The Rivalry (Lafayette–Lehigh)

The Rivalry
	Lafayette Leopards Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Sport	Football
First meeting	October 25, 1884; Lafayette 56, Lehigh 0
Latest meeting	November 18, 2023; Lafayette 49, Lehigh 21
Next meeting	November 23, 2024; Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Trophy	None
Statistics
Meetings total	159 (most in college football)
All-time series	Lafayette Leopards: 82–72–5
Largest victory	Lehigh Mountain Hawks: 78–0 (1917)
Longest win streak	Lafayette: 10 (1919–1928)
Current win streak	Lafayette: 2 wins (2022–present)

5km
3miles

Lehigh

Lafayette

Locations in Lehigh Valley

The Rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played by the Lafayette Leopards football team of Lafayette College and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team of Lehigh University. It is the most-played football rivalry in the nation and is the longest uninterrupted rivalry game.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

As of 2023, The Rivalry has been played 159 times since 1884 with only one interruption in 1896. No game was played in 2020 due to COVID-19 issues, but the teams played in April 2021 after the Patriot League, home to both schools, moved its originally planned fall 2020 season to spring 2021. The colleges' football teams met twice annually until 1901 (except 1891, when they played three games, and 1896, when they did not play at all). The two institutions are located seventeen miles apart in the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania.

Despite popular belief, Harvard and Yale did not play The Game in four separate years during The Rivalry's streak of 159 consecutive games. Furthermore, Lehigh and Lafayette met twice per season in 1943 and 1944 during World War II. The Rivalry is so old that it predates football trophies; the winning team instead keeps the game ball. These are painted with the score and kept at the winning institution's campus. Lehigh displays its game balls in its athletic hall of fame, and Lafayette keeps its game balls at the official residence of its president. The evolution of the shape of the football can be seen in the displays of past game balls, since the early ones predate even the invention of the forward pass.

The game has inspired books and a PBS television documentary narrated by Harry Kalas. In 2006, ESPNU ranked The Rivalry No. 8 in their Top Ten College Football Rivalries, and Sports Illustrated has told its readers that seeing it "is something you have to do once in your life."^[5] In 2018, The Rivalry was ranked among Athlon Sports top 25 rivalries in the history of college football.^[6]

The 150th game, on November 22, 2014, was played at Yankee Stadium in New York City.^[7] The game was broadcast live nationally on CBS Sports Network.

Series history

Early days

Although they did not meet on the football field until 1884, an anecdote from David Bishop Skillman's history of Lafayette College reveals that bad blood existed between the two places even before Lehigh University was founded. When Asa Packer first moved to Mauch Chunk in present-day Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania as an uneducated carpenter, he followed his family's footsteps in joining a local Presbyterian church. However, he did not fit in well with the other more strait-laced members of the congregation, and so he left and joined an Episcopalian congregation that was more welcoming to him.

After Packer had risen to affluence and before he founded Lehigh University, Ario Pardee, a coal baron from Hazleton, approached Judge Packer in connection with the addition of an engineering wing to Lafayette College. While eager at first in the proposition, Packer's enthusiasm turned sour when Pardee mentioned that the school would be under the control of the Presbyterian Church. Packer let him know that he would have nothing to do with any school run by the Presbyterians.^[8] Packer later enlisted the help of the Episcopal Bishop of Philadelphia, William Bacon Stevens, in founding Lehigh University.

First athletic events

Lafayette records indicate that the first athletic meeting between the two schools was a series of baseball games played in Easton and Bethlehem in October 1869. The first game was a 45–45 tie, and Lafayette won the second meeting 31–24.^[9]

The first joint athletic track and field event held between the two institutions was on May 14, 1881, on the grounds of Lehigh University. The meet consisted of fourteen events: a 100-yard dash, a half-mile run, a hammer throw, high jump, 440-yards dash, mile walk, shotput, broad jump, 220-yard dash, mile run, pole vaulting, 120-yard hurdle race, bicycle race, a standing high jump, and tug of war. Lehigh won the event decisively, winning ten of the fourteen events.^[10]

As a sign of the intense rivalry that was already developing between the two schools, an article in Lafayette's student newspaper, the Lafayette College Journal, called Lafayette's loss to Lehigh a "defeat in our recent contest with Lehigh University, -a defeat, too, doubly humiliating, coming, as it did, from an adversary in every other respect our inferior."^[11]

Early football

Lafayette football began in 1882. The game was closer to rugby back then and even the goals and touchdowns were recorded separately in the scores. After football rules were standardized in 1883, Lafayette's manager Theodore L. Welles approached Lehigh and offered to play them. Lehigh thus formed its first team in 1884, managed by Richard Harding Davis, which gamely played and lost twice to the more experienced Lafayette team.

