Day 69 and 68: Full Backfield

Harper and Oluwole looked liked Mack trucks to most defenders


I was unable to keep up yesterday with the 100 Players in 100 Days pace, mostly because it was just too nice a day not to get outside.

So, you get two players today for the price of one.

Both were big backs who played big roles in surprisingly good seasons for the Lions.

First off, we look at John Harper '96 who came from Cleveland's Garfield Heights High School just in time to play the final year of freshman football in the Ivy League. He caught everyone's eye as a Lion Cub, with some long TD runs against Brown and Penn.

John only had 11 carries as a sophomore, but averaged a hefty 4.7 yards per carry and had a 38-yard run vs. Dartmouth.

As a junior, Harper became the featured fullback in the Lions shuttle offense that alternated passing QB Jamie Schwalbe '95 and running QB Mike Cavanaugh '96.

Somehow Harper didn't get lost in that shuffle and he ran for 417 yards on just 104 carries and score 3 TD's. Combined with the 622 yards Cavanaugh racked up that season, the two made for a formidable backfield.

In 1995 the 6-foot 2-inch Harper bulked up to 240 pounds and kicked it up a notch, running for 526 yards and 11 TD's and landing a spot on the All Ivy Second Team. A highlight for him that season had to be scoring the winning TD with 19 seconds left at Harvard to defeat the Crimson, 28-24. Harper was also a key cog in the 24-14 win over Penn which remains the last time the Lions defeated the Quakers at Wien Stadium.

Harper became so popular that they even made a "Harper Trucking Co." banner on the old electronic message board at Wien and showed it everytime he ran the ball.

Ayo Oluwole '05

One of the most pleasant surprises Columbia has ever had at the running back position came after an unexpected disaster.

Columbia's 2002 leading rusher Rashad Biggers suffered a bad injury in a preseason scrimmage, pushing Ayo Oluwole, a man who had actually quit the team a year before, into emergency starting duty.

Ayo started out nicely with a 61 yard, 4 yards per carry, one TD performance against Fordham in the opener. Then he exploded for 110 yards on 21 carries with another TD in the week 2 win at home against Bucknell.

Ayo played well almost every week in 2003, but his two standout games other than Bucknell were a 166-yard performance in a tough loss to Lafayette and a 138-yard day in a great win over Cornell.

He finished the season with 903 yards rushing, still 4th all-time in Columbia history, and 5 TD's. He was also named to the All Ivy Second Team.

In 2004, Oluwole had to share time with the returning Biggers, and he wasn't able to get back into a rhythm. He finished his senior season with just 304 yards rushing and 2 TD's.

But the exciting 2003 season was due in large part to Ayo's fantastic job coming off the bench and making an impact.

Day 70: "Abba"

A day or two after I first stepped on the Columbia campus as a freshman in 1988, I learned about how the fortunes of the Lion football team were being tightly tied to a speedy runner named Solomon Johnson '92. and a gutty runner with great cutting ability named Greg Abbruzzese '92

I'll write up some memories about "Solo" Johnson on another day, but we'll begin a look at 10 memorable running backs in Lion lore with a reprint below of my recent interview with Greg.

Enjoy!



The Abbruzzese clan today


Greg Abbruzzese '92 burst into the mindset of most Columbia fans one October day in 1988, when his standout running darn near brought the Lions a victory at Penn in an nationally televised game on ESPN.

But he and fellow tailback Solomon Johnson '92, had already made a huge impact as freshman on the 1987 frosh team that went 6-0 and brought so much hope at the same time the varsity was still mired in its record losing streak.

Sadly, injuries and some different offensive philosophies kept Abbruzzese and Johnson from shattering the Columbia record books. But for one shining varsity year, 1988, they made some real history.

A week after that close loss to Penn, the tandem made the most history of all as they led Columbia to a stunning 16-13 win over Princeton on Homecoming to end the 44-game losing skid.

Abbruzzese had 182 yards on 37 carries and Johnson scored the winning touchdown in the game that sent the student body into a frenzy.

The following season, both Abbruzzese and Johnson, (known as "Abba" and "Solo"), went down with injuries and things were never quite the same. But both stayed with the program, taking medical red shirt years, and continued to contribute through the 1991 season.

Greg is still a very strong supporter of Columbia athletics and a frequent correspondent of mine over the last few years. He graciously agreed to do the following interview for Roar Lions Roar!

