In 1869, the first intramural football on the Cornell campus took place, although it did not resemble the modern sport and there were 40 players per side. In 1874, the university president and founder, Andrew Dickson White, disallowed a team of Cornell students from traveling to Cleveland, Ohio to play a Michigan team. White said, "I refuse to let 40 of our boys travel 400 miles merely to agitate a bag of wind."[2] On November 12, 1887, Cornell played its first intercollegiate game against Union College, losing 24–10. The following year, the Cornellians record their first win by beating Palmyra, 26–0, and went on to finish the season with a 4–2 record.[2] In 1889, Cornell played the University of Michigan in Buffalo, NY and beat Michigan 66–0. [3]
In 1892, Glenn "Pop" Warner first played the game and the Cornellians finished the season having posted a 10–1 mark under "Father of Cornell football" Carl Johanson. Two years later Warner rose to become the team captain. After college, Warner began his coaching career and returned to Cornell in 1897. That year, he led the team to a 5–3–1 record. The following season, Cornell compiled a 10–2 record. Warner then moved on to coach the Carlisle Indians football team.[2]
The 1904 team coached by Warner (not pictured).
In 1901, under first-year coach Ray Starbuck, the Cornellians outscored their opponents 324–38 and won 11 games for the only time in school history. Pop Warner returned as head coach from 1904 to 1906, during which time his teams posted a 21–8 record.[2]
Cornell began playing Ivy League rival Penn in 1893. They have played 129 times since, in every year except 1918 and 2020, making this game the sixth most played college football contest in the nation.
In 1915, Cornell won all nine of its games. They handed Harvard their first loss in 50 consecutive games, 10–0. Gil Dobie took over as head coach in 1920. In his first season, the Cornellians posted a 6–2 record, but in each of the subsequent three years they finished 8–0. Cornell was awarded the national championship for each of those three seasons by at least one selector. In those seasons, Cornell outscored its opponents, 1,051 points to 71.[2]
Cornell defeated Penn State, 21–6, in 1938 to begin a school record unbeaten streak of 16 games. The Big Red compiled an 8–0 record in 1939 for its fifth national championship. The possibility of a Rose Bowl invitation that season was rebuffed by the university administration. The unbeaten streak came to an end in 1940 with the infamous Fifth Down Game.[2] After the game, Cornell voluntarily forfeited to Dartmouth when review of film showed the Big Red had inadvertently used five downs.[4] The ESPN College Football Encyclopedia named the game, and Cornell's honorable concession, the second greatest moment in college football history.[5]
In 1951, Cornell beat defending Big Ten and Rose Bowl champion Michigan, 20–7. Between 1969 and 1971, running back Ed Marinaro broke numerous NCAA records with a career total of 1,881 yards and 24 touchdowns. His senior year, he finished as runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Pat Sullivan of Auburn. That same season, Cornell finished 6–1 to secure a share of the Ivy League conference championship for the first time. Following the 1981 season, the Ivy League was reclassified to Division I-AA, today known as the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Cornell moved to Division I-AA play with the rest of the league.[6] Cornell twice more attained the Ivy League title, shared in 1988 with Penn and shared with Dartmouth in 1990.[2] Beginning in 2018, Cornell has played New York State Ivy League rival, the Columbia Lions, in their final game. The victor is awarded the Empire Cup.
The Ivy League announced that no sports would be played in the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] The Big Red returned to Schoellkopf in September 2021 to play Virginia Military Institute, its first game after a 665-day hiatus.[8]
Cornell has won five (1915, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1939) national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors.[9][10]:111–112 Cornell claims all five championships.[11][12][13]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2018)
Cornell has several rivalries in football, most significantly the Penn Quakers. The rivalry between the two schools is the sixth most played rivalry in college football history. They play for the Trustees' Cup. The series is led by Penn with a record of 77–47–5.
Numerous undrafted players have also played in the NFL.[15]Pete Gogolak became the first soccer-style kicker in pro football in 1964; the most recent is Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Bryan Walters.
Others
Arthur Fazzin was captain of the team during the early 1940s. He later became an actor and game show host under the stage name Art Fleming.