The Lehigh freshmen were dismayed by the lack of support that the administration showed the team. They thought the rickety stands built for the 1887 event in Bethlehem were a disgrace and set them on fire at the end of the game to celebrate Lehigh's first win.^[12] Thus, the tradition of exuberance surrounding the game was started.^[13]

Since the start in 1884, only in one season (1896) have the teams not met. Because few schools were playing football at the time and travel was more difficult in the horse and buggy era, Lehigh and Lafayette played each other twice in the early years with each school hosting one of the games. This continued until the development of modern football in 1902, when the current annual game was established.

Only twice have Lafayette and Lehigh played somewhere other than in Easton or Bethlehem. In 1891, the teams played a third game in Wilkes-Barre, before 3,000 spectators. A newspaper report stated: "... by far the largest crowd that ever witnessed a football game in Wilkes-Barre, and the cheering of the students seemed to startle the natives."^[14] That was one of three Lafayette-Lehigh games that year; Lehigh won all three. The next meeting outside the Lehigh Valley did not take place until 2014, when the schools played at Yankee Stadium to commemorate the 150th game in the series.^[13]

20th century

The Rivalry's football game was postponed only twice during the 20th century.^[15] The first postponement occurred in 1904 because of the death of Dr. Henry S. Drown, president of Lehigh and former faculty member at Lafayette.^[16] The only other postponement was in 1963 when the game was moved from November 23 to 30 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.^[15]^[17]

During World War II, the war restricted travel to other opponents and Lehigh was hosting officer training programs which limited sports programs. Thus, to fill out their schedules, the nearby schools played two football games again in 1943 and 1944, with Lehigh students forming ad hoc teams just to keep The Rivalry tradition alive.^[18] Between November 1943 and November 1947, Lafayette won six games in a row by a combined score of 193–0, but by the early 1950s Lehigh was winning in lopsided shutouts.

The combination of only missing one year of play since 1884, plus 19 years with two games and one year with three, has led to The Rivalry becoming the most played in college football.

Prior to 1991, when new rules and game start times were imposed, it was traditional for the fans to tear down the temporary wooden goalposts that the schools erected for the event.^[19]^[20] The pieces were kept as souvenirs in the fraternities of each school. Eventually, taking down the goalposts got out of hand with students fighting for the torn down goal posts, and with each other, as early as before the third quarter. New rules were implemented for the 1991 game played at Lehigh when H-shaped steel goalposts anchored 10 feet into the ground were first used. The fans who rushed the field were frustrated by the new changes and showed this by tearing up and throwing pieces of sod at the security guards and police who were surrounding the posts. Only one fan actually was able to climb the posts, and when he was pulled down, he was maced and handcuffed.^[20]

21st century

Fisher Stadium's scoreboard in Easton following Lafayette College's victory over Lehigh in the 142nd edition of "The Rivalry" in 2006

Starting in the 2000s, the regular season ending game has often become a factor in deciding the winner of the Patriot League. During the 2004 and 2006 meetings, Lehigh came into Fisher Stadium leading Lafayette by one game. Due to tie breaking rules, the winner of the game would be crowned the League champion.^[21] The second runner-up during this period was Colgate University, which had beaten Lafayette or Lehigh that year.

Following nine years of consecutive Lehigh victories, Lafayette earned a four-year parade of Lafayette victories from 2004 to 2007 wherein the Lehigh Class of 2008 witnessed no football victory against Lafayette at all. This was then reversed by Lehigh, with Lehigh running a five-year streak from 2008 to 2012, making the Lafayette Classes of 2012 and 2013 winless. The tide changed in 2013, when, for the first time since 2006, The Rivalry was played with a Patriot League championship on the line.^[22] Much like in 2006, the Leopards jumped out to a large lead, fought off a Lehigh rally, and pulled away down the stretch, winning 50-28 and claiming the Patriot League crown outright, this time on their rival's home turf. Quarterback Drew Reed took MVP honors, becoming the first Lafayette freshman in almost 25 years to do so.^[22]

150th meeting

The 150th meeting of The Rivalry took place in 2014 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.^[23]^[13] While this was the first neutral-site game in more than a century, Lafayette was the designated home team. The stadium was much larger than either school's regular venue, and likely larger than any venue where all but a tiny number of players from either side would ever play. Each team debuted special uniforms with Lafayette sporting a plain gray jersey, while Lehigh paid tribute to the stadium and usual home team by sporting a pinstripe jersey.

