1951 Columbia Lions football team

The 1951 Columbia Lions football team was an American football team that represented Columbia University as an independent during the 1951 college football season.

1951 Columbia Lions football
Conference	Independent
1951 record	5–3
Head coach	Lou Little (22nd season)
Captain	Howard Hansen
Home stadium	Baker Field

1951 Eastern college football independents records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Princeton			–					9	–	0	–	0
Northeastern			–					6	–	0	–	1
No. 19 Holy Cross			–					8	–	2	–	0
Carnegie Tech			–					6	–	2	–	0
Cornell			–					6	–	3	–	0
No. 16 Boston University			–					6	–	4	–	0
Temple			–					6	–	4	–	0
Columbia			–					5	–	3	–	0
Villanova			–					5	–	3	–	0
Fordham			–					5	–	4	–	0
Franklin & Marshall			–					5	–	4	–	0
Penn			–					5	–	4	–	0
Penn State			–					5	–	4	–	0
Syracuse			–					5	–	4	–	0
Buffalo			–					4	–	4	–	0
Colgate			–					4	–	5	–	0
Dartmouth			–					4	–	5	–	0
Drexel			–					3	–	4	–	0
Harvard			–					3	–	5	–	1
Boston College			–					3	–	6	–	0
Yale			–					2	–	5	–	2
Pittsburgh			–					3	–	7	–	0
Army			–					2	–	7	–	0
Brown			–					2	–	7	–	0
NYU			–					1	–	7	–	0
Tufts			–					0	–	7	–	2
Rankings from AP Poll

In their 22nd season under head coach Lou Little, the Lions compiled a 5–3 record, and outscored their opponents 149 to 103. Howard Hansen was the team captain.[1]

Only eight games were played, rather than the usual nine, because two Columbia players were stricken with polio late in the preseason, prompting the team to pull out of its planned season opener at Princeton.[2] When testing showed that no other team members were affected, the Lions went ahead with the remaining eight games of their schedule.

Columbia played its home games at Baker Field in Upper Manhattan, in New York City.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 29	at Princeton	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ	Canceled		[2]
October 6	Harvard	Baker Field New York, NY	W 35–0	15,000	[3]
October 13	Yale	Baker Field New York, NY	W 14–0	25,000	[4]
October 20	at Penn	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA	L 13–28	40,000	[5]
October 27	at Army	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 9–14	20,349	[6]
November 3	at Cornell	Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY (rivalry)	W 21–20	21,000	[7]
November 10	Dartmouth	Baker Field New York, NY	W 21–6	20,000	[8]
November 17	Navy	Baker Field New York, NY	L 7–21	25,300	[9]
November 24	Brown	Baker Field New York, NY	W 29–14	10,000	[10]
Homecoming

References

1. "Columbia Football 2019 Record Book". New York, N.Y.: Columbia University. p. 213. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
2. "Columbia Cancels Football Opener; Two Players Believed Ill of Polio". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. September 22, 1951. p. 1.
3. Danzig, Allison (October 7, 1951). "Lions Easy Victors over Harvard, 35-0". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
4. Sheehan, Joseph M. (October 14, 1951). "Price, Hansen Lead Lions to Victory on Baker Field". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
5. Sheehan, Joseph M. (October 21, 1951). "Penn Beats Columbia, 28-13; Quaker Line Stars". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
6. Sheehan, Joseph M. (October 28, 1951). "Army Upsets Columbia, 14-9; Cadets Hold Fast". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
7. McGowen, Roscoe (November 4, 1951). "Columbia Tops Cornell, 21-20; Big Red Push Fails". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
8. Werden, Lincoln A. (November 11, 1951). "Lions Rally for 21-6 Victory After Quick Dartmouth Tally". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
9. Sheehan, Joseph M. (November 18, 1951). "Navy Beats Columbia, 21-7; No. 1 for Middies". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
10. Nichols, Joseph C. (November 25, 1951). "Lions' Late Surge Trims Brown, 29-14". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.