Day 45: Un-Linited

Columbia memorabilia pic of the day: The 1965 Media Guide

Speaking of media guides, it looks like a number of Ivy football teams will be going with online-only guides this season. I like the convenience of that, but like Bruce Wood of Big Green Alert, I'm a little worried about how long these online guides will be archived for future reference say, 20 years from now.


Matt Linit '99

The 8-2 1996 had an offense that was... how can I say it?... uh, it wasn't exactly that great.

The dominant Lion defense controlled the tempo week after week that year, setting up or scoring a huge chunk of Columbia's touchdowns. Defensive stand-out Marcellus Wiley '97, even had to come over to the other side of the ball a few times to make some clutch runs.

But the offense did have one legitimate star in kicker Matt Linit who made clutch kick after clutch kick and became a game-winning weapon.

Linit came to Columbia from Columbia... Missouri that is, where he was an All-State kicker at Hickman High School and a key player on the baseball team too.

As a freshman, Linit got most of his experience playing J.V. ball. But he was ready to start in '96 and with all the close games Columbia won that year, Linit's field goals and PAT's were often the margin of victory.

In all, Linit hit a team record 13 field goals that season, (still the record), and finished with 57 points for second all-time at Columbia for a single season. He also handled that punting that season and was named to the All Ivy Second Team as a kicker.

Without Matt, 1996 would have been a lot less special and maybe even a LOSING season.