Day 16: Craig Valentine '96

Take exit 63 on the L.I.E. to find a good offensive lineman


A very strong offensive line was one of the biggest reasons Columbia had such successful teams in the mid-1990's.

Randy Murff was one part of that puzzle, while Craig Valentine was another. In fact, it was Valentine who made the biggest impact on the field and he has the honors to prove it.

Craig came to Columbia in 1992 from Long Island's Newfield High and was part of the last group of Ivy footballers to play freshman football, (frosh were cleared to play for the varsity beginning in 1993). Columbia ended the era of frosh football on a high note, with a squeaker 22-20 win over Dartmouth and then a 39-0 trouncing of Cornell.

He impressed the coaches immediately and was given a shot to earn a starting varsity slot at guard for 1993 in training camp the following year. He won the job hands down.

While the 1993 season was generally a disappointment for Columbia, Valentine immediately showed signs of being the strongest man on the team. His development was a key to Head Coach Ray Tellier's decision to go with a shuttle system at QB for 1994 featuring running QB Mike Cavanaugh and passing QB Jamie Schwalbe. With Valentine anchoring the line, Tellier knew it could work.

And it did work, as Valentine gained another 10 pounds of muscle and made 1st Team All Ivy. In 1994 Columbia went from 1,038 net yards rushing to 1,634, a 57% jump.

When Schwalbe graduated after the '94 season, the emphasis on the run was heightened for '95 and Valentine was up to the challenge. He again was up to the challenge, winning another spot on the All Ivy First Team as the Lion offense was a force in the first seven weeks of the season until Cavanaugh's injury.

During his years at CU, Valentine was also a top track team performer at discuss and shot put.