While Lafayette had won the last meeting, and had a slightly better record than their competitor, Lehigh's chances were vastly improved as Lafayette's starting and backup quarterbacks were injured in the previous game and in practice respectively, leaving third string senior Zach Zweizig to lead the team. Lafayette still won, defeating Lehigh 27–7.^[23]^[24]^[25]

COVID-19 postponement

The game was originally canceled in 2020 for the first time in 124 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of fall sports by the Patriot League. A decision was later made to move the Patriot League fall 2020 season to spring 2021, thereby allowing the Rivalry to remain uninterrupted in the school calendar year. Lafayette and Lehigh were originally scheduled to play on April 3, but the game was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Lafayette program.^[26] The teams eventually played on April 10, with Lafayette winning 20–13.^[27]

Schedule deviation

The two schools announced on May 25, 2023, that the venues for the games in 2024 and 2025 were swapped. Lehigh will host the matches in 2023 and 2024, with the contests moving to Lafayette in 2025 and 2026. The change was to accommodate Lafayette's bicentennial celebration in the 2025–26 academic year in honor of the school's 1826 founding. The Rivalry will revert to its regular venue schedule in 2027.^[28]

Memorable moments

No game in 1896

The only season, and first calendar year, in which there was no game was 1896, when Lehigh refused to play Lafayette over a dispute about the eligibility of their best running back, George Barclay, who had played professional baseball at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the previous summer. The question of his eligibility centered around whether Barclay had received more than reimbursement of travel expenses.^[29]

Longest run

During a 17–0 Lehigh victory in 1918, it is rumored that Lehigh halfback Raymond B. "Snooks" Dowd ran 115 yards for a touchdown. As Lehigh Athletic Media Relations relate the story, "Dowd ran the wrong way, circled his own goalposts," and then ran the length of the field for the touchdown eluding Lafayette's All-American linebacker Zac "Baker" Howes in the process.^[30] Some reports have been exaggerated to credit the length of the run to as much as 160 yards.^[31]

Overtime catch

In the 1995 game, the first year in which the Patriot League used overtime, the game was decided in the second overtime session. Following a 30–30 regulation score and a scoreless first possession of overtime, Lehigh wide receiver Brian Klingerman caught a pass with one hand from quarterback Bob Aylsworth in the back of the end zone. The catch not only won the game for Lehigh, which trailed 30–14 midway in the fourth quarter, but led them to clinch the Patriot League championship.^[30]^[32]

Lafayette's catch

In the 2005 game played at Lehigh, Lafayette backup quarterback Pat Davis threw a 37-yard TD pass to running back Jonathan Hurt on 4th-and-10 with 38 seconds left to give the Leopards a 23–19 win. The victory gave Lafayette the second of three straight Patriot League championships and NCAA I-AA (FCS) Playoff appearances. Davis entered the game after Lafayette starting quarterback Brad Maurer, the MVP of wins in 2004 (24-10) and later 2006 (49-27), was injured on the game's first series.^[33]

The Rivalry game that cost the coach his job

The Lafayette loss to Lehigh on November 20, 2021 at 10-17 led to the Leopards head coach John Garrett being fired from Lafayette. A year later, on November 19, 2022, after Lehigh lost to Lafayette at 11-14, Mountain Hawks head coach Tom Gilmore made a decision to resign.

