The 10th meeting between Fordham and Columbia originally was scheduled for September 15 , 2001 . In the days following the September 11 , 2001 attacks , Major League Baseball , the National Football League and many NCAA Division I teams canceled games for the following weekend . But Fordham and Columbia — the only Division I football teams in New York City at the time — debated as late as Friday , September 14 , 2001 about the possibility of playing . Fordham officials wanted to send a message about American resilience in the face of the attacks , but Columbia officials argued that it was too soon to think about playing a football game . " The question was , should we not play and mourn and honor our dead , or was normalcy in the face of this disaster the best response ? " said the Rev. Joseph A. O'Hare , president of Fordham at that time
September 11 , 2001 attacks
September 11 attacks
The Liberty Cup