Hump Day

Teddy in his playing days


Kennedy Honored

In addition to his long career in politics, Ted Kennedy is being remembered today as a pretty decent end for the Harvard football team in the mid-1950's. He was better on defense, but he did catch a TD pass in the Crimson's 1955 21-7 win over Columbia and grabbed another score in Harvard's 21-7 loss to Yale later that season.

Harvard has placed Kennedy's old #88 jersey hanging alone in the locker room.



Still Hot and Sticky

This Wednesday is a hump day in more ways than one for the Columbia football players as the weather here in NYC is expected to cool off noticeably starting tomorrow. That should make practice more bearable for everyone. But with the pads going on now, today's high of 89 degrees and about 55% humidity will be tough.

One more day to go, guys.


FCS Yearbook


Writer Chuck Burton predicts Columbia to come in 6th in the Ivies in this year's College Sporting News FCS Yearbook. The entire magazine is worth downloading.

Incidentally, my own "predictions" for the upcoming season will be ready to go next week. I will go team by team with capsule-sized analyses of their prospects. Of course, an extensive outlook for the Lions will follow after I dispense with the other seven Ivy teams.

Here's I hint: I think we're better than a 6th place team.


Day 24: Jeff Roether '04

It seems like the Connecticut-area recruits have exploded here at Columbia ever since Head Coach Norries Wilson came to Morningside Heights from UConn.

But Head Coach Ray Tellier was a Connecticut native and one of his better pickups from his homestate was defensive end Jeff Roether from Plantsville.

Roether was a standout defender at Southington High School, where he eventually became an All-State player.

He made an immediate impact as a frosh in 2000, getting a rare chance to play on the defensive line in a couple games as a first year. But he made his real breakthrough in his junior year of 2002, leading the team in sacks and coming in second in the Ivies with three forced fumbles. He was even named Ivy Defensive Player of the Week in Columbia's heartbreaking last-minute loss at home to Cornell. By season's end, he had 37 tackles, six tackles for a loss, and four and a half sacks. Roether was named Honorable Mention All Ivy.

In 2003, Roether was elected co-captain and he had an even better season as Columbia went from 0-7 in the Ivies to 3-4. He finished with 39 tackles, eight tackles for a loss and another four and a half sacks.