Rivalry Between Lehigh & Lafayette

When most talk about the “Lehigh Lafayette Rivalry,” they are referring to the football game. Few know that the rivalry exists in more than in just the sport of football. Although only recorded for forty seven years of competition, for all eleven men’s sports combined, Lehigh leads the way in the rivalry with thirty nine years of wins, two losses and six ties. While football has been the driving force of the rivalry, the combined records of all of Lehigh sports teams prove Lehigh’s overall dominance against Lafayette. The women’s teams, some of which have only been established for thirty-one years at most, prove the same with a combined record of 15 wins, 13 losses, and 2 ties. Where did this important, long-lasting rivalry come from? It was rooted deeply in the general areas of Lehigh, located in Bethlehem, and Lafayette, located in Easton.

From the beginning, Lehigh’s founder, Asa Packer’s beliefs have cultured the atmosphere at Lehigh. When Packer moved from Connecticut to Pennsylvania, he joined a Presbyterian church but felt unwelcomed and ostracized by their congregation. Against his family’s traditional religion, he switched to an Episcopalian church that embraced his personality and beliefs. When he was asked to fund Lafayette College, controlled by a Presbyterian church, he strongly declined because of his experience with the religion. Packer then went on to create Lehigh University in 1865 with the assistance of an Episcopal Bishop. This dislike Packer had toward the Presbyterian school is what started what we know today as “The Rivalry.” From the beginning, Packer wanted to show Lehigh’s dominance over Lafayette, and this was easily demonstrated through athletics. Today the rivalry still lives on, but without any ties to the old religious viewpoints.

The first competition between Lehigh and Lafayette was not a football game but rather a baseball game. Lehigh saw this as the beginning of a long lasting rivalry. Having the tension between the two towns to begin with just added power and drive to the first athletic competition against Lafayette. Baseball was founded in 1868 at Lehigh, and the first game against Lafayette was played in 1869, which ended in a tie. In the next baseball game played between the schools, Lehigh lost to “that school in Easton”—which (along with “the maroon and white school across the way”) was how Lehigh referred to Lafayette to show that the other school did not deserve to be named. Later in 1881, the two schools met in a new sport to the rivalry, Track and Field. Lehigh won this meet taking ten out of the fourteen events. Only three years later was football introduced into the rivalry. During the early years of the rivalry, Lehigh sports teams met against Lafayette more than one time per season simply because of the ease in travel. Basketball was founded at Lehigh in 1900 and the first year of competition against Lafayette was in 1901, with Lehigh winning the first game. As of 1950, Lehigh played Lafayette in 82 basketball games, with a record of 33-49. In the 1950s, basketball surpassed in popularity all of the other sports teams, including football.

Although Lehigh lacrosse started in 1884, the first game against Lafayette was played in 1926. Lehigh demolished Lafayette in this first meeting with the score 10-0. Lehigh proved dominance in lacrosse from then to 1933. The sport was then discontinued shortly after until 1938 when Lafayette had its first win in the rivalry. Overall, Lehigh has a dominating record against Lafayette in lacrosse. Lehigh Wrestling began in 1908 and was organized formally in 1910. The first competition with Lafayette was in 1926 and Lehigh dominated the match. Lehigh continued domination until they stopped wrestling Lafayette because of Lehigh’s superiority. Soccer formed in 1912-1913. The first competition with Lafayette was in 1916. Lehigh swimming and diving started in 1919 while their first meet in the rivalry was later in 1926. They won the first meet and in 1951 had a record of 11-9-1 against Lafayette.

Women were accepted into Lehigh University in 1971. Enrolled with 169 women that year, Alice Gast quotes, “The fall of 1971 was monumental to the future of Lehigh University. Including women as undergraduate students helped to grow Lehigh to the elite institution that it is today.” This also applies to athletics, as mentioned earlier about the overall women’s winning record against Lafayette. In that same year, women’s first organized athletic sport formed was powder puff football. 1973 is when the rivalry began for women against Lafayette teams when tennis and swimming and diving teams were introduced. Women were accepted to Lafayette in 1970 and athletics started up quickly after with basketball and field hockey as the first formations. Lafayette was known as the powerhouse for lacrosse and field hockey.

The Patriot League was officially formed in 1983. Lafayette College was included, which added excitement and drive for Lehigh to succeed and defeat the leopards. In 1985 women’s lacrosse won their first title in the Patriot League and, in 1986, women’s basketball won theirs also. As the rivalry progressed, in 1998 Lafayette was going to drop down to division three because of the new Patriot League requirement to fund need-based athletes. A Lehigh alumnus actually stepped up and helped Lafayette to raise the funds needed, allowing Lafayette to stay in the league. This shows that although the two schools have a strong desire to beat one another in many sorts of competitions, there is still support for each other to keep the rivalry to live on. From 2001 to 2014 Lehigh has been the reigning champion of overall competition between all sports. In 2012-2013, Lehigh led the series 20-14, Lehigh. 2014-15 marks the 150th anniversary of the Lehigh Lafayette football rivalry, and the content will be held in the New York Yankees stadium.

Courtney Desh & Stephanie Yaszemski