Taylor Stadium

When it was build in 1914, Taylor Stadium was a state-of-the-art football facility and was the third concrete stadium in the United States. Lehigh played its home games at the venerable stadium for 73 years, with the Lafayette game being the final contest in 1987. The Engineers won that game, despite record cold temperatures and a wind-chill of minus 20 degrees. This picture shows the west end or closed end of the stadium that day. For many years, Taylor also hosted intercollegiate baseball and track and field events. An upper grandstand was donated by Bethlehem Steel in later years. At its peak, the stadium could entertain 20,000 fans. Although historic, cozy and right on the campus, old Taylor had few modern amenities today's fans crave. Goodman Stadium provides acres of parking, plenty of rest rooms and comfortable seating throughout. Despite that, many older fans miss the quirky former home. The site of the stadium is where Zoellner Center and Rauch Business School are located. One memento of the past is found in the courtyard between these buildings, on what would have been the 50 yard line on the home side. An arch that was positioned above the main gate is preserved along with a descriptive plaque.

Several unique features of the stadium include the east-west layout of the field, which is normally avoided so that the sun is less of a factor during games. The limited amount of land caused this design. In addition, the north (visitors) stands ended abrubtly around the 40 yard line so the baseball diamond could be accommodated. Home plate was situated in the southeast corner of the stadium and the right, right centerfield area needed to be expanded. All lower seating was concrete. There were no wooded slat-type seating, so fans had to expect somewhat harsh seating circumstances. Smart fans always brought something to sit on ranging from game day programs to foam seats and blankets.

Mark Iampietro