Day 7: Eugene Rossides '49

Rossides in the days before facemask penalties


Cliff Montgomery quarterbacked Columbia to its greatest victory of all time, the 1934 Rose Bowl.

But a close second was the win over Army in 1947. And the man under center that historic day at Baker Field was Eugene Rossides.

I had the honor of interviewing Rossides during the Yale game at Wien Stadium in 2007. We spent a lot of time talking about football, but at least half the interview was dedicated to his impressive post football career, which included a high-level stint at the State Department. One revelation that made that interview a little more exciting than most was the fact that Rossides is no fan of Henry Kissinger!

But getting back to football, Rossides came from the same high school as Sid Luckman, Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn. And it was Luckman's active recruiting of Rossides that sealed the deal for him to attend Columbia.

When he entered college in 1945 the war was temporarily clearing the way for freshmen to play varsity football, so Rossides got to play four years with the big boys.


Eugene Rossides Today


In addition to his passing and quick running skills, Rossides was a leading punt returner and he still holds Columbia records for most punt returns in a game, (9 against Dartmouth in 15-0 win in 1947), best career punt return yards, (854), and he's tied for the most touchdowns scored in a game with five.

During his four years, the Lions went 25-11, including an 8-1 campaign in 1945 and the 7-2 1947 season.

Rossides is now retired and living in the Washington, DC area.