The Brown & White

For Lehigh football players, the annual Lehigh-Lafayette matchup is a game to remember for the rest of their lives: fans cheering, the bonfire burning, hearts pounding and the chance to end the regular season with a win over a long-loathed rival.

For Al Richmond, '61, the 1960 matchup was a chance to end his disappointing senior season with a win. It was his fourth time playing in the Lehigh-Laf game.

"We were supposed to have an excellent team that year," he said. The team had started out with solid wins over the University of Delaware, Gettysburg College and Colgate University. But several injuries, many occurring in a game at Tufts University, started the team on a downhill struggle. Going into the rivalry, the team was 3-5 on the season - the local newspapers were predicting Lehigh would lose.

But Richmond, who played halfback, and his teammates were determined to end the season right. "It was a quiet resolve, a quiet week leading up to the game, a sense of quiet determination," he said.

The team's efforts paid off in the form of a 26-3 win, and Richmond received the matchup's first Most Valuable Player award after scoring two touchdowns. "It was a fun game; it just flowed," he said. "It was one of those things, everything went right."

Richmond said the victory was a good finish to an otherwise lackluster season. "Back then, if you beat Lafayette, but had a mediocre season previously, it was still a good year," he said.

Hal Yeich, '66, played fullback for Lehigh. He shared a similar sentiment, that winning against Lafayette could salvage a losing season. "You might as well forget about all the other games," he said. Yeich played in the rivalry his sophomore, junior and senior years.

Yeich was named M.V.P. of the 1965 matchup, the team's only victory that season. "We lost every other ball game that year," Yeich said. Yeich rushed for 174 yards and scored a touchdown in the 20-14 victory.

That victory marked the first win for then-Head Coach Fred Dunlap. "Being named M.V.P. of that game and presenting him with his first win was something I'll never forget," Yeich said.

Yeich said although Lehigh has changed in many ways since his playing days, the rivalry is as important as ever. "It still means a lot not to lose to the team that's 15 miles down Route 22," he said. "That's a game a coach has to win."

Mike Rieker, '78, said a big difference between the rivalry today and in his playing days is the stadium atmosphere.

"The guys can't even come close to feeling what we felt playing in Taylor Stadium," he said.

In Taylor Stadium, which was located where Rauch Business Center is currently, the fans were so close to the field that the players could hear everything. Rieker said this close atmosphere inspired him to play even harder.

"You heard every cheer, and you heard every boo," Rieker said.

The fans' proximity to the field made for a lot of debauchery. In the Lehigh-Laf matchup Rieker's sophomore year, 1975, fans tore down the goalposts before halftime, so the teams had to go for two-point conversions after every touchdown.

"A lot of fraternities would take those pieces of wood and put them up on the wall like an award," he said.

The energy at the 1977 matchup was so high even the players heckled each other, he said. "A lot of verbiage went back and forth," he said, and the referees had to step in to settle down the players.

The 1977 matchup was a must-win for Lehigh to get a playoff berth, Rieker said. "We really needed to put it on Lafayette to get them to look our way," he said.

The team beat Lafayette 35-17, and Rieker, the quarterback, was named M.V.P.

The win got the team the attention it needed, and Lehigh marched through the playoffs with victories over University of Massachusetts, University of California-Davis and Jacksonville State to win the Division II national title.

Rieker played in the Lehigh-Laf matchup his junior and senior years and attributed much of his success as a quarterback to the quarterbacks preceding him, particularly Kim McQuilken, Joe Alleva and Joe Sterrett. "I needed to really pick up my game to follow in their footsteps," he said.

For Phil Stambaugh, '00, each Lehigh-Laf matchup he played in had high, but different, stakes. For his freshman and sophomore years, Lehigh was looking to end the season on a high note. His junior year, the team was undefeated and beat Lafayette before going to the playoffs. His senior year, a win was needed to get a berth in the national playoffs.

Stambaugh said he will never forget those games, although he would have loved to experience the atmosphere of playing in Taylor Stadium. "Each year we beat Lafayette was a great feeling," he said. "I wish that I could be back in those playing days to experience it all again, but I will never forget those days or the fact that I never lost to Lafayette in football."

Stambaugh made history in the 1996 matchup after a 23-19 victory, when he became the only freshman to win the game's M.V.P. award. Stambaugh was the first freshman to start in a Lehigh-Laf game since Marty Horn in 1982, according to past Brown and White reports.

What many didn't know, however, was that Stambaugh was sick the week leading up to the game. "A little known fact is that I played and practiced all week with a severely high temperature because I was sick, but I was not about to let someone else play so I kept that to myself," he said. "I got through it all and it was truly a great feeling to be recognized for that award and to hold onto that trophy all year."

Stambaugh said the rivalry has a lot of significance for him, and for Lehigh. "There is so much that is packed into this battle and the people, players, coaches, fans associated with it. Everyone draws from the excitement, and I wish Lehigh the best of luck in 2009!" he said.