Rob Kaufman, Lehigh Athletics Archives Manager and a graduate of the class of 1968, spoke about his work as an archivist, his memories of Lehigh-Lafayette week, and his experiences as a student in the 60’s.

Beginning as an Archivist: A Six-Year Task

Kaufman holds the position of Athletics Archives Manager at Lehigh University. The year 2021 will mark his seventh working with the collections. 

He said that before he became involved with the archives, they were “rooms full of stuff.” The collections were such a mess, he said, that if someone requested a specific artifact, it was nearly impossible to find. 

Though a large undertaking, Kaufman was ready to take on the job of organizing the many records, files, objects and photographs. He said that it was a perfect task for him because he is passionate about sports and persistent. 

“I spent six years reading sports sections and articles and sorting them out,” Kaufman said. 

He finished this process almost one year ago. Now, files and photographs are sorted chronologically and are separated by sport, and all paper documents are in archival envelopes and folders to protect them from aging. 

Kaufman reflected on the project fondly. As a Lehigh graduate, it was gratifying for him to re-connect with his past experiences at the university.

 “It was always a great adventure–so much of it is stuff that I experienced live, and then I got to relive it,” he said. “More importantly, it has provided the opportunity to bring a smile to so many alums as they get to relive some of their school experiences.”

Whether he’s sifting through decades of memories for a team reunion, honorary alum dinner or memorial service, Kaufman said his work as an archivist is “more than he could ask for.”

The projects keep coming, too. This weekend, the Lehigh Athletics Archives will supply football film and other memorabilia for a reunion of football players from the early ‘70s. 

Favorite Artifacts

When Kaufman began organizing the athletics archives, he was especially excited to stumble upon a 1922 Football Program from Lehigh-Lafayette. Older artifacts like this intrigue him and provide a “blast-from-the-past” view of the university; excerpts from the program are pictured below. 

Kaufman also enjoyed re-reading material about the 100th rivalry game, which was his first Lehigh-Lafayette game as a student. For the 100th meeting, Kaufman traveled to Lafayette to help broadcast the game. He remembers the day with distaste and spoke about his treatment as a reporter. 

“It was freezing cold,” he said. “At the field at Lafayette, they had us in a little press box on the other side. We got no stats, we got no nothing. Today I will not go to Lafayette for a football game.”

The game ended in a 6-6 tie, a result Kaufman referred to as “one of the greatest events of futility of all time.”

While Kaufman won’t likely return to Lafayette for a football game, he is adamant that current students attend as many Lehigh games as possible, home or away. It is important to Kaufman that the university teams feel support from the student body. Even after graduation, Kaufman himself has remained a steady fan of Lehigh Athletics.

Cheering on Lehigh From a Distance

In 1970, Kaufman relocated to San Francisco for work. That didn’t stop him from cheering on the Lehigh football team each year. Kaufman said that in select locations across the country, alumni could listen to a broadcast of the game over speakerphone. He explained that Lafayette alumni were often invited to such gatherings too, but rarely attended.

“I remember the first time going to an older alums house–there might have been fifteen couples there–and they had food and different speakerphones around the house,” Kaufman said. 

Throughout his years on the west coast, Kaufman never found it too difficult to tune into the big game and he emphasized that there was rivalry energy all over the country. 

“San Francisco, LA, St. Louis, it didn’t matter,” he said. “We had to sustain that spirit without being live.”

As time drew on, Kaufman was eventually able to attend viewings at sports bars, where Lehigh-Lafayette fans would input satellite coordinates to stream the game onto TV displays.

School Spirit: Rivalry Week, The ‘60s, And Beyond

Kaufman joked that his favorite memories of rivalry week are “things they don’t allow today.” He reminisced about the fights that would break out after the game, how students would attempt to pull down the rival goalposts and the rowdy energy of the crowd. 

He also pointed out that Lehigh students in the 60’s were all male. “It was a big deal whether you had a date because there were no women on campus,” he said. 

According to Kaufman, that isn’t the only difference between Lehigh now and then. In 1964, it was easy to feel immersed in school spirit. 

“We didn’t have the distractions that students have today. There was no Internet– life was fairly simple,” he said. Kaufman explained that back then, it was all about what was happening in the moment. 

He pointed to the annual freshman pep rally as an example. 

“When we went into Grace Hall, everyone was given a corn cob pipe and a pack of tobacco,” he said. “It was yelling, screaming, sweaty.”

The bonfire was another source of competitive energy. When Kaufman attended Lehigh, the rivalry week bonfire was held behind Taylor Gym. This was home to the football field as well, which today is located on Goodman Campus. When the sun went down Lafayette students would slip onto the field and attempt to start the fire or knock it down. 

The clang of the touchdown bell alerted freshmen that the fire was under siege. According to Kaufman, no matter the hour, students defended the bonfire with valor. 

“Imagine every freshman in pajamas running across the quad to protect it. It was crazy, it built school spirit, it built class spirit.”, he said. “As you went on, you carried that with you.” 

It seems that Kaufman carries that spirit to this day. 

To him, school spirit is a “lifetime thing.” He said that for schools to survive in the long run, they must depend on their Alumni.

Universities, Kaufman said, need ideas from their graduates, connections for students, and “recognized excellence in the outside world.” Spirit is more than a “rah rah thing,” he explained. It is also a willingness to share experiences and pride, even as time passes.

Kaufman said, “Without that spirit and pride, a school is just a bunch of buildings grinding out graduates every year.”