Numbers Game

Marty Domres wore #21, even as a QB


Any day now, we’ll get the names and maybe even the preliminary uniform numbers of our incoming freshman football class.

That leads me to kickoff a discussion about the greatest wearers of specific uniform numbers in Columbia history.

It is not practical to retire numbers in college football. With 100+ players on most teams in any given year, you really can’t afford to part with any number. So this is a way to honor some of our all-time greatest players.

Let’s just take some numbers from random and draw some lines from past to present.

This is just the BEGINNING of this conversation, so I know I am leaving out a lot of numbers and players.

Here goes:

Marcellus Wiley wore #5, today our aggressive and impressive DB A.J. Maddox wears that number.

Columbia’s all-time greatest running back Johnathan Reese wore #7, and no one has that number right now. It’s likely a lucky incoming freshmen will get that number this summer

QB great Don Jackson wore #10 as does current QB Sean Brackett.

All-time great CU QB John Witkowski wore #18 in the early 80’s, as did talented QB Jeff McCall from 1998-2001. QB-turned-speedy-WR Paul Havas wears 18 now.

Archie Roberts wore #20, plugger RB David Chao wears that number now.


Two great QB’s, Gene Rossides and Marty Domres, wore #21. LB Mike Waller wears it today.

All-American Lou Kusserow wore #41 as did fellow All-American Paul Governali. LB Nico Papas is the current owner.


Sid Luckman briefly wore #44 but mostly #42 as a Lion and a member of the Chicago Bears… and I can’t think of many Lion stars who have worn that number since. FB Griffin Lowry wears that number now.

Rory Wilfork wore #45 as he made linebacking history at CU. Promising sophomore LB Eddie Hitchcock wears it today.

Des Werthman wore #49 as did Andy Shalbrack for ONE YEAR before Shalbrack switched to #6. Our current #49 is returing 5th year senior Mike Murphy.

The great captain-turned-coach-turned-Chairman of the Board of Trustees Bill Campbell wore #67. That number is untaken for now, so another lucky freshman is about to grab it.

Miracle WR Bill Swiacki wore #81 and did Columbia single-season receiving yardage record holder Don Lewis. Senior WR Mike Muston wears it today.