1988 Columbia Lions football team

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

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.

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.