Turn Back the Clock: The last time Penn lost to Columbia

How many students currently on campus know that the Penn men’s basketball team made a trip to the Final Four in 1979, only to fall to Magic Johnson and Michigan State? Or that the football team has seven claimed national championships, tied with powerhouses Michigan and Oklahoma for seventh all-time? Every week, I’ll dig deep into the DP archives and take a look at the rich sports history that exists here at Penn — feats from both the glory days and the not-so-great days.

On this day in Penn sports history …

October 12, 1996: This date marks the last time Penn football fell at the hands of Columbia.* Just one year earlier, the Lions ended the Quakers’ 24-game winning streak — which still stands as the longest winning streak ever by an FCS school (tied by Montana in 2002) — in an 24-14 upset at Wien Stadium. Coming into the game, Penn sat at 2-1 overall, 0-1 in the Ivy League, and was fresh off a 30-21 overtime win over Bucknell the week before. Columbia was 3-0, 1-0 in the Ivy, and had just blown out Holy Cross, 42-16, the previous week.

The game was a defensive struggle: Penn’s only regulation touchdown was a 93-yard interception return in the first quarter, and Columbia’s one-yard touchdown run was also set up by an interception, which had been returned to the Penn 1. Each team added two field goals, and the game went into overtime, 13-13.

In the extra period, the Lions won the toss and elected to play defense first. For the second straight week, the outcome of a Penn football game would be determined by a blocked kick in overtime. In the team’s victory over Bucknell the previous week, the Quakers, already up 24-21, blocked a Bison field goal attempt and returned it for a touchdown, sealing the victory. This time, however, Penn was the victim. After scoring a touchdown to take a 19-13 lead, the Quakers’ extra point was blocked. Here's Al Bagnoli (back in his 5th season) on the special teams meltdown:

"It was disappointing because we really executed well in overtime, and then we got so caught up in the touchdown we forgot to protect on the extra point ... Jeremiah [Greathouse, the kicker] never had a chance. There were probably three guys in there that almost beat the snap back."

When Columbia received their possession, they scored on their third play — a 25-yard touchdown pass over the middle of the field to tie the game, 19-19. They made the extra point, of course, and celebrated another dramatic victory over Penn. It was the Lions’ first 4-0 start to the season since 1945. They would finish the Ivy season 5-2, a winning record in the Ancient Eight for the first time in 24 years. The second place Ivy finish was also their best since 1961.

Columbia has not defeated Penn since that game, and this weekend, the Quakers will put their 13-game winning streak against the Lions on the line, when they play in New York on Saturday at 3:30PM. The game will be broadcast nationally on Versus.

*Excluding Penn’s forfeit loss in 1997. The Quakers had defeated the Lions 24-7, but were forced to forfeit after the fact, due to the use of an ineligible player. This forfeit is not recognized by the NCAA.