Jake: Describe your high school football career and how you decided to come to Columbia.

Greg: I matriculated to Columbia from Phillips Exeter Academy. I was being recruited by West Point, Boston College and several other Ivies to play football and baseball. After meeting with Coach McElreavy, who was up at Exeter recruiting a few teammates, I played a few VHS tapes, (dating myself), for the coach and then he offered me a slot - providing that I commit on the spot. Naturally, I did ...


J: Obviously, the big story when you decided to come to Columbia was the fact that the Lions were in the midst of that long losing streak. Were you 100% aware of that when you signed on, or was it a secondary thought?


G: Yes, I was aware of the streak, however, that was completely a secondary thought. My education was a priority and football was a distant second.


J: Your freshman team went 6-0, describe what it was like playing for that squad while the varsity was 0-10.

G: I came from a very successful high school program, so our success with the freshman team was seamless. We were looking to bring the momentum from our freshman class to the varsity level during our sophomore year (at the time Freshman could not play on the varsity). Unfortunately, there were a few roadblocks, most notably, Harvard, Penn, Leigh and Lafayette. The "streak" never really affected me, or several other players. The streak was more media hype than something that was actually discussed among my teammates on a daily basis.


J: What was the feeling going into the 1988 season with the streak standing at 41 straight losses at that point?


G: Every year we were looking to improve, yet we had this albatross around our necks. During every interview, it was more of a story than the game at hand.


J: When did you know that you and Solomon Johnson were going to be the featured offensive weapons despite the fact you were both sophomores? Did you have a good healthy competition relationship with "Solo?"


G: Solo and I were (and still are) really good friends. We roomed together on the road and we roomed on campus together as well. We both brought different skill sets to the backfield. At camp (Blair Academy), we were fortunate enough to put together a few good scrimmages and things took off from there. Solomon and I were never jealous of the other's success.


J: The first two games of the '88 season were blowout losses, but then the team, and you in particular, had a breakout near win at Penn on national TV. What are your memories of that game?


G: Well, it was a nationally televised game, so everyone was really excited that their family and hometown could watch them play on TV. I was fortunate enough to have some successes in that game and we kept it close for most of the game. We were starting to be more cohesive as a unit, which built up a lot of momentum toward Princeton.


J: Obviously, the following week was the big streak-ending loss against Princeton. Describe your memories not only from that game but the week of practice leading up to it.


G: It was a Homecoming weekend, so naturally everyone on campus, and the team, was excited. The BIG event leading up to the game was the campus Lip Sync contest at "The Plex" (campus night spot), the Friday night before the game.

(*Editor's note: "The Plex" is no longer, as it was located in the basement of Ferris Booth Hall. While I made many, many mistakes at the also now-defunct West End bar, the only dumb thing I ever did at "The Plex" was enter a 70's dancing contest)

Solomon, Hector Carter, Floyd Ewing, and I performed "Candy Girl" by New Edition and won (my future wife, Laurel, with her Alpha Cho Omega team were runners-up, I must note). The majority of the team was at the event,(breaking curfew), awaiting the results. It was a great way to start the weekend. Princeton, on the other hand, had the Garrett brothers and they were picked to win the Ivies that year. We all wanted to perform well in front of the home crowd and we knew that being so close at Penn, we might have a chance.

J: After the game, you appeared on ABC-TV with Coach Mac, what was that like and what do you remember about the partying on campus the night of the win?

G: After winning the game, we were one of the big (sports) news feeds of the day/week. I was really happy for my teammates and all of the hard work we put in to achieve this goal. There were guys in the locker room crying tears of joy because they almost went all three years without a win. That evening was something that I will never forget... goal posts on Broadway, shutting down a few streets, people were happy for the players, the coaches and the University.


J: The team seemed to sleepwalk through a lot of the remainder of the '88 season, but there were some close games, especially the game at Dartmouth in week 8. Why do you think the team seemed to let down a bit after the Princeton win?

G: The Yale game, (away), was the next game after Princeton. We knew there would potentially be a letdown, but they came at us pretty hard. We just made too many mistakes that they capitalized on immediately after kickoff. The balance of the season was simply losing some key players to injuries, quarterback issues and some bad luck. Fortunately, we beat Brown, with Chris Della Pietra at the helm for the last game of the year and the seniors went out with a win!

