Opening Statement

Coach Donelli had the Lions running on all cylinders


Game of the Day (Day 9)

September 30, 1961

Columbia 50 Brown 0


Most of the toughest years in the history of the Columbia program have been in the last 40 years. But even though the Lions had a much better overall record going into 1961, everyone on Morningside Heights knew a very special season was on tap.

If anyone didn't believe it, they learned to think otherwise after an astounding opening day win at Brown.

To be fair, Columbia had handled the Bears pretty easily the two years prior to the 1961 match. The Lions shut out Brown 37-0 in 1960 and beat them 21-6 in 1959.

But this game was something else entirely. A dominating shutout on an opponent's home field.

The game started oddly as Brown was forced to punt on its opening series. But the punt actually went BACKWARDS and the Lions started their first possession on the Bear 18. Running back Tom Haggerty took it in from the four for the 6-0 lead, (the 2-point coversion attempt failed).

Brown punted on its ensuing possession and the Lions took control at the Bear 44. QB Tom Vassell then threw a 44-yard TD pass to Russ Warren. Tom O'Connor ran in the 2-pt. conversion to make it 14-0.

Haggerty scored another TD to finish out the first quarter and another successful 2-pt. conversion made it 22-0.

Things quieted down in the second quarter, but only because Columbia mounted a huge time-consuming drive. It took more than nine minutes, went 84 yards, and ended with another TD by Warren, this time on a run. The 2-pt. conversion pass failed but it was 28-0 at the half.

Columbia scored two more TD's in the third quarter, the most spectacular being the first score when Warren scooped up a punt blocked by Lee Black and ran it back 32 yards. At that point, Coach Buff Donelli sent in the reserves.

One of those reserves was a rugby prodicy from Ireland named Pat Moran, who ended up making a touchdown-saving tackle on a Brown kickoff return. Another scrub-made-good was third string QB Len DeFiore who scored the final touchdown of the day on an impressive five-yard run while playing excellent defense at safety as well.

When the game was over, Columbia had broken several team records. The 295 yards rushing was an all-time Lion mark, as was the 50-point margin of victory over an Ivy opponent, (that still stands). Brown was held to 58 yards rushing and only 27 yards passing.

After the game, Coach Donelli told his team to "stay healthy." He knew he had the horses to win a title. And at the end of the season, he did.