Columbians Ahead of Their Time
GRAPHIC NAME -->
Louis Lawrence Little "I did not come to Columbia to fail!"

Louis Lawrence Little (1893–1979)
Coach
Head Football Coach 1930–56

Lou Little's tenure as head football coach was marked by the biggest moment in Columbia's football history, the Lions' 7-0 victory over Stanford in the 1933 Rose Bowl. Though Little had few other winning teams at Columbia, he was recognized as a fine coach who was dedicated to his players. Among those who played for him were Sid Luckman, Gene Rossides, Lou Kusserow, Ventan Yablonsky, Al Barabas, and Jack Kerouac.

Born Luigi Piccolo in Boston, Little played tackle at the University of Vermont and at the University of Pennsylvania, where he won all-America honors, before serving in World War I. He then played professionally for four years, including a stint in 1921 when he played for the independent Philadelphia Quakers on Saturdays and the NFL's Buffalo All-Americans on Sundays. Little began coaching at Georgetown in 1924 and compiled a winning record during his six years there. He arrived at Columbia in 1930 and led the Lions to a 43-15-3 record in his first seven seasons, a period that included the Rose Bowl win. Though Columbia had only four more winning seasons until Little retired in 1956, he was inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame in 1960. As a measure of the high regard in which Little was held at the University, incoming President Dwight D. Eisenhower dissuaded him from leaving for Yale in 1947. It was Eisenhower's first executive decision at Columbia.

Sid Luckman.gif

Pro football Hall of Famer.

Cliff Montgomery

The 1934 Rose Bowl MVP turns 90.

CU Millennium Team

Columbia's all-time gridiron greats.

Write Columbia's History

Columbia's history, as seen by those who have studied, taught, and worked here.

Columbians Ahead of Their Time

Columbians have changed the world and how we see it.

C250 Celebrates | C250 Perspectives | C250 Forum | C250 Events | C250 To Go |
Contact C250 | Privacy Policy | About This Web Site | © Copyright 2004 Columbia University
src="/images/spacer.gif" width="20" height="1" alt="" border="0" />
C250 Celebrates | C250 Perspectives | C250 Forum | C250 Events | C250 To Go |
Contact C250 | Privacy Policy | About This Web Site | © Copyright 2004 Columbia University