Football record

Summary

159 meetings since 1884

**Lafayette–Lehigh game results**
from 1884 to 2023
Games won by Lafayette	82
Games won by Lehigh	72
Games tied	5

Game results

Lafayette victories	Lehigh victories	Tie games

No.	Date	Location	Winning team		Losing team
1	October 25, 1884	Easton	Lafayette	56	Lehigh	0
2	November 12, 1884	Bethlehem	Lafayette	34	Lehigh	4
3	October 31, 1885	Bethlehem	Lafayette	6	Lehigh	0
4	November 21, 1885	Easton	Tie	6	Tie	6
5	November 6, 1886	Easton	Lafayette	12	Lehigh	0
6	November 24, 1886	Bethlehem	Lafayette	4	Lehigh	0
7	October 29, 1887	Bethlehem	Lehigh	10	Lafayette	4
8	November 23, 1887	Easton	Lafayette	6	Lehigh	0
9	November 17, 1888	Easton	Lehigh	6	Lafayette	4
10	November 27, 1888	Bethlehem	Lehigh	16	Lafayette	0
11	October 30, 1889	Bethlehem	Lehigh	16	Lafayette	10
12	November 16, 1889	Easton	Tie	6	Tie	6
13	November 1, 1890	Easton	Lehigh	30	Lafayette	0
14	November 15, 1890	Bethlehem	Lehigh	66	Lafayette	6
15	November 4, 1891	Bethlehem	Lehigh	22	Lafayette	4
16	November 11, 1891	Easton	Lehigh	6	Lafayette	2
17	November 25, 1891	Wilkes-Barre	Lehigh	16	Lafayette	2
18	November 5, 1892	Easton	Lafayette	4	Lehigh	0
19	November 19, 1892	Bethlehem	Lehigh	15	Lafayette	6
20	November 8, 1893	Bethlehem	Lehigh	22	Lafayette	6
21	November 18, 1893	Easton	Lehigh	10	Lafayette	0
22	November 14, 1894	Easton	Lafayette	28	Lehigh	0
23	November 24, 1894	Bethlehem	Lehigh	11	Lafayette	8
24	November 9, 1895	Bethlehem	Lafayette	22	Lehigh	12
25	November 23, 1895	Easton	Lafayette	14	Lehigh	0
26	October 30, 1897	Easton	Lafayette	34	Lehigh	0
27	November 25, 1897	Bethlehem	Lafayette	22	Lehigh	0
28	November 5, 1898	Bethlehem	Lehigh	22	Lafayette	0
29	November 24, 1898	Easton	Lafayette	11	Lehigh	5
30	November 4, 1899	Easton	Lafayette	17	Lehigh	0
31	November 25, 1899	Bethlehem	Lafayette	35	Lehigh	0
32	November 3, 1900	Bethlehem	Lafayette	34	Lehigh	0
33	November 24, 1900	Easton	Lafayette	18	Lehigh	0
34	November 1, 1901	Easton	Lafayette	29	Lehigh	0
35	November 23, 1901	Bethlehem	Lafayette	41	Lehigh	0
36	November 22, 1902	Easton	Lehigh	6	Lafayette	0
37	November 21, 1903	Bethlehem	Lehigh	12	Lafayette	6
38	November 24, 1904	Easton	Lafayette	40	Lehigh	6
