NEW YORK—Columbia Athletics is saddened to learn of the passing of award-winning actor Brian Dennehy '60CC. A former Columbia Football player and All-Ivy League honoree, Dennehy is best known for his work on stage and screen, including the popular movies
Tommy Boy and
First Blood, as well as the 1998 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's
Death of a Salesman, for which he won a Tony award.
"Brian Dennehy was a shining example of the incredibly multi-talented men and women who have competed in athletics at Columbia and in The Ivy League over the years," notes
Peter Pilling, Columbia's Campbell Family Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. "We send our deepest sympathies and condolences to his family and loved ones on his passing."
A contemporary and former football teammate of captain Bill Campbell '62CC, Dennehy was a visible (and audible) supporter of his Alma Mater and its football program for years after graduation. In 2007, he was named Columbia's honoree at the bi-annual Ivy Football Association Dinner. At the dedication of the Campbell Sports Center in 2012 he was a special guest in the ceremonial video honoring his former teammate. At the University's request in 2016, Dennehy provided the voiceover for the "Doubled Magic" image spot which airs during televised sporting events, featuring the words of another notable Columbia alumnus, Herman Wouk '34CC.