J: You finished up the year on a big high note with a great blowout win over Brown where you ran all over the Bears. What do you remember from that game?

G: Yes, the line did a fantastic job and we really came together as a unit. I was fortunate to gain few yards, but was penalized for an end zone dance. I wasn’t sure if the penalty was for excessive celebration, or lack of rhythm? That, by far, was our best executed game as a team.


J: What was the team's psyche and what do you remember best about the events that led to Coach Mac's ouster at the end of the year?


G: You see, there were players that were loyal to Coach Mac, who were recruited by him; and then there were players who were recruited by Coach Garrett, who did not share the same fondness toward him. There were a lot of rumors and behind the scenes things going on that I was not privy to. The transition was difficult for everyone involved.


J: How optimistic were you about the 1989 season during the preceding spring and summer and how devastating was the injury that kept you out of the lineup that season?

G: I worked really hard in the off season to prepare for the new coach. The team had a new direction and we were all excited about the prospects going into that season. Unfortunately, I tore my ACL in pre-season and I decided to take a red shirt year. The injury put a great deal of things in perspective and I was really looking forward to the following year.


J: When you returned to the field in 1990, what was the biggest difference you noticed in the team and what was the biggest difference in the coaching styles of Coach Tellier and Coach Mac?

G: I was still around the program a great deal, so there was not much of a difference with regard to team chemistry or anything like that. The coaching philosophies of Coach Mac and Coach Tellier were, however, vastly different. Coach Mac ran the ball more, whereas Coach Tellier wanted to throw more. Consequently, we didn't necessarily see eye to eye on a few things. I'll leave it at that.


J: The 1991 season seemed to be marked by close loss after close loss, did you guys feel like there were an inordinate amount of bad breaks coming your way?


G: Yes, there was a great deal of bad luck, however, we were making progress by keeping the games close. To me, we were heading in the right direction and that was what was most important.


J: Like Bob Kent, you ended up marrying a CU cheerleader who, like Bob's wife Clare, became an accomplished career woman in her own right. Can you tell us about how you met Laurel?

G: I met Laurel Freshman year of school. She was a cheerleader and I was on the Freshman team. Laurel and I had a lot in common, she went to St. Paul's School and I attended Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. Laurel loved Columbia so much that she earned her Doctorate there and is teaching in the PT program at the Med School campus on 168th street.


J: What did you do right after graduation and how has your career path gone?

G: Upon graduation, I moved to Atlanta with some friends from home. I knew that I always wanted to stay close to athletics and I eventually landed a job at Reebok, in their field marketing department. After a few years in Atlanta, I began working for New Balance in a similar capacity the New York metropolitan area, while going to grad school at NYU. Upon completion of my Masters Degree in Management I became a National Account Manager for New Balance. I left New Balance shortly after earning my degree and then I joined Converse as a Senior Director of National Account Sales, where I am now.


J: Tell us about your family today.


G: Laurel and I have three lovely children and live in Teaneck, NJ. My eldest daughter, Ms. Lydia, is 10 years old. She has a rare genetic condition called “cri du chat”. Basically, her condition is similar to that of a severe Downs Syndrome child. She goes to a Special Needs School, The Felician School for Exceptional Children in Lodi, NJ, and is thriving there. Ms. Emily is 7 years old and is taking up dance like her mother,(they performed in a local production of the Nutcracker a few months ago). Ms. Chloe is 4 years old and enjoys soccer and dance as well, (she was a mouse in the same production of the Nutcracker).

J: Do you get to a fair amount of football games at Columbia nowadays? And what's your impression of the program overall?

G: I manage to get to 1-2 Columbia games a year. It becomes difficult to manage with all of the kid’s different schedules. Nevertheless, no matter where I am, I try and hear the games on the radio or on the net with you and Jerry Recco.

A lot of other fooball alums and I would like to see more progress. If you look at Harvard’s second team, for example, they would probably be ranked 3rd or 4th in the Ivies. It all comes down to getting even more athletes. We have some pieces of the puzzle, but depth is an issue at some key positions. I'd also like to see us get more transfers in the skill positions. NYC is a GREAT recruiting tool, combined with the best education in the country, we should be in contention for the Ivy title.

Day 71: Alex Gross

Alex Gross stalks his prey (CREDIT: Columbia Athletics)

A nice piece of recognition for Austin Knowlin today as he has been named to the Sports Network FCS All-America First Team as a punt returner.

