The Lafayette Leopards football program represents Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania in college football. One of the oldest college football programs in the United States, Lafayette currently plays in the Patriot League at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level.
Fielding their first team in 1882, Lafayette has won three college football national championships (1896, 1921, 1926), eight Patriot League championships (1988, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2023), six undefeated seasons (1896, 1909, 1921, 1926, 1937, 1940) and four undefeated, untied seasons (1921, 1926, 1937, 1940).
For most of its history, Lafayette played an independent schedule until joining the Patriot League in 1986. Between 1929 and 1975, the Leopards were a part of an unofficial conference, the "Middle Three Conference," which consisted of Rutgers University and Lehigh University. Today, Lafayette is most noted for its fierce arch-rivalry with Lehigh, which is the most played rivalry in college football (158 games) and the most consecutive years played (since 1897). ESPN considers "The Rivalry" to be among the top ten in college football, and was the subject of a PBS documentary narrated by NFL Films voice and Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas. Aside from Lehigh, Lafayette's primary rivals are Bucknell University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Lafayette has produced four consensus All-Americans (FBS), 11 FCS All-Americans, four College Football Hall of Fame players, and three College Football Hall of Fame coaches. Lafayette football has produced and nurtured several legendary football personalities, such as George Barclay, inventor of the football helmet, and Jock Sutherland, legendary coach of the Pittsburgh Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Lafayette's Herb McCracken is also credited with inventing the huddle during a game in which Pennsylvania was stealing hand signals.
Lafayette's nickname is the Leopards, dating from October 21, 1924. In its early history, the students, alumni, and press referred to the team as the 'Maroon.' The Leopards are still occasionally referred to as the 'Maroon' or the 'Maroon and White.' Currently, Lafayette has 650 wins, 33rd all-time in Division I.
History Early history (1882–1890)
'Rugby' football was first introduced on College Hill in the fall of 1880 by Theodore H. Welles. A member of the class of 1884, Welles brought football to Easton after learning the new game at Wilkes-Barre Academy and Princeton University, where he studied as a college freshman. H.R. Craven, who played and learned the sport at the Lawrenceville School, served as the first team captain.
Early football at Lafayette was not organized. In 1880 and 1881, students competed against each other on campus. However, in the fall of 1882, Lafayette traveled to Rutgers to play its first intercollegiate football contest. On November 7, 1882, Lafayette fell to Rutgers in overtime, 0-0/8-3. One week later, Lafayette lost its second game ever against the University of Pennsylvania 0-0/1-3. Although official records reflect only two games being played in 1882, Welles mentions playing Swarthmore College and the Stevens Institute of Technology on College Hill, winning both contests.
With one season of intercollegiate football experience, Lafayette won its first game ever in 1883. After dropping its first three games to Princeton, Pennsylvania, and Stevens, Lafayette broke through against Rutgers on November 10. With four inches of slushy snow covering the Quad, Lafayette avenged the previous year's defeat 25–0 with four touchdowns despite a water-logged ball.
The first game in 1884 brought a new team to Lafayette's schedule: Lehigh University. Located in nearby Bethlehem, Lehigh would be playing its first football game. With experience and superior skill on its side, Lafayette annihilated Lehigh 56–0 in what would shortly become known as The Rivalry. Due to the proximity of the schools, Lafayette played a Lehigh as their last opponent in 1884, winning 36–0 in Bethlehem. True animosity soon developed between both teams. In 1886, Lafayette was winning 12–0 until a severe downpour halted play 15 minutes into the second half; in 1886, there were two 45 minute halves. Both team captains mutually agreed to end the game even though football tradition called for football to be played in all weather. The game's referee wrote Walter Camp on how to resolve the game. Camp said that the game should be declared a tie, but Lehigh acknowledged they were outplayed and gave Lafayette the victory. Later in the season, with the game scoreless late in the second half, Lehigh was protesting the officiating of the game. As the Lehigh captain pulled his team off the field in protest, Lafayette picked up the ball and scored a touchdown. To this day, Lafayette counts the game as a 4–0 win, while Lehigh considers the game scoreless. The schools would play each other twice per season until 1902.
A bitter rivalry also emerged with Pennsylvania. During their annual contest on the Lafayette Quad on November 6, 1889, Lafayette's right tackle Wells, who had been ejected by the umpire earlier in the contest, tripped a Pennsylvania player running with the ball along the sidelines. As the two players converged following the trip, a crowd of spectators surged the Penn player and "struck, kicked, and generally misused him." Many outside newspapers trumped up the incident to make it seem like a mob had severely beaten the Penn player and there was general unruliness at the Lafayette game. However, since it was the late 19th century, it is possible that the account of the unruly mob was an instance of yellow journalism. Additionally, the umpire who ejected Wells, Dr. Shell, was from the University of Pennsylvania and was cited in the newspaper for making several bad calls against Lafayette, including negating a five-point field goal on a phantom offside. Regardless, Pennsylvania was upset about the altercation relations between the two schools were strained. The incident was a key catalyst in forming the Alumni Advisory Committee in January 1890. Pennsylvania played only two more times at Lafayette, in 1891 and 1893, until 1973.
