Columbia University Ultimate Frisbee Team

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Ultimate Frisbee, sometimes abbreviated Ultimate, is an intercollegiate club sport, represented at our fair university by the Columbia University Ultimate Frisbee Team. The sport is unique in that it has no referees and one of the founding principals is the "spirit of the game" requires a special level of sportmanship (or sportpersonship).

History

1974

• The Columbia University Ultimate Frisbee Team was founded by David "Buddha" Meyer in the fall of 1974. Buddha was a graduate of Columbia High School in Orange, New Jersey, where the game of Ultimate originated in 1968. Many of Buddha's high school classmates had founded or were running other college teams on the East Coast, including Bob Evans at Princeton, Dave Leiwant at Yale and Jon (JC) Cohn at Cornell. The team's first shirt was a copy of the Columbia High School shirt stating Columbia Ultimate Frisbee in Columbia blue above concentric circles (supposed to be a Frisbee) on a white shirt. In contrast, the Columbia High School shirt had black lettering and said C.H.S. Varsity Frisbee. The sport at this time used a Master Frisbee (165s and 175s had not yet been invented), and the field was 60 yards long with 30 yard end zones. Games were usually two 45 minute halves.

1975

• David "Buddha" Meyer, takes junior year abroad and Larry Horlick and Jeff Birnbaum captain the team for the 1975-1976 academic year. Raymond Tang was one of the steady players. The lefty freshman from Huntington, Ken Gary joined the team in the fall and recruited sophomores Jerry "Young" McManus, Mike Forlenza and Bob Jarrett for the spring season (and many to come). Despite the infusion of new blood, the team's record remains untarnished by victory.

1976

• Spring 1976
• Fall 1976
  • David "Buddha" Meyer, a senior, returns from London School of Economics & is captain of the team.
  • The team won its first game at Yale on September __, 1976. This was also Steve Kane [and Chris Schmidt's] first game. A coincidence - I think not.

    The Fall 1976 Record  (2-2, excluding 2 scrimmages w/ Bronx Science & 1 with Stuyvesant, all Ws) 
    Fri 9/__/76  vs Bronx Science on South Field                    W (scrimmage)
    Sat 9/__/76  at Princeton                                       L
    Sat __/__/76 at Yale                                     21-20  W  (KG thinks it was 22-21)
    Sat __/__/76 vs County College of Morris at Central Park 18-14  W
    Sun __/__/76 at Webb                                     15-10  L  Called due to darkness

1977

• For the spring 1977 season, Budddha recruits John Anthony, a Columbia graduate student and free-style partner of free styler Krae van Sickel; Peter Bloeme, the then reigning Frisbee World Champion (his signature is on the 165G series if discs) and a graduate of Bronx High School of Science; and Mark Danna, a well known "free-styler" living in NYC (and also the author of "Frisbee Players Handbook", which was a round book sold in a disc) to join the Columbia squad.
  • The team discovered its potential in its second game of the season when Buddha taught the team how to play a zone on the subway ride up to Baker Field & the team narrowly lost 25-24 to Cornell, one of the top teams in the country (Cornell had Jon "JC" Cohn and Jim Herrick, both of whom are in the Ultimate Hall of Fame, as well as Dan Weiss).
  • That season's Columbia team consisted of several "athletes" (certainly athletes by Ultimate's then standard of "athletic"), including refugees from Columbia's other sports programs, including Jerry McManus (baseball) and Bob Jarrett and Michael Forlenza (lightweight football), Steve Kane, a self-acknowledged, but nonetheless excellent, goal hanger, running around to get open for Buddha, Bloeme, John Anthony & Ken Gary to throw to.
  • A typical play would have a Bloeme throw-off that pinned the other team in the corner by their goal line (this was before the "brick" rule); Columbia would then apply its zone (often a "force side") and upon a turnover Columbia would score, often with Buddha throwing an air-bounce wrist flip (that is not a typo) to someone in the end zone.
  • The team qualified for the 1977 East Coast Championship in April 1977. In its first single elimination game, Columbia lost to Penn State, the eventual East Coast champion.

