Lehigh University Athletics: A Legacy of Excellence

Lehigh University boasts a rich athletic history, marked by dedication to both academic and athletic achievement. From its early days as the Engineers to its current identity as the Mountain Hawks, Lehigh has consistently demonstrated a commitment to fostering well-rounded student-athletes. This article explores the evolution of Lehigh's athletic programs, highlighting key moments, rivalries, and the enduring traditions that define the Mountain Hawk spirit.

The Genesis of Lehigh Athletics

The seeds of Lehigh athletics were sown in 1865, laying the foundation for a program that would eventually encompass a wide range of sports. For many years, Lehigh's athletic teams were known as the Engineers. In November 1995, the school introduced the Mountain Hawk as a mascot, replacing the "L train", which stemmed from a student-based movement to come up with a suitable mascot; the Mountain Hawk was officially voted in as the new mascot by the Lehigh Student Senate soon after. Controversy arose the following year, when the school's nickname was changed to the Mountain Hawks. The university lists all three nicknames, Engineers, Brown & White, and Mountain Hawks, in its media guides.

Early Football and the Rise of Tradition

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks football program stands as a testament to the university's enduring commitment to athletic excellence. The program began in 1884, when student J. S. Robeson organized a football team to play against the University of Pennsylvania's sophomore class team. Athlete and future journalist Richard Harding Davis was a part of that squad. "J. S. Robeson is the father of football at Lehigh," Davis was quoted as saying in Lehigh Quarterly in 1891. Since 1986, Lehigh has been a charter member of the Patriot League, formerly called the Colonial League. Lehigh has won thirteen Patriot League titles and has played in 20 postseason games, winning 10 of the contests. Following the founding of the team, Lehigh, then known as the Engineers, was guided for the first eight years by volunteer coaches. The teams won 123 of those first 276 games (44%), playing an average about 9 games per season. Lehigh's first really successful period came in 1912 when Tom Keady was hired as head coach. During this period, Lehigh's program grew stronger and the team moved into its new home, Taylor Stadium. Taylor Stadium would serve as the home for Lehigh football for 73 seasons (1914-1987.) Along with the Yale Bowl and Harvard Stadium, Taylor was among the earliest concrete stadiums in America. The years between the end of World War I and the end of World War II were somewhat poor ones for Lehigh. Seven coaches came and went, managing a record of 73-124-17 (34%) during this time. Better days were coming though, in the form of a young head coach named Bill Leckonby. Leckonby arrived in time for the 1946 season and within a year, had the fortunes reversed. Leckonby's teams won 16 of their next 27 from 1947-1949. This set the table for Lehigh's first undefeated season, 1950. That team went 9-0, defeating Delaware, Carnegie Tech and Lafayette by a combined 125-0. Overall, the team outscored opponents by a score of 301-77. The team was led by the backfield tandem of Dick Gabriel and Dick Doyne. Gabriel's name is still etched in the Lehigh record books having achieved 42 career touchdowns, 16 TD's in a season and for having returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Leckonby's teams would win 85 games in his 16 years as head man, and take the 1961 Lambert Cup in his final year. A brief period of poor results came following Leckonby's departure. Between 1962 and 1964, the overmatched Engineers managed just five victories. They managed to go 2-0-1 against their arch rivals. Frederick Dunlap arrived for 1965 and was faced with a major rebuilding job. Dunlap's first three teams managed two wins. The 1966 squad was particularly challenged, managing just 106 points and zero wins during the year. Dunlap's plan for improvement was to implement the Delaware Wing T offense in an attempt to score more points. This offense was popularized by Delaware coach Tubby Raymond and featured misdirection, ball handling, multiple runners and numerous passing targets. The offense was perfect for a team with smaller players like Lehigh. Within a couple of years, Lehigh's version, coupled with good recruiting resulted in scoring and eventually wins. By 1971, Lehigh, with quarterback Kim McQuilkin at the controls was scoring 362 points. The Engineers finished 8-3 that year and set a tone that would see plenty of points scored, many wins and a long line of excellent quarterbacks. Dunlap's teams would finish 36-13-1 (72%) over his final five years as coach. Dunlap returned to his alma mater Colgate University to coach and later serve as director of athletics. Dunlap's replacement was John Whitehead. Whitehead served as an assistant under Dunlap and success continued. Following a 6-5 first season, Whitehead led the Engineers to a remarkable 1977 season which resulted in a national championship. Lehigh had participated in two of the first three Division II tournaments (1973, 1975) so they were prepared for the rigors of post season play. Following a 9-2 year, Lehigh was invited to the tournament, but they had to play all games away from Taylor Stadium. Led by an explosive offense, Lehigh outlasted Massachusetts 30-23, outscored the University of California (Davis) 39-30, then clobbered Jacksonville State 33-0 in the Pioneer Bowl final in Texas. Lehigh spent one more season in Division II before joining the newly formed Division I-AA for the 1979 season.

