People > Coaches > Aldo "Buff" Donelli
Coach Donelli when he was the “Backfield Coach” for Columbia in 1945.
Aldo "Buff" Donelli, Coach 1957-1967
Following a legendary coach can be challenging, but Aldo “Buff” Donelli was always up for a challenge. Named Columbia's head football coach in 1957 after the retirement of Lou Little, Buff Donelli set out on a course to build a winner. After three rebuilding seasons, Donelli's Lions began to turn the corner in 1960, winning three Ivy League contests for the first time since the official start of Ivy League play in 1956. In his fifth season on Morningside Heights, Donelli guided the Lions to a season for the ages – winning the Ivy League Championship in 1961. Over the course of his ten years at Columbia, he recruited and coached some of Columbia's football greats: Bill Campbell CC 1962, Marty Domres CC 1969, Archie Roberts CC 1965, and Russ Warren CC 1962.