The full story and roster is on the TSN site here.


Gross Gains


The last linebacker I'll spotlight on our 100 players in 100 days countdown is current standout Alex Gross '11.

The Kettering, Ohio product made a huge splash in his freshman year of 2007, getting into the starting lineup, leading the team in tackles, and finishing the season as Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

The thing is... there were so many players making emergency starts during the great injury riddled campaign of 2007, that I didn't really notice just how good Gross really was until very late in the season.

By week 10 against Brown I did realize he was a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year, but I really almost missed the boat. Incidentally, Gross clinched the award with a 15-tackle performance that day.

Sophomore jinx? Not so much.

Gross led the team and the entire Ivy League in tackles last year with 101 and ended up on the All Ivy First Team at linebacker.

He had his best game in Columbia's best game of the year. In the 17-7 win over Cornell in week 9, Gross had 15 tackles, an interception, a sack, and a pass breakup.

But stats really don't tell the whole story. When Gross is on the field, it seems like opposing ball carriers never have a chance to get around that left end of the Columbia defense. He's also a very disruptive force in the short passing game week after week.

With the graduation of Drew Quinn, I suspect Gross will become the de facto leader of the linebacking corps and I think they're in good hands.

Day 72: Chris Riga

Riga started for 3 head coaches - Naso, Garrett, and MacElreavy


I've written a lot about Matt Sodl '88 on this blog over the years, making a point to admire his fortitude after going 0-30 as a varsity player despite excellent play week in and week out.

But a man who went through the same kind of test with similar overall results despite stellar play was Chris Riga '87.


The Westfield, MA native came to Columbia in 1983 and after an impressive freshman campaign at linebacker and offensive guard, he caught the eye of Head Coach Bob Naso before the 1984 season and was starting a few games by the end of that year.

In 1985 under new Head Coach Jim Garrett, Riga had a standout junior year. He collected 105 tackles and recovered four fumbles. But the Lions stumbled through a rough year, going 0-10 and coming close to victory in just one game, (a 13-10 loss to Bucknell).

When Larry MacElreavy took over as yet another head coach in 1986, he could see that Riga was the team leader and he was indeed elected captain of the squad.

'86 turned out to be another 0-10 season, but Riga made Honorable Mention All Ivy and proved he could stay focused and motivated throughout all the setbacks.

After Columbia, Riga became a decorated officer in the U.S. Army.

His contributions to his country and Alma Mater are very appreciated.

Day 73: Chris Carey

Chris Carey in 2001


Just a little bit of news again today before we continue with the countdown:

1) The real recruiting highlight of the year is just two days away. Columbia's football camp for high school students is at Wien Stadium this Friday and Saturday. A big number of our incoming freshmen the last few years have participated in these camps started when Coach Wilson came to Columbia. This is where we find and truly test our future stars.


2) Two big questions on two other Ivy teams are still unanswered. Harvard to LSU and then back to Harvard QB Andrew Hatch is still not on the roster for the Crimson. With 73 days until kickoff, one has wonder when the cutoff date would be for someone who has already been back on campus for months.

The other big transfer, Stanford's Fred Craig, is still expected to join the Penn Quakers, but his name is also not yet on Penn's roster. I will keep checking.


3) One thing I neglected to mention about Dartmouth yesterday is that the Big Green are also pushing back the start times for most of their home games to 1:30pm. This might allow me to stay home on the Friday night before the game and then maybe hit the road at about 6:30am on gameday. It's another night at home, which is nice... but it also means returning home at about 10:00 or 10:30 Saturday night. I'll have to weigh this one as will some of the CU fans who plan to make the trip in week 6.


Captain Carey

It seems like linebackers have become a font for underclassmen captains at Columbia in recent years. First Rory Wilfork in 1995, then Drew Quinn in 2007, and in between them we had middle linebacker Chris Carey '04 who was elected captain for both 2002 and then 2003.

Carey was a shoo-in for the job after recording 102 tackles in his sophomore year, third-highest in the League for 2001. 80 of those stops came when he posted double figures in six consecutive games against Lafayette, Penn, Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, and Cornell.

Carey came to Columbia from New Jersey's Pingry School and he had a lot of Ivy football pedigree from day one.

Carey’s grandfather Bill attended Columbia and commuted from Connecticut for classes. His uncle Max was a star cornerback and kick returner for the Lions who set several records as a returner in the mid to late 1960's.