    The Spring 1977 Record (8-4, including play-off)
   Sat 03/05/77  vs Glassboro at Central Park   28-13  L
   Sat 03/26/77  vs Cornell at Baker Field      25-24  L
   Sun 03/27/77  vs U New Haven at South Field  42-8   W  
   Sat 04/02/77  vs RPI at Baker Field          27-14  W  (very cold)
   Sun 04/03/77  vs Summit HS at South Field    25-9   W
   Sun 04/03/77  vs Hastings Club at South F    18-11  W
    04/9?10?/77  at County Collge of Morris     37-13  W
                 vs Penn at CCM                 25-20  W
   Sat 04/16/77  vs Yale at Baker Field         35-14  W
   Sun 04/17/77  vs Princeton at Baker Filed    29-26  L
   Sun 04/24/77  at Webb                        19-8   W
    04/30?/77    vs Penn State at Amherst       15-13  L  Penn State wins the Easterns  

• Fall 1977:
  • In the fall of 1977, Steve Kane & Jerry McManus were the co-captains.
  • Despite the loss of Buddha & Bloeme, the team continues to play well, but loses its 2 games to programs with "established" players with long Ultimate bloodlines (Princeton with Bob Evans from Columbia High School) and UConn with Dan Buckley & others from Staples High School). In contrast, Columbia has a bunch of unknown players, incluindg new teammates Maurice Matiz (a cross-counrty refugee) and freshmen Ernie Cicconi and Paul Tvetenstrand. and others ----.
  • The team shirt changes to a blue shirt with white lettering "Columbia Ultimate" above an actual replica of a 165G disc on it (which disc is signed by former Columbia player & then World Frisbee Champion, Peter Bloeme). This shirt remains the team uniform through at least 1984.
  • Practices for 1977 and for several years thereafter are Tuesday & Thursday nights on South Field (which is in a dust-bowl like state). On Thursday nights, practices are watched by the "pre-Pub" crowd. The drinking age was 18 and there was a Pub in the basement of John Jay Hall that served beer and Thursday night was the most popular Pub night at John Jay)

  The Fall 1977 Record (5-2)
   Sat 9/24/77  at UConn                    30-10  L
   Sun 10/2/77  at U New Haven              26-8   W
   Sat 10/8/77  at County College of Morris 18-16  W
   Sat 10/15/77 at Princeton                23-18  L
   Sun 10/16/77 vs UPenn at Baker Field     32-27  W
   Sat 10/29/77 at Vassar                   32-13  W
   Sun 11/12/77 vs Webb at Baker Field      26-25  W

1978

• Florida Trip 1978 --- was there one? ___
• Spring 1978.
  • An undefeated regular season was followed by a three way tie for the final 2 spots in the Regionals with only the top four teams qualifying for the Eastern Nationals.
  • Despite beating Princeton twice, the highlight of the season was the crushing defeat of then top nationally-ranked Rutgers at Rutgers (1974, 1975 & 1976 national champions). In contrast to the spring of 1977 when Columbia had the well-known Buddha and Bloeme, Columbia's humiliating defeat of Rutgers, by a bunch of non-New Jersey, "no-name" players was an announcement that Columbia was a team to be reckoned with (even though one should never end a sentence with preposition). However, Princeton & the other "established" teams got revenge in the Regionals.
  • Photos of the Columbia Ultimate team at prctice are on the first page of New York Times Sports section (p. 49) on Wednesday April 26, 1978. Photos include Steve Kane handling, while Victor Garcia defends, and Jerry McManus skying over an unidentifed player.
  • Due to the primitiveness of the sport, tie-breakers for tournaments had not been fully developped yet. So at the Regionals after a 3 way tie occurred for the final 2 spots for the Easterns, the NJ teams banded together and outvoted others in having goal differential among the top 5 team determine the winner. This was the only way Columbia would have been eliminated and Knights of Nee (a New Jersy Club team with alumni from NJ schools & many "old time/establsihed" players) & Princeton would have qualified. Columbia would have won goal differential among the 3 tied teams and goal differential for the tournament. But Columbia (without "Buddha" or any other established NJ connection) got outvoted for the only formula that let the 4 NJ teams advance. This tournament cemented the hatred for all things Jersey.

