A Senior Class with Class

Knowlin making a key reception against Brown in 2006 (CREDIT: Columbia Athletics)


26 Columbia seniors will take the field for the last time at Wien Stadium this Saturday.

It would not be hyperbole at all to call this group the most accomplished four-year contributors to the CU football program in history.

Other classes may have had more wins.

Other classes may have had better stats.

But no class contributed as much because so many of them were either starters or impact players on the field from day one.

Yes, freshmen have been allowed to play varsity football in the Ivies since 1993. But it took until 2006, when this group arrived on campus, for so many freshmen to play at Columbia at one time and at such a high level.

It starts with Austin Knowlin, who had a game-clinching 62-yard TD reception in the 2006 season opener against Fordham on his way to eventually breaking the Columbia record for receptions and receiving yards.

It continues with Lou Miller, who first saw action as an outside linebacker in his freshman year, was asked by the coaches to convert to defensive end, and has the inside track to leading the Ivies in sacks two years in a row.

Then there's Taylor Joseph, another wide receiver who played in all 10 games as a frosh, and started making key receptions by the end of the season. You can win games without superstars like Austin Knowlin, but you can't win without hard workers and team leader like Taylor Joseph.

Matt Bashaw was another early contributor. Making a key sack as a frosh defensive end against Cornell in 2006, and going on to fight injury every year and lead by example on and off the field.

Ray Rangel proved that sticking with it is always worth it, making a big impact in the 2006 training camp, scoring TD's as a sophomore, and finally breaking out with a super senior season until he was felled by injury.

Evan Sanford, John Seiler and Will Lipovsky have simply turned what was the worst offensive line in the Ivies into one of the best. Seiler was the one who got on the field first, seeing playing time in three games in 2006.

Andy Shalbrack made an impact in that first game against Fordham too, forcing a fumble and serving notice that he would be one of the game's hardest hitters for the next four years. He finished his freshman year as the Ivy leader in interceptions and has a career total of 12 going into this final game.

M.A. Olawale first got onto the field in the Dartmouth game in 2006 and darn near turned that game around for the Lions. Finally getting another solid chance at QB as junior in 2008, he did spark the team to a win against that same Dartmouth team and has turned out to be one of the toughest running QB's the league has ever seen.

And of course, there's the one man who was here in 2005: our lone 5th year senior, Corey Cameron, who has emerged as one of the top linebackers in the league.

Obviously the list goes on.

I wish these very talented, dedicated, and hard-working seniors could have seen some winning seasons, championships, and more All Ivy recognition.

But they are all still winners in a very real sense.

And I have no doubt that they will do whatever is necessary to go out as winners on the scoreboard on Saturday as well.

Many of them were key reasons for Columbia's last win over Brown which came in their freshman season.

That 22-21 win was higlighted by nine catches for 73 yards by Knowlin, one of which was crucial during the game winning drive. Shalbrack had two picks in that game, one of which killed a potentially game-icing Brown drive and the other iced the game.

Brown is the opponent again this week. It's time for the only guys on this Columbia team who know what it's like to best the Bears to do it again.