The Liberty Cup is awarded annually to the winner of the college football game between Columbia University and Fordham University, the oldest remaining and two of the only three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I football programs in New York City (Wagner College in the borough of Staten Island is the third). The trophy was dedicated in 2002, a year after the Columbia-Fordham game was postponed due to the attacks of September 11, 2001. [1] At least 43 Columbia alumni and 39 Fordham alumni and students died at the World Trade Center, including two former Fordham football players: Nick Brandemarti '00 and Kevin Szocik '97.
Background
Despite their proximity and long football histories, the schools met only three times in the 100 years from 1890 until 1991 (1890, 1902, and a Division III Fordham team was fielded in 1972), with Columbia shutting out Fordham each time. However, for 35 of those years the Rams did not have a Division 1 team to field against the Lions. Fordham folded its football program in 1954 citing financial concerns, until 1970 when it was re-introduced at the Division III level. The Rams would not play at the Division I level again until 1989. Fordham won the fourth meeting, in 1991, 20-16.
The teams have played annually since 2000. The Liberty Cup game now opens Columbia's season; it is typically the third game on Fordham's schedule. As of the 2013 meeting, Fordham leads the series 8-4.
Origin Of the Liberty Cup
The 10th meeting between Fordham and Columbia originally was scheduled for September 15, 2001. In the days following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Major League Baseball, the National Football League and many NCAA Division I teams canceled games for the following weekend. But Fordham and Columbiaâ€"two of the three Division I football teams in New York Cityâ€"debated as late as Friday, September 14, 2001 about the possibility of playing. Fordham officials wanted to send a message about American resilience in the face of the attacks, but Columbia officials argued that it was too soon after the attacks to think about playing a football game. "The question was, should we not play and mourn and honor our dead, or was normalcy in the face of this disaster the best response?" said the Rev. Joseph A. O'Hare, president of Fordham at that time.
The schools decided against playing on Sept. 15, but later in the season agreed to meet on Thanksgiving Day (November 22, 2001). Fordham thumped Columbia 41-10 before a capacity crowd of 7,000 fans. Afterwards, O'Hare said it had been the right decision to reschedule. "Oh, absolutely," he said. "I think we had put sports in perspective -- and we played great."
Less than 10 months after that game, the underdog Lions gained their revenge, holding Fordham close for 59 minutes and winning with a 37-yard field goal with 10.5 seconds to play. This was the inaugural Liberty Cup game. The 13-11 victory would be Columbia’s only win of the 2002 season; Fordham would finish 10-3, gaining a share of the Patriot League title and reaching the second round of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Columbia Band's altar boy joke controversy
The Columbia University Marching Band drew protests from Fordham and Roman Catholics generally with an off-color double entendre reference to the priest abuse scandal during its halftime performance at the inaugural 2002 Liberty Cup game, when the Columbia band's self-appointed "Poet Laureate" read from a script over the stadium's public address system: [2]:
"As well as the Mets' season going up in smoke, Fordham tuition going down like an altar boy, and the Fordham football team with a threat rating of a cute, neon pink, the band now presents an all-star gala halftime salute to more Columbia news."
In reporting the incident, The New York Times, the Associated Press, and most of the mainstream media found the reference to be too insensitive or offensive and refused to print it. Columbia President Lee C. Bollinger apologized for the band's remark. The author of the joke refused to apologize.
Recent history
The 2003 game was a thriller, with Fordham coming out on top in a wild 37-30 game. Jerry Glanville was the color broadcaster for that game for TV as a part of the now-defunct Football Network. After CBS executives saw his work on that game, he was offered a chance to call an NFL game the following week, the Detroit Lions/San Diego Chargers game.
Columbia took the 2006 meeting, 37-7, in the most lopsided result of the cup series until Fordham defeated Columbia 52-7 in 2013. The 2006 win was the Lions' second consecutive victory over Fordham, and made Norries Wilson the first Columbia coach since Aldo T. "Buff" Donelli to win his debut.
As of the 2014 meeting, Fordham leads the series 9-4.
The Liberty Cup results
As of the 2011 season Fordham became the first team to earn two or more consecutive wins three times, and in 2013 the first to earn four consecutive victories, leading the series 8-4. Fordham has led the series six times, Columbia two.
Results of all meetings
Including meetings going back to the 19th century, before the Liberty Cup was dedicated, Columbia leads the all-time series 12â€"10.
- 2001 Fordham 41, Columbia 10 [3]
- 2000 Columbia 43, Fordham 26 [4]
- 1996 Columbia 17, Fordham 10 [5]
- 1994 Columbia 24, Fordham 13 [6]
- 1993 Columbia 7, Fordham 0 [7]
- 1992 Columbia 18, Fordham 9 [8]
- 1991 Fordham 20, Columbia 16 [9]
- 1972 Columbia 44, Fordham 0
- 1902 Columbia 45, Fordham 0
- 1890 Columbia 40, Fordham 0
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