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The Rivalry: Lehigh vs. Lafayette

Lehigh-Lafayette

As one of the nation’s most long-standing and storied rivalries, Lehigh versus Lafayette is among the most exciting and largest attended contests every year, no matter the sport. The two schools are located less than 20 miles apart from each other in eastern Pennsylvania and meet annually in most sports, either during the regular season or at the Patriot League Championship. Lehigh athletes and supporters are so passionate about this rivalry, they always claim their two favorite teams are Lehigh and whoever is playing Lafayette.

The Lehigh-Lafayette football game is the most-played football rivalry in the nation. The two teams have met 145 times since 1884, only one year after standardized football rules were established. To this day, the match-up of Lehigh-Lafayette football is the largest and most anticipated game of the year for both schools. Another long-running tradition among these two rivals is in baseball, where the two teams have competed every year since 1885, and in the past twenty years alone the Mountain Hawks have won 43 of 82 games against the Leopards.

History of the two rivals in all sports they compete in shows that Lehigh has dominated the Lehigh-Lafayette series in recent years, including 22-8-1 in 2008-09, 17-13 in 2006-07 and a 24-10 record in 2005- 2006.

In 42 years of men's competition Lehigh has won 35 times while losing only twice. There have been six ties. Lafayette leads the women’s series, 13-11.

2009-10 Lehigh– Lafayette Schedule

^Record since 1990