39	November 15, 1905	Bethlehem	Lafayette	53	Lehigh	0
40	November 24, 1906	Easton	Lafayette	33	Lehigh	0
41	November 23, 1907	Bethlehem	Lafayette	22	Lehigh	5
42	November 21, 1908	Easton	Lehigh	11	Lafayette	5
43	November 20, 1909	Bethlehem	Lafayette	21	Lehigh	0
44	November 19, 1910	Easton	Lafayette	14	Lehigh	0
45	November 25, 1911	Bethlehem	Lafayette	11	Lehigh	0
46	November 23, 1912	Easton	Lehigh	10	Lafayette	0
47	November 22, 1913	Bethlehem	Lehigh	7	Lafayette	0
48	November 21, 1914	Easton	Lehigh	17	Lafayette	7
49	November 20, 1915	Bethlehem	Lafayette	35	Lehigh	6
50	November 25, 1916	Easton	Lehigh	16	Lafayette	0
51	November 24, 1917	Bethlehem	Lehigh	78	Lafayette	0
52	November 23, 1918	Easton	Lehigh	17	Lafayette	0
53	November 22, 1919	Bethlehem	Lafayette	10	Lehigh	6
54	November 20, 1920	Easton	Lafayette	27	Lehigh	7
55	November 19, 1921	Bethlehem	Lafayette	28	Lehigh	6
56	November 25, 1922	Easton	Lafayette	3	Lehigh	0
57	November 24, 1923	Bethlehem	Lafayette	13	Lehigh	3
58	November 22, 1924	Easton	Lafayette	7	Lehigh	0
59	November 21, 1925	Bethlehem	Lafayette	14	Lehigh	0
60	November 20, 1926	Easton	Lafayette	35	Lehigh	0
61	November 19, 1927	Bethlehem	Lafayette	43	Lehigh	0
62	November 24, 1928	Easton	Lafayette	38	Lehigh	14
63	November 23, 1929	Bethlehem	Lehigh	13	Lafayette	12
64	November 22, 1930	Easton	Lafayette	16	Lehigh	6
65	November 21, 1931	Bethlehem	Lafayette	13	Lehigh	7
66	November 19, 1932	Easton	Lafayette	25	Lehigh	6
67	November 25, 1933	Bethlehem	Lafayette	54	Lehigh	12
68	November 24, 1934	Easton	Lehigh	13	Lafayette	7
69	November 23, 1935	Bethlehem	Lehigh	48	Lafayette	0
70	November 21, 1936	Easton	Lehigh	18	Lafayette	0
71	November 20, 1937	Bethlehem	Lafayette	6	Lehigh	0
72	November 19, 1938	Easton	Lafayette	6	Lehigh	0
73	November 25, 1939	Bethlehem	Lafayette	29	Lehigh	13
74	November 23, 1940	Easton	Lafayette	46	Lehigh	0
75	November 22, 1941	Bethlehem	Lafayette	47	Lehigh	7
76	November 21, 1942	Easton	Tie	7	Tie	7
77	October 23, 1943	Easton	Lafayette	39	Lehigh	7
78	November 27, 1943	Bethlehem	Lafayette	58	Lehigh	0
79	October 21, 1944	Bethlehem	Lafayette	44	Lehigh	0
80	November 18, 1944	Easton	Lafayette	64	Lehigh	0

