1986 Columbia Lions football team

1986 Columbia Lions football
Conference	Ivy League
Record	0–10 (0–7 Ivy)
Head coach	Larry McElreavy (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Bill Narduzzi (1st season)
Captain	Chris Riga
Home stadium	Wien Stadium
Seasons ←  1985 1987  →

1986 Ivy League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 7 Penn $	7	–	0	–	0			10	–	0	–	0
Cornell	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
Brown	4	–	2	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Dartmouth	3	–	3	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
Harvard	3	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Yale	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Princeton	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Columbia	0	–	7	–	0			0	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1986 Columbia Lions football team was an American football team that represented Columbia University during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Amid a record-setting loss streak, Columbia finished last in the Ivy League.

In their first season under head coach Larry McElreavy, the Lions compiled an 0–10 record and were outscored 379 to 91. Chris Riga was the team captain. ^[1]

The Lions' winless (0–7) conference record was the worst in the Ivy League standings. Columbia was outscored 257 to 28 by Ivy opponents. ^[2]

By losing all of their games in 1986, the Lions extended a winless streak and a losing streak that began in 1983. They would not win or tie another game until October 9, 1988, against Princeton, an NCAA Division I record streak at the time. ^[3] At the end of 1986, the streak stood at 34 games without a win, and 31 straight losses.

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

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 20	at Harvard	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	L 0–34	7,534	[4]
September 27	Lafayette *	Wien Stadium New York, NY	L 21–26	2,930	[5]
October 4	at Penn	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA	L 7–42	10,878	[6]
October 11	Princeton	Wien Stadium New York, NY	L 14–20	8,150	[7]
October 18	at Yale	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	L 0–47	10,163	[8]
October 25	Colgate *	Wien Stadium New York, NY	L 8–54	4,640	[9]
November 1	Villanova *	Wien Stadium New York, NY	L 34–42	4,750	[10]
November 8	at Dartmouth	Memorial Field Hanover, NH	L 0–41	2,210	[11]
November 15	No. 16 Cornell	Wien Stadium New York, NY (rivalry)	L 0–28	4,720	[12]
November 22	Brown	Wien Stadium New York, NY	L 7–45	3,010	[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. 31–32. 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. Concannon, Joe (September 21, 1986). "Harvard Eases Past Columbia". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. p. 76 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Groller, Keith (September 28, 1986). "Leopards Evade a 'Miracle'; Yanek's Sack Sends Columbia to Record 23rd Straight Loss 26-21". The Morning Call . Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Lyon, Bill (October 5, 1986). "Quakers Crush Columbia, 42-7". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. pp. 11-D, 16-D – via Newspapers.com.
7. Kloehn, Steve (October 12, 1986). "Princeton Holds Off Columbia". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. pp. 11-D, 16-D – via Newspapers.com.
8. Sudyk, Bob (October 19, 1986). "Yale Has Easy Time with Columbia". The Hartford Courant . Hartford, Conn. p. E15 – via Newspapers.com.
9. O'Day, Joe (October 26, 1986). "Lions Caged Again". Daily News (final ed.). New York, N.Y. p. 73 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Newman, Chuck (November 2, 1986). "Villanova Tops Columbia, 42-34, on 2d-Half Rally". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. pp. 13-D, 16-D – via Newspapers.com.
11. Craig, Jack (November 9, 1986). "Dartmouth Flattens Columbia". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. p. 71 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Van Sickle, Kenny (November 17, 1986). "Cornell to Play for the Ivy Title; Red Pound Columbia, Ready for the Showdown with Penn Saturday". The Ithaca Journal . Ithaca, N.Y. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com.
13. Parker, Rob (November 23, 1986). "Lions' Skid Hits 31". Daily News (final ed.). New York, N.Y. p. 70 – via Newspapers.com.