From World War I to COVID-19: It’s game on for Lafayette-Lehigh football battle
They played the game during the 1918-19 worldwide influenza pandemic, and they played it during both world wars.
Since 1884, the football contest known simply as “The Rivalry” between Easton’s Lafayette College and Bethlehem’s Lehigh University has been held every year except one — 1896, when it was canceled over a dispute about the eligibility of a Lafayette player.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic.
The global spread of the virus forced the cancellation of the nation’s most-played college football game, as well as all fall sports in 2020 for both Patriot League schools. Sports resumed in January, and the storied Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry was again on for April 3. But a COVID19 case in the Lafayette program delayed it once more, for a week.
While it’s not the traditional Saturday before Thanksgiving, it is still on, as of now, for Saturday at Fisher Field on Easton’s College Hill.
For most students at Lehigh and Lafayette’s campuses, who have returned for the spring semester after being away from their schools for nearly a year, this year’s game seems “very
different,” said Scott D. Morse, a Lafayette spokesperson.
“Have we ever played a Lafayette-Lehigh game in April?” asked Morse, who is communications director of campus life and athletics.
The budding trees instead of shedding trees, and students in summer clothes instead of overcoats, help answer Morse’s question ahead of the 156th meeting between the two schools.
It is very different.
“I may go; I may not even go, even though it’s my last game,” said senior Alyssa Megson of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, sporting a facemask decorated with the Lafayette Leopard mascot.
Megson, who was standing near the Lafayette food truck on The Quad with fellow seniors Adriana Ventura of Dallas and Emily Cotter of Carle Place, New York, recalled running onto the field at Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium at the end of the 2019 game, which the Leopards won 17-16. The officials hadn’t officially ended the game, so Megson said they had to go back to the sidelines.
“The second time we ran out was even more exciting,” she said after the contest, which drew 13,292 fans.
Saturday, Lafayette expects to seat about 2,600 people, about one-fifth of the 13,132 capacity, Morse said. The school sent tickets to Lehigh, marking a first for Lafayette since sports resumed on their campuses in January, he said.
“We’re appreciative that Lafayette is able to allow a limited number of family and friends of our team members to be in person,” said Steve Lomangino, Lehigh’s sports communications director.
Said Morse: “We just thought it was the right thing to do, with it being the rivalry.”
In south Bethlehem, Katie McNulty, a Lehigh junior, is looking forward to covering the game as sports editor of The Brown and White school newspaper.
McNulty, a Freedom High School graduate from Bethlehem Township, said those she has spoken to, particularly the athletes she covers, are excited to experience a sense of normalcy.
“We took it for granted, and it’s a big deal at Lehigh,” she said of the football contest.
“It’s not just the football game; it’s a big rivalry,” she said. “We call it ‘the other school.’ ”
Some Lafayette students said they were excited for the game, while others blamed everything from the pressures of COVID19 to the rigors of preparing for midterms and other academic requirements for tamping down their exuberance.
“I don’t think it’s as big of a deal as it has been,” said junior Scotlyn Mummert of Bedford, Bedford County. “I think we have other things we are thinking about right now. But it’s definitely a nice treat to have something that’s celebratory, especially when everyone’s been stressed out.”
In other years, the campus would buzz with enthusiasm and signs. Students and faculty often wore leopard-spotted clothing or Leopard garb, for instance. Cars would be smashed outside of Lafayette’s Farinon College Center as a symbol of beating Lehigh.
While the football team practiced Wednesday at Fisher Field, with the word “Perseverance” emblazoned in big letters on a giant scoreboard, there were subdued reminders of the big game along The Quad — the large grassy area on Lafayette’s campus.
Helmet cutouts with players’ names and numbers were placed in front of Farinon. A historical marker for passersby spells out some of the rivalry game’s notoriety, including national media coverage through the years.
As he walked past the lawn signs, Liam Stewart, a freshman from Bethlehem Township, New Jersey, sensed everyone on campus is confident of a Leopards’ victory.
“It’s different this year,” Stewart admitted, “but we’re still going to win; so it’s no big deal.”
Chip Walakovits has attended every Lafayette-Lehigh game since the late 1960s, but his roots in the rivalry go back before then.
“I started my career when I made and sold hot dogs, and worked at Lehigh,” Walakovits said, noting he grew up near Lehigh’s former football field, which was known as Taylor Stadium.
The Hanover Township, Northampton County, man has been associated with the Lehigh South Side Boosters Association for decades. The group, a majority of whose members grew up in south Bethlehem, typically holds tailgate get-togethers outside Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium, enjoying hot dogs, snacks, beverages and camaraderie before the game.
COVID-19 has canceled those gatherings, and on Saturday, several members will meet at a home and watch the game on television, Walakovits said.
“You have to feel disappointed as a fan,” Walakovits said, sad that rooters who are not affiliated with either school won’t be able to attend. “You have to feel good for the kids that this rivalry continues, and I think that’s important, because the history of the game is a memorable one. For alumni of both schools, it’s a reunion.
“I just feel sad for us fans, but COVID has changed our way of life,” he said. “Hopefully, for November, we’ll return to normal and to our tradition.”
Lafayette has set coronavirus-specific protocols for Saturday’s game, including no tailgate parties and no in-stadium concessions (two food trucks will be operating). The school is not allowing Lehigh students without tickets to be on campus. Lafayette students are also forbidden to be on Lehigh’s property. Those with tickets will only have access to the stadium.