Television
Cornell football, as well as the rest of the Ivy League Conference, currently[when?] has a deal with ESPN in which ESPN agreed to a long-term relationship to showcase Ivy League events through a variety of ESPN platforms, including at least 24 events annually on ESPN’s linear networks and more than 1,100 annually on ESPN+, one of ESPN's earliest conference partners after launching ESPN+.[16]
Ed Marinaro is an American actor and former National Football League (NFL) player. He played college football for the Cornell Big Red. In 1971, he was a unanimous All-American and finished as a runner-up to Pat Sullivan for the Heisman Trophy, and from 2010 to 2011 starred in the football comedy series, Blue Mountain State. He is also known as a regular cast member on Hill Street Blues, playing Officer Joe Coffey for five seasons (1981–1986).
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, that represent Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York. The university sponsors 37 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in the ECAC Hockey League. Additionally, teams compete in the National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association, the Collegiate Sprint Football League, the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC), the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges (EAWRC), the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association, and the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA).
The Penn Quakers men's basketball team is the college basketball program representing the University of Pennsylvania. As the twentieth-winningest men's basketball program of all-time, the team from Penn had its greatest success from 1966 to 2007, a period of over 40 years. Penn plays in the Ivy League in NCAA Division I.
The Sphinx Head Society is the oldest senior honor society at Cornell University. Sphinx Head recognizes Cornell senior men and women who have demonstrated respectable strength of character on top of a dedication to leadership and service at Cornell University. In 1929 The New York Times held that election into Sphinx Head and similar societies constituted "the highest non-scholastic honor within reach of undergraduates."
The Penn Quakers football program is the college football team at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The Penn Quakers have competed in the Ivy League since its inaugural season of 1956, and are a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Penn has played in 1,413 football games, the most of any school in any division. Penn plays its home games at historic Franklin Field, the oldest football stadium in the nation. All Penn games are broadcast on WNTP or WFIL radio.
The 2016 Cornell Big Red football team represented Cornell University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Ivy League. They were led by fourth-year head coach David Archer and play their home games at Schoellkopf Field. Cornell finished the season 4–6 overall and 2–5 in Ivy League play to tie for sixth place.
The Cornell–Dartmouth football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Cornell Big Red and Dartmouth Big Green. The two schools were both major football powers before the split between the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Prior to the split, Cornell captured national championships in 1915, 1921, 1922, 1923, and 1939. Dartmouth won its lone national championship in 1925. One of the most infamous games in the rivalry contained national title implications. The 1940 game, referred to as the Fifth Down Game, ended Cornell's school-record 16 game unbeaten streak, as it sought a second consecutive national championship. After emerging with a 7–3, the Big Red voluntarily forfeited to Dartmouth when review of film showed the Cornell had inadvertently used five downs. The ESPN College Football Encyclopedia named the game, and Cornell's honorable concession, the second greatest moment in college football history.
The Cornell–Colgate football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Cornell Big Red and the Colgate Raiders. The two teams have met 104 times since their first meeting in 1896. Cornell has played Colgate in football more times than any other opponent except Ivy League rivals Penn and Columbia. Cornell leads the series 51–50–3.
The 1971 Cornell Big Red football team represented Cornell University in the 1971 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Ivy League. The Big Red were led by sixth-year head coach Jack Musick and played their home games at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red finished the season 8–1 overall and 6–1 in Ivy League play to win Cornell's first-ever Ivy League championship, sharing the title with Dartmouth, the only team to defeat the 1971 Big Red.
The 1988 Cornell Big Red football team represented Cornell University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Ivy League. The Big Red were led by sixth-year head coach Maxie Baughan and played their home games at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red finished the season 7–2–1 overall and 6–1 in Ivy League play to win Cornell's second Ivy League championship, sharing the title with Penn.
The 1960 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University during the 1960 NCAA University Division football season. Cornell tied for last place in the Ivy League.
The 1968 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. Cornell finished second-from-last in the Ivy League.
The 1969 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University during the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. Cornell finished fourth in the Ivy League.
The 1970 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. Cornell finished fourth in the Ivy League.
The 1976 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University in the Ivy League during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. In its second and final season under head coach George Seifert, the Big Red compiled a 2–7 record and was outscored 177 to 109. Team captains were chosen on a game-by-game basis, and home games were played on campus at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, New York.
The 1979 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Cornell tied for fourth in the Ivy League.
The 1983 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University during the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Cornell finished fifth in the Ivy League.
The 1986 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Cornell finished second in the Ivy League.
The 2000 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University during the 2000 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Cornell finished second in the Ivy League.
References
↑ "Colors". Cornell University Brand Center. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
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