No.	Date	Location	Winning team		Losing team
81	November 24, 1945	Bethlehem	Lafayette	7	Lehigh	0
82	November 23, 1946	Easton	Lafayette	13	Lehigh	0
83	November 22, 1947	Bethlehem	Lafayette	7	Lehigh	0
84	November 20, 1948	Easton	Lafayette	23	Lehigh	13
85	November 19, 1949	Bethlehem	Lafayette	21	Lehigh	12
86	November 18, 1950	Easton	Lehigh	38	Lafayette	0
87	November 17, 1951	Bethlehem	Lehigh	32	Lafayette	0
88	November 22, 1952	Easton	Lehigh	14	Lafayette	7
89	November 21, 1953	Bethlehem	Lafayette	33	Lehigh	13
90	November 20, 1954	Easton	Lafayette	46	Lehigh	0
91	November 19, 1955	Bethlehem	Lafayette	35	Lehigh	6
92	November 17, 1956	Easton	Lehigh	27	Lafayette	10
93	November 23, 1957	Bethlehem	Lehigh	26	Lafayette	13
94	November 22, 1958	Easton	Tie	14	Tie	14
95	November 21, 1959	Bethlehem	Lafayette	28	Lehigh	6
96	November 19, 1960	Easton	Lehigh	26	Lafayette	3
97	November 18, 1961	Bethlehem	Lehigh	17	Lafayette	14
98	November 17, 1962	Easton	Lehigh	13	Lafayette	6
99	November 30, 1963	Bethlehem	Lehigh	15	Lafayette	8
100	November 21, 1964	Easton	Tie	6	Tie	6
101	November 20, 1965	Bethlehem	Lehigh	20	Lafayette	14
102	November 19, 1966	Easton	Lafayette	16	Lehigh	0
103	November 18, 1967	Bethlehem	Lafayette	6	Lehigh	0
104	November 23, 1968	Easton	Lehigh	21	Lafayette	6
105	November 22, 1969	Bethlehem	Lehigh	36	Lafayette	19
106	November 21, 1970	Easton	Lafayette	31	Lehigh	28
107	November 20, 1971	Bethlehem	Lehigh	48	Lafayette	19
108	November 18, 1972	Easton	Lehigh	14	Lafayette	6
109	November 17, 1973	Bethlehem	Lehigh	45	Lafayette	13
110	November 23, 1974	Easton	Lehigh	57	Lafayette	7
111	November 22, 1975	Bethlehem	Lehigh	40	Lafayette	14
112	November 20, 1976	Easton	Lafayette	21	Lehigh	17
113	November 19, 1977	Bethlehem	Lehigh	35	Lafayette	17
114	November 18, 1978	Easton	Lehigh	23	Lafayette	15
115	November 17, 1979	Bethlehem	Lehigh	24	Lafayette	3
116	November 22, 1980	Easton	Lehigh	32	Lafayette	0
117	November 21, 1981	Bethlehem	Lafayette	10	Lehigh	3
118	November 20, 1982	Easton	Lafayette	34	Lehigh	6
119	November 19, 1983	Bethlehem	Lehigh	22	Lafayette	14
120	November 17, 1984	Easton	Lafayette	28	Lehigh	7
121	November 23, 1985	Bethlehem	Lehigh	24	Lafayette	19
122	November 22, 1986	Easton	Lafayette	28	Lehigh	23
123	November 21, 1987	Bethlehem	Lehigh	17	Lafayette	10
124	November 19, 1988	Easton	Lafayette	52	Lehigh	45
125	November 18, 1989	Bethlehem	Lafayette	36	Lehigh	21
126	November 17, 1990	Easton	Lehigh	35	Lafayette	14
127	November 23, 1991	Bethlehem	Lehigh	36	Lafayette	18
128	November 21, 1992	Easton	Lafayette	32	Lehgh	29
129	November 20, 1993	Bethlehem	Lehigh	39	Lafayette	14
130	November 19, 1994	Easton	Lafayette	54	Lehigh	20
131	November 18, 1995	Bethlehem	Lehigh	37	Lafayette	30
132	November 23, 1996	Easton	Lehigh	23	Lafayette	19
133	November 22, 1997	Bethlehem	Lehigh	43	Lafayette	31
134	November 21, 1998	Easton	Lehigh	31	Lafayette	7
135	November 20, 1999	Bethlehem	Lehigh	14	Lafayette	12
136	November 18, 2000	Easton	Lehigh	31	Lafayette	17
137	November 17, 2001	Bethlehem	Lehigh	41	Lafayette	6
138	November 23, 2002	Easton	Lafayette	14	Lehigh	7
139	November 22, 2003	Bethlehem	Lehigh	30	Lafayette	10
140	November 20, 2004	Easton	Lafayette	24	Lehigh	10
141	November 19, 2005	Bethlehem	Lafayette	23	Lehigh	19
142	November 18, 2006	Easton	Lafayette	49	Lehigh	27
143	November 17, 2007	Bethlehem	Lafayette	21	Lehigh	17
144	November 22, 2008	Easton	Lehigh	31	Lafayette	15
145	November 21, 2009	Bethlehem	Lehigh	27	Lafayette	21
146	November 20, 2010	Easton	Lehigh	20	Lafayette	13
147	November 19, 2011	Bethlehem	Lehigh	37	Lafayette	13
148	November 17, 2012	Easton	Lehigh	38	Lafayette	21
149	November 23, 2013	Bethlehem	Lafayette	50	Lehigh	28
150	November 22, 2014	The Bronx, NY	Lafayette	27	Lehigh	7
151	November 21, 2015	Bethlehem	Lehigh	49	Lafayette	35
152	November 19, 2016	Easton	Lehigh	45	Lafayette	21
153	November 18, 2017	Bethlehem	Lehigh	38	Lafayette	31
154	November 17, 2018	Easton	Lehigh	34	Lafayette	3
155	November 23, 2019	Bethlehem	Lafayette	17	Lehigh	16
156	April 10, 2021^[a]	Easton	Lafayette	20	Lehigh	13
157	November 20, 2021	Bethlehem	Lehigh	17	Lafayette	10
158	November 19, 2022	Easton	Lafayette	14	Lehigh	11
159	November 18, 2023	Bethlehem	Lafayette	49	Lehigh	21
Series: Lafayette leads 82–72–5