    The Record Spring 1978  14-3 (9-0 regular season; 5-3 tourney
    Sat 03/04/78  at Delaware                               15-8  W
    Sun 03/05/78  County College of Morris at Baker Field   17-6  W in football stadium in snow
    Sat 03/25/78  U of New Haven at Baker Field             21-5  W
    Sat 04/01/78  Lockhaven in NYC                          8-3   W one 15 minute half
                  Brandeis in NYC                           24-9  W
    Sun 04/02/78  at Rutgers                                22-15 W Major victory
    Sat 04/05/78  at Vassar                                 31-7  W
    Sat 04/15/78  vs Princeton in NYC (Central Park?)       22-14 W
                  vs Dartmouth in NYC                       21-5  W
    REGIONALS AT RUTGERS
    Sat 04/22/78  vs Columbia High School                   13-5  W
                  vs Rutgers East (the B team)                    W
                  vs Glassboro                                    L  Glassboro wins tourney
                  vs Princeton                               +1   W
                  vs DC Frisbee                                   W
    Sun 04/23/78  vs Knights of Nee                          -6   L
                  vs Rutgers                                      L  #2 in tourney
                  vs Webb                                         W 

• Fall 1978.
  • This was a great season. The "upset" of Boston Frisbee Club (BFC)/Boston Aerodisc( BAD) (their only loss of the season) was cool. BFC/BAD was the first non-NJ club of "all-stars", who were formed for the sole purpose of becoming national champions. Prior to the game with Columbia they were crushing all their opponents.
  • Also, this season, Columbia is teaching a very raw Pat King (who later becomes the founder and star of NEW YORK/NEW YORK, the Ultimate World Champions for several years in the 1980s) the intracacies of the game.
  • The season finale is the "hearse game" when the team travels by Tom Glocer's hearse to Princeton, arrives late (perhaps because the hearse didn't leave 114th St. until the scheduled game time), pulls up onto the field (with Princeton security follwing), and then goes on to beat hated rival Princeton who took part in the screwing of Columbia at the Spring 1978 Regionals, despite Princeton's captain Bob "God" Evans' protests of Ernie Cicconni's over-aggresive point play.

   The Record Fall 1978  15-3
   Sun 09/17/78  at Webb                            23-22 W
   Sun 09/24/78  at Fairleigh Dickinson             22-2  W
   Sun 10/01/78  UPenn at Baker Field               37-19 W  (14-11 at half)
   Sat 10/07/78  at Bucknell                        30-17 L
                 vs Rutgers                         31-28 W
   Sun 10/08/78  at Penn State                      18-8  W
   Sat 10/14/78  vs Knights of Nee at Central Park  29-16 L
   Sat 10/15/78  at County College of Morris        25-20 L
   Sat 10/21/78  vs Syracuse at Baker Field         41-24 W
   Sat 10/26/78  at Vassar                          32-18 W
                 vs UConn at Vassar                 29-22 W
   Sat 11/04/78  at Brandeis                        29-17 W
                 vs BU at Brandeis                  29-11 W
   Sun 11/05/78  vs Brown at Cleveland Circle       14-12 W
                 at Boston Frisbee Club             24-20 W
   Sat 11/11/78  at Princeton                       27-20 W
                 vs Lehigh at Princeton             18-9  W

• Winter 1978-1979. Ultimate Players Association (UPA) founded. New regions are established and NY including NY is in the Northeast Region while NJ is in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Not only is Columbia freed from the NJ dominated Mid-Atlantic Region, but a likely showdown between BFC/BAD & Columbia for the Northeast Regional Championship in the spring (and entry to the Nationals) appears likely.

