[10]
November 5	at Dartmouth	Memorial Field Hanover, NH	L 10–20	3,760	^[11]
November 12	Cornell	Wien Stadium New York, NY (rivalry)	L 19–42	8,308	^[12]
November 19	Brown	Wien Stadium New York, NY	W 31–13	5,565	^[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from the latest NCAA Division I-AA poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Columbia Football 2019 Record Book". New York, N.Y.: Columbia University. p. 216. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
2. "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. pp. 32–33. 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. "Matthew Fox '89CC Delivers Columbia College Class Day Address". GoColumbiaLions.com.
5. Monahan, Bob (September 18, 1988). "Harvard Extends Columbia's Skid to 42". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 54 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Lafayette Sends Columbia to 43d Straight Loss, 49-3". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. September 25, 1988. p. 81 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Missanelli, M.G. (October 2, 1988). "Penn Extends Columbia's Streak of Defeats to 44". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 13-E – via Newspapers.com.
8. Rieber, Anthony (October 16, 1988). "Yale Stumbles Past Columbia". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 74 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Guerrini Stars as Bucknell Downs Columbia 21-7". The Daily Item. Sunbury, Pa. October 23, 1988. pp. 27, 39 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Lehigh 56, Columbia 27". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. October 30, 1988. p. 64 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Dartmouth 20, Columbia 10". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. November 6, 1988. p. 78 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Curry, Jack (November 13, 1988). "Cornell Routs Columbia by 42-19". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
13. Cavanaugh, Jack (November 20, 1988). "Lions (2-8) Have Best Season Since '78". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S4.