Carey’s father, Chris Sr., wrestled for Princeton in the 1970’s.

Carey was a big part of the exciting 2003 season for the Lions, but only for half of it. A concussion kept him out of the lineup for the second half of the season. But before that, he was a big contributor in the heart-stopping 33-27 Hail Mary win over Princeton at Princeton Stadium which had to be a mixed emotional night for the family.

Something tells me that game is Carey's #1 college football memory.

But I could be wrong.

Day 74: John Alex

No golf for me this year


A couple of quick updates from Bruce Wood over at the Big Green Alert:

"1) Long a fixture of early August, the Ivy League preseason football media day is now a thing of the past. At least for this year.

Instead of the annual lunch-and-golf gathering at Yale Golf Club, the Ivy League will conduct a teleconference early next month."

This actually works well for me, as I will not have to take a day off from work to travel to the event. Hopefully, the teleconference will yield some interesting news in addition to the announcement of the preseason media predictions for he final standings.


"2)The Big Green have added an opponent for the 2010 and 2011 seasons
with Sacred Heart University. Dartmouth will host the Pioneers for the 2010 season before playing the following season in Fairfield, Conn. Sacred Heart replaces the University of New Hampshire on the schedule."

An interesting, but probably sad development for a lot of football fans in New Hampshire who loved seeing the annual in-state rivalry. But facts are facts, and UNH is moving closer to becoming a BCS program and this contest hasn't been competitive for a long time.

Bruce Wood reported a few weeks back that Columbia may replace Dartmouth on UNH's schedule, but I have not heard any confirmation of that and I think everyone around the league is considering that a long shot.


Linebacker of the Day


The best things come to those who wait.

And John Alex '89 learned that lesson well during his years at Columbia.

The highly skilled linebacker came to Columbia in 1985 from Overland Park, Kansas at a time when the Lion program was at the bottom and seemed like it could sink no further.

But it did.

Three years later, Alex was beginning his senior season with the real possibility of going through his entire varsity career without a win.

He had to know it could happen, his linebacking mentor Matt Sodl '88 had just graduated suffering that very fate.

Alex made his best efforts, especially in his junior year, to stop the slide. He had 12 tackles in the near upset against Brown late in the season before the refs blew a fumble call that sealed the win for the Bears.

But after grabbing a spot on the Honorable Mention All Ivy team in 1987, John Alex took the leadership role as captain of a team entering the season with a 41-game losing streak.

The Lions stumbled through the first two games in '88, before sorely testing eventual co-champion Penn at Franklin Field.

Then came the big win against Princeton on Homecoming and the wild celebration that ensued. Even though he was not a super star contributor in that particular game, everyone knew Alex was a big reason for the win.

Columbia got one more win that season, and the fact that it was the final game of John Alex's career made it all the sweeter.

Day 75: Manhattan Transfer

Coach Galen Snyder


First off today, make sure you check out the GoColumbiaLions.com Web site and see the "splash page" that hawks football season tickets.

The page features a good shot of QB Millie Olawale, Roar-EE, and some students in full light blue body paint. (By the way, I never did the full body paint thing... but you gotta respect the kids who do, as long as they are indeed below the age of 30 and 250 or so pounds).


Today's memorable linebacker I'd like to recognize is Galen Snyder '91, who came to Columbia as a transfer from Duke University. During the first two seasons of Head Coach Ray Tellier's tenure, Snyder was the anchor of the defense and showed the signs of being a good motivator and future coach.

The Lions won only two games in Snyder's two varsity seasons of 1989 and 1990, but Snyder had so many standout games that he was named to the All Ivy second team in '89 and the first team in 1990.

Unbelievable tackle totals were Snyder's calling card.

In a 27-12 loss to Bucknell at Wien Stadium in 1989, Snyder was a part of an incredible 35 tackles. No, that's not a misprint, it was 35 tackles in one game!

In a close loss at Penn in 1990, Snyder had 18 tackles.

Snyder was elected team captain before that 1990 season and he has continued that legacy as a team leader. Snyder currently is the head football coach at his alma mater of Pennsbury High School outside of Philadelphia.

None of Coach Snyder's recent grads are playing ball in the Ivies, but there must be no hard feelings at Bucknell over his efforts in the 1989 game because of his players is now with the Bison.