Tomorrow Lafayette College (Easton, PA) hosts Lehigh University in the most played fooball matchup of all times. First played in 1884, they have played every year except 1896 (Lafayette was National Champion that year), playing twice in the early years and in 1891 played a third game in Wilkes-Barre.
The first college football games were Princeton vs Rutgers in 1869. They no longer play, since Rutgers moved up. It was soccer style and the games were home and home. As other colleges picked up the game they switched to a rugby style. In 1876 the Intercollegiate Football Association was created. In 1880 the numbers of players were reduced to 11, the line of scrimmage was instituted and the quarteback was recognized. In 1881 the modern field size was set and in 1882, down and distance was introduced, 5 yards in 3 plays.
There were 8 colleges playing football in 1880, Columbia, Harvard, McGill (Montreal, Canada), Michigan, Princeton, Rutgers, Tufts and Yale. Lafayette began playing in 1882 and Lehigh in 1884.
The bad blood rivalry between Lehigh and Lafayette predates the founding of Lehigh University. Lafayette College was founded in 1826 and Lehigh in 1865. When Asa Packer a carpenter moved to Mauch Chunk, PA (renamed to Jim Thorpe) he joined the Presbyterian congregation, was displeased and switched to the Espicopal Church. Asa Packer built and owned many of the Canal Boats on the Lehigh Canal and then became one of the wealthiest men at the time from his Lehigh Valley Railroad. He was approached by Lafayette College to build their engineering wing, but refused when he found out Lafayette was supported by the Presbyterians. When Asa Packer set out to found Lehigh University he sought out the Episcopal Church for support.
My first Lehigh-Lafayette game was the 100th game in 1964, I was a freshman at Lehigh. Once married my wife and I lived on College Hill in Easton, near the Lafayette campus, so that she could walk to work while I used our one car to travel to Lehigh for classes. I never did put a Lehigh sticker on that car.
Lehigh is 8-2 this year, Patriot League Champions and rated # 22 in the Football Championship Subdivision. They should be hosting a game in the first playoff round. Their 2 losses this year were to New Hampshire and current FCS Champion Villanova. They beat Princeton, Fordham and Harvard. A good year but it all goes for naught if they lose to 2-8 Lafayette tomorrow.
"Go Engineers", Whoops, correct that "Go Mountain Hawks".
Lehigh one of the top engineering schools in the USA was always called "The Engineers" a carry over from Asa Packer's railroad, but never found a suitable looking mascot (I like Purdue's Boilermaker). The artsy-fartsy non-engineers complained about being left out, so the second politically correct thing they did after going coed was to change the name to Mountain Hawks.
Paul in PA
At the Rutger's football athletic site..maybe the Scarlett Knight web site.
They have the original newspaper accounts of the first game.
good read.