^ November 21, 2020, game was postponed to April 10, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All Sports Trophy

The Rivalry was further cemented by the creation of the "All Sports Trophy" in 1968. The trophy is held by the school which wins the most varsity sports meetings during a school year. One point is awarded per victory. At the year end, points are totaled to determine the overall champion.

All Sports Trophy record

Men's sports

Years won by Lehigh – 34
Years won by Lafayette – 2
Ties – 6

Women's sports

Years won by Lafayette – 12
Years won by Lehigh – 10
Ties – 0

References

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^ "Lafayette-Lehigh Rivalry to be Featured by ESPN". Lafayette Athletics. Lafayette College. October 11, 2006. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
^ "Ranking the Top 25 Rivalries in College Football History". November 27, 2022.
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^ The School Journal, Vol 69. 1904. pp. E.L. Kellogg & Co. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
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^ Hiserman, Mike (November 19, 2011). "In many ways, 'The Rivalry' between Lehigh, Lafayette is unrivaled". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Post-game Melee and New Concern". The New York Times. December 1, 1991. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
^ "Lafayette 24, Lehigh 10". ESPN. November 20, 2004. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
^ ^a ^b "149th Lafayette-Lehigh Game will Decide Patriot League Title". The Lafayette. November 19, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Rawlins, John (November 20, 2014). "Lafayette vs. Lehigh rivalry 150 years in the making". 6abc. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
^ "Lafayette Leopards win storied rivalry anniversary game against Lehigh". The Morning Call. November 22, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
^ Joyce, Greg (November 22, 2014). "Lafayette football team runs past Lehigh in 150th Rivalry game at Yankee Stadium". Lehigh Valley Live.
^ "Saturday's Lehigh–Lafayette Clash Postponed" (Press release). Lehigh Mountain Hawks. March 30, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
^ Groller, Keith (April 11, 2021). "Lehigh finally reaches end zone, but not enough in a 20-13 loss to Lafayette". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
^ "Football Rivalry Sites to Shift in Upcoming Seasons Due to Lafayette Bicentennial," Lehigh University Athletics, Thursday, May 25, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
^ March, Francis A. (1926). Athletics at Lafayette College. Easton, Pennsylvania: Lafayette College. pp. 150–151.
^ ^a ^b "Lehigh Football Game Notes, Lehigh vs. Lafayette, 139th Meeting" (PDF). Retrieved November 25, 2009.
^ Rappaport, Ken; Wilner, Barry (2007). Football Feuds: The Greatest College Football Rivalries. Globe Pequot. ISBN 978-1-59921-014-8.
^ Blockus, Gary R. (November 19, 1995). "Klingerman, Aylsworth Go Out Champs". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
^ "Davis Heave to Hurt Beats Lehigh 23-19". goleopards.com. November 19, 2005. Retrieved November 25, 2013.

External links

"Memories of the Rivalry", Lehigh Mountain Hawks football, November 2006
"Lehigh and Lafayette Are Still Playing After All Those Years", The New York Times, November 19, 2004
The Lehigh/Lafayette Legacy, PBS, 2004

[34] November 21, 2020, game was postponed to April 10, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[1] Lopresti, Mike (September 19, 2017). "7 of the most-played college football rivalries of all time". NCAA.com. Retrieved October 25, 2017.

[2] "Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry makes history". Lehigh Valley Live. November 15, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2017.

[3] ""The Rivalry" that transcends the game". cfbhall.com. College Football Hall of Fame. November 19, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2017.

[4] "'The Rivalry' Pauses as Patriot League Cancels Fall Sports". Lehigh University. July 23, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2021.

[5] "Lafayette-Lehigh Rivalry to be Featured by ESPN". Lafayette Athletics. Lafayette College. October 11, 2006. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2023.

[6] "Ranking the Top 25 Rivalries in College Football History". November 27, 2022.

[7] "150th Lafayette-Lehigh Meeting to be Played at Yankee Stadium in 2014". Lafayette Athletics. Patriot League. Retrieved November 17, 2012.

[8] Whelan, Frank; Metz, Lance (1990). The Diaries of Robert Hersham Sayre. Lehigh University.

[March_1926_272-9] March, Francis A. (1926). Athletics at Lafayette College. Easton, PA: Lafayette College.

[10] Bowen, Catherine Drinker (1924). History of Lehigh University. The Lehigh Alumni Bulletin.

[11] "At no other time…". Lafayette College Journal. 6 (9): 1–2. June 1881. Retrieved March 19, 2009.

[12] "Most-Played Football Rivalry in History". Lafayette College. September 15, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

[Golditch-13] Golditch, Mitch (November 19, 2014). "Rivalry Earns Its Pinstripes". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

[14] The Lafayette Weekly, Volume 18. 1891. p. 95. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

[bythenumbers-15] "The Lafayette-lehigh Football Rivalry By The Numbers 0 -- * Scoreless Ties". The Morning Call. November 22, 1996. Retrieved October 22, 2017.

