With the 150th meeting of the Lehigh and Lafayette football teams less than a month away, I thought it would be fun to relive some noteworthy Lehigh-Lafayette showdowns from recent years.
2004
Although Lehigh’s rowing program receives little media attention in comparison with football and basketball, races against Lafayette are just as competitive and exciting as those in other sports. At the meeting between the two crews in spring 2004 the Mountain Hawks stroked to a decisive victory over the Leopards on the Lehigh River. The victory came down to a final race of the men’s eight, in which the Lehigh men dug deep to win by less than one second.
2008
The football team’s 144th encounter with Lafayette this season ended a four-year streak of losses to the Leopards. Concluding with a 31-15 victory, the game saw an emergence of talent in several players who would make great contributions over the next few seasons. This game also propelled the program into an incredibly successful stint over the next 6 years, in which Lehigh led the Patriot League and advanced to the FCS playoffs numerous times.
2010
During the 2010 season, the men’s basketball team saw the emergence of CJ McCollum, who was a sophomore at the time, and can now be found on the roster of the Portland Trailblazers. The team captured its fourth ever NCAA playoff berth with a thrilling 74-59 Patriot League Championship victory over the Leopards. This was the 213th meeting between the two teams and nothing was left on the court. Lehigh went on to play #1 seed Kansas in the NCAA tournament, while Lafayette was sent home.
2014
This season we have managed to come away with wins over Lafayette on the cross country course, on the soccer field, and on the volleyball court. The icing on the cake would be a win on the football field at Yankee Stadium, in the company of thousands of proud Lehigh alums, on November 22nd.
To stay up to date on other Lehigh-Lafayette meetings this season, see the 2014-15 Lehigh Lafayette Schedule.
Time to get ready for the rivalry!