1979

• Winter/Indoor 1979

    The Record 4-0
    Syracuse Tournament in Carrier Dome (starts at midnight)
    02/03/79  vs. Syracuse   15-6   W
              vs. Cornell    13-10  W
              vs. Hampshire  15-6   W   Tournament Champion
    02/17/79  at  UConn      36-31  W

• Florida Trip

    The Record 0-3-1
    03/11/79  at Univ of Fla 18-18  T
    03/13/79  at U of So Fla 18-16  L
              vs Orlando     20-15  L
    03/15/79  at U of Miami  20-18  L      

• Spring 1979.
  • In Northeast Regional semi-final at Amherst, the team loses to Cornell on a tipped disc goal with time running out and the season ends. Columbia had previously beaten Cornell in this double elimination tourney. Two unnamed players (Mike Strage & Alex Bagley) oversleep - [sure Strage I could see doing that, but Alex?] Cornell goes on to upset BFC/BAD; thus BFC/BAD's only losses in the 1978-1979 were their final games of the fall & the spring.
  • In sum, despite a great deal of talent (& probably the "deepest bench" ever), including in no particular order, Steve Kane, Ken Gary, Maurice Matiz, Chris Schmidt, Ernie Cicconi, Bob Kennelly, Mike Strage, John "GG" Getsos, Grog, Bob Jarrett, Dave Dewitt, Alex Bagley, Tom Glocer, Mike Forlenza & others, the team just never really gelled.

    The Record  9-6, including playoffs
    Sun 03/25/79  vs County Collge of Morris at _____    ____  L  
                  vs Webb                                ____  W
    Sat 3/31/79   vs Boston Frisbee Club at ______       23-13 L
    Sun 04/01/79  vs Hampshire at Yale                   26-11 W
    Sat 04/07/79  at Vassar                              30-9  W
                  vs Dukes of Conn                       18-13 W
    Sat 04/14/79  vs Dartmouth at Central Park            +4   W cold & rainy
                  vs Cornell at Central Park              -1   L
    SECTIONALS at _____
    Sat  04/21/79 vs Central Conn                         +12  W
                  vs Webb                                 -6   L
    Sun 04/22/79  vs Wesleyan                            23-11 W
    REGIONALS at Amherst
    Sat 4/28/77   vs Cornell                               +3  W
                  vs Middlebury                            +1  W Middlebury blew it & great play by Flu
                  vs Boston                              20-8  L
    Sun 4/29/77   vs Cornell                               -1  L Last second tip play loss; Cornell goes on to upset Boston

• Fall 1979.
  • With Maurice Matiz & Ken Gary graduating in May 1979, the Heifers, a NYC Club team is formed. Although in its beginning stages Columbia is assisting the Heiffers, a rivalry quickly develops. The Heifers did have a cool shirt though, in both black & yellow versions, of a large uddered cow jumping over the NYC skyline. Conceived by Ken Gary & drawn by Alex Toran.
  • Is this when the Schmidt Rule comes in ?

    The Fall 1979 Record 9-7, including play-offs
    Sat 09/29/79  at Webb                             22-15 L
                  vs UConn                            23-19 W
    Sun 09/30/79  at Dukes                            20-13 L
    Sat 10/06/79  at Vassar                           26-22 W
                  vs Cornell                          17-7  W Upset. Bob K & Bob J cover Paul Bremer others play zone
    Sun 10/21/79  vs Kings Point (at Baker Field?)    34-4  W
    IVY LEAGUE TOURNAMENT at Harvard
    Sat 10/27/79  vs Dartmouth                        -10   L
                  vs Cornell                          -6    L
                  vs Yale                             +4    W
    Sun 10/28/79  vs Harvard                          +5?   W
    SECTIONALS AT SUNY PURCHASE
    Sat 11/03/79  vs Wesleyan                         12-5  W
                  vs Central Conn                     12-3  W
    Sun 11/04/79  vs Heifers                          29-13 L
                  vs UConn                            13-7  W
    REGIONALS AT AMHERST
    Sat 11/10/79  vs Hampshire                        -10   L
                  vs Syracuse                         +6    W
                  vs Heifers                          -4    L  Season over - # 5 in NE Region