[16] The School Journal, Vol 69. 1904. pp. E.L. Kellogg & Co. Retrieved October 22, 2017.

[Sandiego-17] Russo, Ralph D. (November 21, 2014). "Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry reaches 150 on big stage". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 22, 2017.

[LehighHistory-18] "Lehigh vs Lafayette Football History". Lehigh Athletics. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

[19] Hiserman, Mike (November 19, 2011). "In many ways, 'The Rivalry' between Lehigh, Lafayette is unrivaled". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

[Goalposts-20] "Post-game Melee and New Concern". The New York Times. December 1, 1991. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

[21] "Lafayette 24, Lehigh 10". ESPN. November 20, 2004. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

[Rivalry149-22] "149th Lafayette-Lehigh Game will Decide Patriot League Title". The Lafayette. November 19, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

[6abc-23] Rawlins, John (November 20, 2014). "Lafayette vs. Lehigh rivalry 150 years in the making". 6abc. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

[24] "Lafayette Leopards win storied rivalry anniversary game against Lehigh". The Morning Call. November 22, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

[25] Joyce, Greg (November 22, 2014). "Lafayette football team runs past Lehigh in 150th Rivalry game at Yankee Stadium". Lehigh Valley Live.

[26] "Saturday's Lehigh–Lafayette Clash Postponed" (Press release). Lehigh Mountain Hawks. March 30, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.

[27] Groller, Keith (April 11, 2021). "Lehigh finally reaches end zone, but not enough in a 20-13 loss to Lafayette". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved April 14, 2021.

[28] "Football Rivalry Sites to Shift in Upcoming Seasons Due to Lafayette Bicentennial," Lehigh University Athletics, Thursday, May 25, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.

[March_1926_150-29] March, Francis A. (1926). Athletics at Lafayette College. Easton, Pennsylvania: Lafayette College. pp. 150–151.

[gamenotes-30] "Lehigh Football Game Notes, Lehigh vs. Lafayette, 139th Meeting" (PDF). Retrieved November 25, 2009.

[31] Rappaport, Ken; Wilner, Barry (2007). Football Feuds: The Greatest College Football Rivalries. Globe Pequot. ISBN 978-1-59921-014-8.

[32] Blockus, Gary R. (November 19, 1995). "Klingerman, Aylsworth Go Out Champs". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2009.

[33] "Davis Heave to Hurt Beats Lehigh 23-19". goleopards.com. November 19, 2005. Retrieved November 25, 2013.

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[a]

v t e Lehigh Mountain Hawks football
Venues	Taylor Stadium (1914–1987) Goodman Stadium (1988–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Delaware Lafayette: The Rivalry
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Lafayette College
People	Notable alumni and staff Nicole Hurd (President)
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v t e Lafayette Leopards football
Venues	The Quad (1882–1893) March Field (1894–1925) Fisher Stadium (1926–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Lehigh: The Rivalry
Culture & lore	The Leopard "On, Lafayette!" Leopard Pride 1949 Sun Bowl controversy
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Patriot League football rivalries
Conference	Ram–Crusader Cup (Fordham–Holy Cross) The Rivalry (Lafayette–Lehigh)
Non-conference	Boston College–Holy Cross Sacred Cod Trophy (Boston College–Boston University–Holy Cross) Steven Dean Memorial Trophy (Catholic University–Georgetown) Colgate–Cornell Colgate–Syracuse Liberty Cup (Columbia–Fordham) Delaware–Lehigh

v t e Lehigh Valley
States	Pennsylvania
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Cities and towns 10-50k	Bethlehem Township Easton Emmaus Forks Township Hanover Township Lehigh Township Lower Macungie Township Lower Saucon Township Northampton North Whitehall Township Palmer Township Salisbury Township South Whitehall Township Upper Macungie Township Upper Saucon Township Whitehall Township
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Recreation and events	Allentown Band Bear Creek Mountain Resort Blast Furnace Blues Festival Bushkill Park Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom Great Allentown Fair Lehigh Valley Zoo Marine Band of Allentown Mayfair Festival of the Arts Municipal Band of Allentown Musikfest Saucon Valley Country Club SouthSide Film Festival Trexler Nature Preserve Wind Creek Bethlehem
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Transportation	Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport Braden Airpark LANta Lehigh Valley International Airport