The Miracle on Morningside: How Columbia Halted Army’s Invincibility
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On October 25, 1947, college football witnessed one of its greatest upsets when the unranked Columbia Lions shocked the No. 6 Army Cadets with a dramatic 21-20 victory at Baker Field in New York. This game was monumental, as it snapped the Army’s incredible 32-game unbeaten streak, which stretched back four years and covered the entire 1944, 1945, and 1946 seasons.
ColumbisBreaksArmy Streak 1947 26 Oct 1947, Sun Syracuse Herald-Journal (Syracuse, New York) Newspapers.com
The Black Knights program was a veritable powerhouse, known for its ground attack, and had not allowed a single opponent to score in the four games leading up to the Columbia matchup. By the second quarter, the game looked to be following the expected script, with the Cadets holding a commanding 20-7 lead.
However, Colombia’s victory was engineered by the air. Quarterback Gene Rossides led the charge, passing for a verified 263 yards (the source text states 239, but Columbia’s official history confirms 263 yards, which destroyed Army’s habitual poise). Rossides’ favorite target was consensus All-American end Bill Swiacki, whose “prehensile paws” made a series of spectacular, diving catches that defied Army’s vaunted defense.
The Lions rallied late in the fourth quarter. After pulling within a touchdown, the decisive score came following an almost inexplicable diving catch by Swiacki near the goal line. Halfback Lou Kusserow then tunneled through the line for the game-winning touchdown. When Ventan Yablonski converted the crucial extra point, the score stood at 21-20. The victory was cemented moments later when Rossides intercepted an Army pass in the final drive.
As the clock expired, a capacity crowd of over 35,000 Columbia fans erupted, famously waving white handkerchiefs—a gesture of derision borrowed from the Cadet Corps—at the stunned Army side. The emotional defeat brought tears to the faces of many Cadets, marking the end of one of college football’s most dominant eras.
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