The Mountain Hawks play their home games at Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The program ranks 40th all-time in terms of wins with 680 out of 1,312 games played for a winning percentage of 56 percent. In the modern era since 1945, Lehigh has won at a 60 percent pace.

The past 40-plus seasons have been mostly successful at Lehigh. The program joined the new Patriot League and Lehigh has won more than 63% of its league games during this time. In addition to a national championship and national runner up status, Lehigh has won ten Patriot League titles, has participated in the FCS playoffs eight times, have been declared Lambert champs seven times as well as winners of 14 Middle Three championships (Rutgers, Lafayette). Over the years, Lehigh has had seven 9-win seasons, five 10-win seasons, two 11-win seasons and three 12-win campaigns. In 1988, Lehigh moved into Goodman Stadium, a 16,000 seat state of the art concrete structure located on the Murray H. Goodman Campus ("Saucon Fields", as informally known.) The new stadium is part of a complete sports complex serving the university, situated south over South Mountain, from the heart of the school. Goodman stadium was erected in 1988 in a dug out 'Bowl' that had long-awaited its arrival: but it almost never materialized as planned. The bowl itself was constructed in the 1960s: an era of expansion and visionary plans for the school, working in close collaboration with partner Bethlehem Steel. However, with the advent of the 1980s, being a time of depression for B. Steel and the Bethlehem community generally, money and resources consequently dried up, forcing the University to consider more practical alternatives, such as leaving the team for the time being in the now older Taylor Stadium. Nevertheless, with a major contribution and renewed push by Murray H. During the 1990s, the NFL team the Philadelphia Eagles used Goodman Stadium and accompanying fields as their preseason camp and headquarters. Since 1950, Lehigh has enjoyed a 409-279-12 record, and since '98, the renaissance in football continued, with Mountain Hawks achieving a combined 129-48 record (72%). To further improve play, the Patriot League recently approved a plan allowing member schools to expand recruiting through the awarding of merit aid.

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The Mountain Hawks, then known as the Lehigh Engineers, made three appearances in the NCAA Division II college football playoffs in 1973, 1975, and 1977, with a combined record of 3-2.

The Lehigh-Lafayette Rivalry: A Storied Tradition

The annual contest between Lehigh University and Lafayette College has been in effect since 1884 and for 161 meetings. It is college football's most played rivalry. The discrepancy between the number of years and the number of games is due to the fact that the teams played each other twice a year prior to the turn of the 20th century. The game was not played in 1896. This was due to an issue involving the eligibility of a Lafayette player. Only twice have Lehigh and Lafayette played in a location other than Easton or Bethlehem, PA. In 1891 the teams played in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The 150th meeting of The Rivalry took place in 2014 and was played at Yankee Stadium in NYC. In 1950, Lehigh's victory ended a 15-year losing streak against Lafayette. In 1963, the game was delayed for one week due to the death of President Kennedy. In 1964, the 100th game ended in a 6-6 tie. In 1987 (game 123), Lehigh defeated Lafayette in the last game played at Taylor Stadium. Although Lafayette won the first game played at brand new Goodman Stadium in 1989, Lehigh has won 9 of the last 11 at Goodman, and 16 of 25 since Patriot League play began. Lehigh won the latest contest in 2025 and won an overtime thriller in 2009. The overall record stands at Lafayette 82, Lehigh 74.

