WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University and Columbia University football programs will play the fourth game of their 10-year series on Saturday, competing for the Lou Little Trophy. The trophy, which stays with the winner until the following year's contest, honors College Football Hall of Fame Head Coach Lou Little who coached at both Georgetown and Columbia.
Little arrived on the Hilltop in 1924 and helped bring Georgetown football into the modern era. He recorded a 41-12-3 record over six seasons, while also serving as athletics director. His .759 win percentage is still the highest among GU head coaches who have coached more than 20 games on the Hilltop. Little took over at Columbia in 1930 and continued his Hall of Fame career until 1956. At Columbia, he posted 110 victories. Overall his teams won 149 games, lost 122 and tied 11.
At Georgetown, Little coached three All-Americans, including Harry Connaughton, Claude Grigsby and Jim Mooney, each of whom were inducted into the Georgetown Athletics Hall of Fame in 1953. Mooney, a two-time All-American, who captained Little's last team at Georgetown in 1929, lost his life during World War II. Little later extended an offer to his son, Jim, to attend Columbia, where he played football from 1953-55.
Little was elected president of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and played a key role on college football's Rules Committee. Four of his players - Paul Governali, Sid Luckman, Cliff Montgomery and Bill Swiacki - were elected to the College Football Foundation Hall of Fame, and he soon joined them. He was one of the best-known figures in New York City, found most nights in one or another of the city's famed nightspots, swapping stories with mayors, sports figures and entertainers. He was justly famous for his wardrobe, especially his shoes, of which it was said that he owned a different one for every day of the year.
The Hoyas won the first two installments of the series, 24-16 in 2015 and 17-14 in 2016, before dropping last year's matchup, 35-14, in New York. In last year's contest,
Michael Dereus (Hyde Park, Mass. / Williston Northampton) had four receptions for 126 yards, his second 100-yard receiving game of the season, including an 83-yard touchdown reception for the third-longest passing play in Georgetown's history and the longest since 1997.
Brandon Williams (Germantown, Md. / Northwest) also hauled in four passes for 78 yards.
Kickoff for Saturday's Homecoming contest versus Columbia is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Cooper Field. Links to live stats and a video stream, on the Patriot League Network, will be available at GUHoyas.com and will also be simulcast on Facebook Watch.
Saturday's game, as well as GU's Family Weekend contest against Lehigh on Oct. 20, are both currently sold out. Visit WeAreGeorgetown.com/football closer to game day for updates on whether additional tickets will be made available on Saturday at Cooper Field.
