COLLEGE FOOTBALL : MAKING HISTORY : Columbia Sets Futility Record by Losing 35th Straight Game; Ex-Coach’s Sons Star

Columbia set the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division I football record for most consecutive losses at 35 Saturday as the sons of former Lion coach Jim Garrett led Princeton to a 38-8 victory.

Northwestern had set the previous record of 34 straight defeats between Sept. 22, 1979 and Sept. 18, 1982, and Columbia equaled it last weekend with a 23-0 loss to Penn.

Columbia, 0-4 this season, has not won a game since defeating Yale, 21-18, on Oct. 15, 1983, and it is winless in 38 games since, compiling an 0-36-2 record.

A twist to Saturday’s game was the presence of the Garretts on Princeton’s offense. Jason Garrett was at quarterback, Judd Garrett at tailback and John Garrett at wide receiver.

Their father resigned under pressure in 1985 after a stormy first year in which the team finished 0-10. The Garretts then transferred to Princeton.

Saturday, Judd Garrett, who had 147 yards in 19 carries, ran 58 yards to score on the second play of the game. On the third play of the next drive, Jason Garrett passed to brother John along the left sideline for a 74-yard touchdown play.

It took seven plays for Princeton to score on its third possession, as Judd Garrett ran 1 yard for the touchdown after Jerry Santillo broke through the Columbia line for a 40-yard gain.

Judd Garrett scored again on an eight-yard run late in the third quarter.

Jason Garrett completed 10 of 17 passes for 173 yards.

During its losing streak, Columbia has been shut out nine times, including four times in its last seven games. The Lions had not scored in the last 153 minutes 57 seconds. But the streak was broken Saturday when Chris Konovalchiak scored on a 14-yard run with 7:49 to play and the Lions made the 2-point conversion.

The all-time NCAA losing streak in football is 50, held by Division III Macalester of St. Paul, Minn.

NCAA DIVISION I LONGEST LOSING STREAKS

No. Team Years 35* Columbia 1983-1987 34 Northwestern 1979-1982 29 Morgan State 1983-1986 28 Kansas State 1945-1948 28 Virginia 1958-1960

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