\n In 1996, the Lions earned a winning conference season for the first time since 1971 with a 5-2 record. The 1996 team earned second in the league, only falling to Dartmouth. That season under the helm of head coach Ray Tellier would be the team’s last winning season for 24 years.\n

\n The Lions’ stagnation continued through the early 21st century, going winless in 2007 and then again with a 23-game, two-year winless streak in 2013 and 2014. Their next big break came in 2017 with head coach Al Bagnoli’s third season with the Light Blue. Columbia finished with a winning record—8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Ivy League—for the first time in 24 years. The Lions, however, fell back into stagnation within the League after this campaign, consistently finishing in the middle of the table until Bagnoli’s departure in 2022.\n

\n Last year saw interim coach Mark Fabish take charge, and the Lions finished at the bottom of the Ivy League table with a 3-7 overall record. Columbia’s single Ivy League win came against Cornell in the last game of the season. Heading into the 2024 season, the Lions were picked last in the preseason Ivy League Poll.\n

\n This year, new head coach Jon Poppe returned to Columbia from a brief stint as the head coach of Union College in 2023, having previously served as an assistant coach under Bagnoli. Under his leadership, the Lions earned their second title after 63 years, ending the longest title drought in the Ivy League. The Light Blue split the title with Harvard and Dartmouth. Wins against teams like No. 16 Lafayette and last year’s Ivy League champion Yale contributed to the Lions’ 7-3 overall record, and the championship garnered national media attention as the renowned losing team ended its titleless drought.\n

\n The seven wins were also the most of any rookie Lions’ head coach since 1899 and the highest in the Ivy League since 2015. As Poppe looked back on his historic championship, he focused on the players. “We can enjoy this moment tonight, but after that, these guys that are coming back can’t ride on this anymore, because all these guys are gone, it’s time to move on for the next one,” Poppe said.\n

\n Deputy Sports Editor Arielle Rieder can be contacted at arielle.rieder@columbiaspectator.com. Follow her on X @ArielleRieder.\n

\n Deputy Graphics Editor Molly Durawa can be contacted at molly.durawa@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec.\n

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