Although there were no formal conferences, Lafayette, Lehigh, and Pennsylvania were loosely affiliated and their games, two against each opponent, were considered the battle for the Pennsylvania State Championship
College football upstart (1891–1918)
After being managed by students, Lafayette hired its first paid football coach for the 1891 season, W.S. Moyle. Moyle was hired from Yale University since he was familiar with the Yale system and was considered a good player. His stipend was $400. As coach from 1891 to 1892, Moyle played in nearly every game and carried the ball on nearly every down. He was lauded as a football hero until the faculty disapproved of his playing. However, he was regarded as 'good coach' who 'taught for the first time what teamwork was.'
Despite hiring coaches, Lafayette's record had a losing record each season. Between 1891 and 1894, Lafayette went 2–9 against Lehigh, including two losses and a neutral site loss before 3,000 spectators in Wilkes-Barre in 1891.
In 1895, the alumni athletic advisors hired who would become a legendary college football figure, Parke H. Davis. Writing a history of Lafayette Athletics in 1926, Francis A. March, Jr. said, "With the advent of Davis, little Lafayette stepped from comparative obscurity to a level with the football giants." Davis, who played at Princeton, was the first coach hired based on experience, having coached Amherst College and the University of Wisconsin in previous seasons. Lafayette went 6–2 and had its first winning season since 1888 swept Lehigh for the first time since 1886. Davis is credited with bringing organization, recognition, and enthusiasm to Lafayette football through his charismatic personality and writing college fight songs. In 1896, Lafayette won its first National Championship, which featured a dramatic 6–4 win against Pennsylvania at Franklin Field.
Davis coached one more season, a 9–2–1 campaign in 1897. Samuel B. Newton, who arrived after coaching Penn State led Lafayette to its most victories ever with a 12–1 record in 1899, with a lone 12–0 defeat to national champions Princeton (12–1) and outscoring opponents 253–23. Newton was 7–0 against Lehigh and 33–14 overall through his last season of 1902 before leaving Lafayette to coach Lehigh. In four games against Lafayette, Newton only won twice while going 23–20–2 overall. During this time, Newton coached Walter E. Bachman, who developed the roving center concept in football. Bachman was named second-team All-American by Walter Camp in 1900 and 1901, one of the first players outside of the 'Big Four' to earn the honor.
The legendary roll of Lafayette coaches continued after the departure of Newton. Dr. Alfred E. Bull coached between 1903 and 1907, compiling a 37–10–3 record in five seasons, with one loss to Lehigh. Tragically, Lafayette football hero and helmet inventor George "Rose" Barclay, who became coach in 1908 and was the first Lafayette player to coach the team, died following after one season after suffering from an appendicitis. His successor, Bob Folwell, became one of the most decorated coaches in Lafayette history by posting a 19–2–1 record. Folwell led the University of Iowa to its first conference championship and after Lafayette, led Washington & Jefferson College to be recognized as 'an elite power team,' along with Notre Dame, Michigan, the University of Chicago, and Yale. In 1925, he became the first coach of the New York Giants.
Folwell coached Lafayette to its first win against Princeton on October 23, 1909, in what The New York Times said was, "the most sensational finish that has ever been seen in a football game." With six second remaining and the score 0–0, Princeton was set to attempt a game-winning field goal from the Lafayette 10-yard line. Irmschler blitzed through the tackle and guard, caught the ball as it left the kicker's foot, and raced 92 yards for the win as time expired for a 6–0 win. The team was greeted with a jubilant crowd that paraded through Easton and College Hill when the team returned. In their next game two weeks later, Lafayette tied Pennsylvania 6–6 and ultimately finished second behind Yale (10–0–0) in the East and for the national championship. Lafayette outscored the opposition 176–6.
Folwell left in the middle of the 1911 season with Lafayette holding a 5–0 record. It came at an inopportune moment as Lafayette was set to host the Carlisle Indians and Jim Thorpe. Lafayette lost 19–0 and went 2–3 the rest of the season under S.B. Newton.
National college football power (1919–1948) Between 1921 and 1948, Lafayette was considered one of the premiere college football programs. The team earned two national championships, had four undefeated seasons, featured several All-Americans, played in major games, and was involved in several bowl scenarios. During nearly every season of the era, the team was led by a coach that would later be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
The 1920s The hiring of Jock Sutherland in 1919 started Lafayette on the road to national prominence during the 1920s. After coaching an undefeated team at an Army base in Georgia during World War I and only a few years removed from playing for the University of Pittsburgh and Pop Warner, Sutherland was prepared to enter a career in dentistry. However, a chance meeting with a friend propelled Sutherland to take a coaching job at Lafayette.