Coaching Success and Patriot League Dominance

In recent years, Lehigh has enjoyed great success under winning coaches. Former assistant Kevin Higgins coached the team for seven seasons, compiling an overall record of 56-25-1 for a winning percentage of 68%. His teams captured four PL championships and went 30-9 in league play. Lehigh enjoyed high national rankings during this period. Lehigh went 6-1 against Lafayette under Higgins and was 2-3 in five playoff appearances. Both wins were road victories. Higgins joined the Detroit Lions of the NFL following the 2000 season. The coaching job went to Lehigh assistant Pete Lembo in 2001. Lembo's team promptly went 11-0 and won the Patriot League. The team made to the quarter finals of the national tournament. In Lembo's five years as head coach, Lehigh won 44 games, claimed two Patriot League titles, made two playoff appearances and dominated league play (26-7). His teams were also nationally ranked in three of the five years. Lehigh went outside of the program to hire Andy Coen. Coen had been offensive coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania. Coen had been a Lehigh assistant under Higgins, between 1995 and 1999. Under Andy Coen, Lehigh has compiled a winning record and has won over 69% of Patriot League games, including four titles. The 2010 team made it to the second round of the national playoffs, beating Northern Iowa on the road before losing to finalist Delaware the next round. The 2011 team lost only one regular season game, then entered the playoffs and claiming a one-point win at CAA champion Towson University. The Mountain Hawks lost in the semi-finals to eventual national champions North Dakota State. Although expectations were somewhat lower, the 2012 season turned out successfully. Lehigh went 10-1, and the team managed to win many close contests. The lone loss was to eventual league champ Colgate. Under Coen, Lehigh has managed to win 21 of the last 24 league games including 18 in a row. Lehigh has also won 31 of 36 games played overall, between 2010 and 2014. They capped the 2012 season with another win over Lafayette, 38-21. Now in his 11th year as Lehigh's head football coach, Andy Coen has compiled a 77-49 overall record and 46-18 in Patriot League action. In the Lehigh Mountain Hawks 2016 football season they finished with 9 wins and 3 losses, and made the playoffs for the first time since 2011. They went undefeated in the Patriot League winning all 6 games, while winning 3 games and losing 2 games against out of conference opponents. After the 2016 season, Nick Shafnisky was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and Lehigh football Head Coach Andy Coen was named Patriot League Coach of the Year. Lehigh also received nine first team honors for senior quarterback Nick Shafnisky, sophomore running back Dom Bragalone, junior wide receiver and return specialist Gatlin Casey, junior wide receiver Troy Pelletier, senior offensive tackle Zach Duffy, sophomore place kicker and punter Ed Mish, and senior linebacker Colton Caslow. In the upcoming 2017 football season the Lehigh Mountain Hawks will be looking towards defending their 2016 Patriot League Championship, and hope to repeat. Lehigh will kick off their season with a home game against Villanova.

Beyond Football: A Diverse Athletic Portfolio

While football holds a prominent place in Lehigh's athletic history, the university also boasts successful programs in a variety of other sports.

Basketball

Lehigh is also competitive in men's and women's basketball. Both teams play in Stabler Arena. The men's and women's teams both won the Patriot League championship in 2010. The Mountain Hawks men's basketball team is best known for its first-round game in the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament as a #15 seed on March 16, 2012 against the #2 seed Duke Blue Devils.

Baseball and Softball

Lehigh has very successful programs in both baseball (men) and softball (women), having won both Patriot League titles in 2015 and advancing to the NCAA playoffs.

Lacrosse

Lehigh's lacrosse team competes in the nine-team Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks have a strong tradition in lacrosse, but have only appeared twice (2012, 2013) in the present NCAA championships since its formation in 1971.

Soccer

Lehigh men's and women's soccer are NCAA Division I programs that compete in the Patriot League. Both teams are highly competitive. The 2006 men's team had a 15-2-3 overall record and became the first Patriot League team to go a perfect 7-0 in league play. They advanced to the third round of the NCAA play-offs before losing to the number-one seed. The head coach of the men's team is Dean Koski, and he is assisted by Ryan Hess and goalkeeper coach Matt Deming. This past season (2016), the Lehigh men's soccer team posted a 7-10-1. Leading the women's team is Eric Lambinus, assisted by Lauren Calabrese, Madi Morgan, and Bill Moukoulis. In their 2016 season, they went eight games without giving up a single goal, putting them at first in the country for goals against. Both teams play on Ulrich Field, located in Ulrich Sports Complex on Goodman Campus at Lehigh University. The field is grass with stands that hold about 1,300 fans. Locker rooms and practice fields (Kauffman Fields) are located a short distance from the game field.