1980

• Winter Indoor Season 1980

    The Record 6-1 
    Sun 02/03/80  at Fordham          30-5  W
    Sat 02/09/80  at UConn            19-18 W
                  Yale at UConn       23-5  W
    Sat 02/09/80  at SUNY Purchase    67-30 W  Not a typo (no wind indoors)
    SYRACUSE TOURNAMENT
    Sat 02/29/80  vs Brandeis         17-7  W
                  vs Hampshire        14-4  L
                  vs Syracuse         19-14 W
               Three way tie for first between Columbia, Hampshire & Syracuse

• 1980 Florida Trip.
  • Last minute car plans change so only 8 players go in Steve Kane's parents' station wagon - Steve Kane, Chris Schmidt, Bob Kennelly, Mike Stage, Wally Don, Ken Gary, Ernie Cicconi and Jeff Coffin.
  • The team goes undefeated, despite playing threey doubleheaders with only 1 sub. Columbia would have won by a larger margin in one of the games, but Mike Strage confuses Ken Gary when he receives a throw-off.
  • L'affaire eclair almost costs the team 2 players.

     The Florida Record 6-0
     Sun    03/09/80 at U Fla            18-14 W
                     at U Fla            15-10 W
     Tues   03/12/80 at USF              19-11 W
                     at USF              14-11 W
     Thurs  03/14/80 at Riveria (Miami)  18-7  W
                     at Riveria (Miami)  18-6  W

• The Spring 1980 Season.
  • Another very good season, but with a dispointing end. The quality of the schedule is weaker than in prior seasons but still includes BFC/BAD & Dukes (of Conn).

    The Record - Spring 1980 13-2, including play-offs
    Sat 03/22/80  at County Collge of Morris       +4   W
    Sat 03/29/80  vs Dartmouth at Flushing Meadow 15-8  W
                  vs Boston                        8-7  L
    Sun 03/30/80  vs RPI at Baker Field                 W
                  vs Dukes                        19-7  W
    Sat 04/05/80  vs NJ Plastic Exchange          10-8  W
                  at Rutgers                      10-6  W
                  vs Roland & Fish (NYC Club)     14-13 W
    Sun 04/13/80  vs Discmasters at Baker Field         W
                  vs Hampshire                          W
    Sat 04/19/80  at Vassar                             W
    SECTIONALS AT SUNY PURCHASE
    Sat 04/26/80  vs Kings Point                   +20? W
                  vs Discmasters                   +8 ? W
                  vs Yale                          +3?  W
    Sun 04/27/80  vs Central Conn                       L  Eliminated - Season over

• The Fall 1980 Season
  • C'mon Chris, Ernie Phil, someone do you have this season's record? & comments
  • 1980-1981 school funding is $1760 ($500 Athletic Dept. and $1260 from JBC - Student Government) per Bill Ebner's 4/28/80 letter.

1981

• Winter/Indoor 1981 Record 2-0

    Sun 2/22/81 W	@SUNY Albany	             24-11 Indoor ? outdoor 
    Sun 3/1/81  W	@Jersey Jolt (New Brunswick) 13-8  indoor ? outdoor

• Florida 1981

   The Florida 1981 Record 5-2
   Fri 3/6/81	L	at Duke		
   Sun 3/8/81	W	at Bradenton (FL)	
   Mon 3/9/81	W	at  USF (Tampa)
   Wed 3/11/81	L	at Riviera (Miami)  ? is dewitt still there ?
   Thu 3/12/81	W	at U of Orlando