Wrestling

Lehigh's wrestling team competes in the EIWA and has a strong tradition in the sport dating back to 1910. Over its history, Lehigh has won 34 EIWA team championships and 203 Lehigh wrestlers have won EIWA individual championships. The team regularly places among the top 10 at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and is considered one of the nation's best collegiate wrestling programs. Among Lehigh wrestling alumni are several coaches of the sport at other universities and colleges, including Jason Kutz (1998) at East Stroudsburg University, Chris Ayres (1999) at Princeton University, Cory Cooperman (2006), assistant wrestling coach at Rutgers University, and Troy Letters (2006) and Derek Zinck (2006), assistant wrestling coaches at Princeton. In 2006, the wrestling team marked its fifth straight EIWA championship.

The Spirit of the Marching 97

Lehigh's marching band is known as the "Marching 97". The number "97" represents the number of people who are in the marching band. It is composed of 12 ranks of 8 members and one drum major to conduct the entire band. First created in 1906 under direction of E.E. Ross with only 15 men as a band. The band only grew from there and started to perform in halls such as Drown Hall and Carnegie Hall. The Marching 97 allowed women to join as cheerleaders in 1969. In the 1970s, Professor Rich Aaronson asked if the Marching 97 could play in his Economics 001 class. The 97 enjoyed doing this and has taken requests for other classes. This is how the popular "Eco-flame" was created and it is done every year on the week Lehigh faces its rival, Lafayette College. Similar to the Eco-flame, if asked, the 97 will gather volunteering members to "flame" events on Lehigh. These events could be away football games, events organized by Lehigh, or Alums who ask to play at one of their events on Lehigh. Today, the Marching 97 is entirely student-ran and is one of the country's only marching bands to do so. The band has performed at Carnegie Hall, Drown Hall, and at the New York World's Fair, as well as at Yankee Stadium in 2014 for the 150th meeting of the Lehigh-Lafayette game.

Balancing Academics and Athletics

Lehigh University has long been recognized for its commitment to maintaining high academic standards for its student-athletes. Courtney Smith, a doctoral candidate in Lehigh’s history department, is researching the history of Lehigh sports. Her thesis, titled “A Delicate Balance: A History of Lehigh Athletics from 1866-2001,” will address the university’s long-standing adherence to high academic standards while turning out winning athletic programs. “Throughout its 135-year history, Lehigh has always managed to do that,” says Smith.

The Carnegie Foundation Report and its Impact

A pivotal point in the university’s history came in 1929, when a blistering report compiled by the Carnegie Foundation excoriated schools around the country for their lax academic standards for college athletes. Although Lehigh was noted in that report for its strong adherence to high academic standards for its athletes, the report spawned a series of initiatives at Lehigh that ensured that practice. They included the Alumni Student Grant Program, which was temporarily sidelined during World War II, as well as a program that allowed alumni to subsidize tuition costs and thereby avoid the necessity of athletic scholarships. “Everyone involved in the Lehigh athletic program, from the school presidents to the athletic directors and even the alumni, were determined to run a program free of ‘abuse and excess,’ What they meant was that they were not going to subsidize athletes through secret slush funds or under-the-table payments,” Smith says. “Of course,” she adds, “this policy had a downside. Except for the wrestling team, Lehigh’s intercollegiate teams struggled on the playing field. So, the school developed this need-based program, the Alumni Student Grants Program, which allowed it to subsidize athletes without offering outright, full-ride athletic scholarships.” Smith's research involved extensive work in the Lehigh archives, examining student newspapers, yearbooks, and publications like the South Mountaineer, Alumni Bulletin, and the Brown and White student newspaper. She sought to understand how Lehigh attracted and nurtured students who were both gifted academically and athletically, without compromising its academic integrity.

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