W at U of Orlando 2nd game

   Sat 3/14/81	W	at Wash DC Frisbee Club

• Spring 1981
  • The Record Spring 1981 23-7 (inc. 3 tourneys)

  Sat 3/21/81	W	Clouds of NJ @ Paramus	22-9

W Rutgers 18-15

  Sun 3/22/81	L	Heiffers @ Baker Field	19-10

L Webb 17-12

  Tue 3/24/81	L	Bronx Science @South Field 17-16 
  Sat 3/28/81	W	Gators (of CT) @Norwalk	32-8

W Dukes (of CT) 15-12 W Rutgers 17-10

  Sun 3/29/81	W	Wesleyan		21-12
  Sat 4/4/81	W	@Vassar			19-9

W SUNY Albany 20-7 W Upstate All-Stars 33-24

  Sun 4/12/81	W	Central Conn @ Baker	24-21	Overtime
 
  [Sectionals @ Norwalk CT]
  Sat 4/18/81	W	Central Conn	        17-14
  Sun 4/19/81	L	Dukes			13-12

W Central Conn 14-11 W Gators (CT) 23-15 W Bronx Science 15-12

  [Northeast Regionals] 
  Sat 4/25/81	W	Umass	@Wellesley	21-16

W SUNY Binghamton 16-14

  Sun 4/26/81	W	Dartmouth @ Harvard	17-15

W Harvard 12-9 L Middlebury 13-11

  [Easterns @ Purchase NY]
  Sat 5/2/81	W	WPI			19-7

W Harvard 23-6 L Jersey Jam 11-10 W Princeton 10-9

  Sun 5/3/81   L	Glassboro State		14-11 Boro is      

  [Ivies @ Princeton]

   5/16/81	W	Yale				20-1	

W Princeton 17-14 W UPenn 15-9

   [Columbia is Ivy League Champs]

• • Schmidt Rule. Some Timing is uncertain. In the midst of a fierce and acriomonious mutli-month (multi-year?) debate concerning whether games should be by points (i.e first to 21) or by the 'traditional" time (which was leading to stall tactics and a lot of end of game disputes as to whethr time had run out on last second goals (the sport has no referres, let alone time-keepers), Columbia's captain, Chris Schmidt proposes the most elegant solution, the "Schmidt Rule", that states the game must end on a score (thus eliminating stalling as the clock runs out & disputes whether time ran out before a last second goal is scored. I can't find Chris Schmidt's letter to the UPA newsletter, but, the Schmidt Rule is adopted at the Northeast Region Captains meeting in September 1981 and is adopted nation-wide.
• Fall 1981
  • Someone has to get the record
  • Northeast Regionals Nov 7-8, 1981, Amherst MA
    • "The first game in Pool D was Columbia v. Hostages (a Boston all-star team). Columbia, the third-place team in 1979, was playing with an even smaller squad than the Hostages. Columbia can give anyone a tough game, and they jumped out to a 4-2 lead. Twice Columbia dropped scoring passes in the endzone. Both times the Hostages took the disc the lenghth of the field for a score. So, if Columbia catches those two scores, the Hosatges are looking at a 6-0 deficit! The Hostages were able to come back from a 4-2 score however and win the game. The most imporant plays of the first day (for the entire 16 team tourney) were those two dropped passes."
    • Other games in that Pool D was vs. Cornell, which Columbia lost, and vs. Brockport which resulted in ___?

At 1981 Fall Regionals, UMass

In the photo from L to R are: Bob Jarrett, Les Fritzemeier, Steve Kane, Jim Drennan (looking skyward), Phil Hirshhorn (dropping disc, see desription of tourny above), Chris Schmidt, Dave Rosenfeld, Tom Jacobson, Jeff Coffin, Paul Tvetenstrand, Chris Klein, Chris Betts, Mike Strage, Greg Telonis. This photo was later turned into a prize winning Christmas tree ornament.

External Links

• Uptown Local (men's team )
• NYPD (women's team)
• Google group