1969 Lehigh Engineers football team

The 1969 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1969 NCAA College Division football season, and completed the 86th season of Engineers football. Lehigh finished fourth in the Middle Atlantic Conference, University Division, and won the Middle Three Conference championship.

1969 Lehigh Engineers football
Middle Three Conference champion
ConferenceMiddle Atlantic Conference
DivisionUniversity Division
1969 record4–5–1 (2–2 MAC University)
Head coach
Captains
  • Mike Leib
  • Pete Tomaino
Home stadiumTaylor Stadium
1969 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
University
No. 10 Delaware x 6 –0 –0  9 –2 –0
Gettysburg 4 –2 –0  7 –2 –0
Bucknell 3 –2 –1  3 –5 –1
Lehigh 2 –2 –0  4 –5 –1
Temple 1 –2 –1  4 –5 –1
Lafayette 1 –3 –0  4 –6 –0
Hofstra 0 –5 –0  0 –10 –0
West Chester * 0 –1 –0  7 –2 –0
College–Northern
Wilkes x 5 –0 –0  6 –2 –0
Susquehanna 5 –1 –0  6 –3 –0
Wagner 4 –1 –0  4 –5 –0
Juniata 4 –2 –0  5 –3 –0
Delaware Valley 4 –3 –0  4 –3 –0
Upsala 3 –3 –0  4 –4 –0
Albright 3 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Lycoming 1 –7 –0  1 –7 –0
College–Southern
Johns Hopkins x 5 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
Lebanon Valley x 5 –2 –0  6 –2 –0
Ursinus x 5 –2 –0  5 –2 –1
Moravian 6 –3 –0  6 –3 –0
Dickinson 4 –4 –0  4 –4 –0
Muhlenberg 4 –5 –0  4 –5 –0
Drexel 2 –3 –0  3 –5 –0
Swarthmore 3 –5 –0  3 –5 –0
Western Maryland 2 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Pennsylvania Military 1 –5 –0  2 –6 –0
Franklin & Marshall 1 –6 –0  1 –7 –0
Haverford 1 –6 –0  1 –6 –0
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1969 team came off a 3–7 record from the previous season. The team was led by coach Fred Dunlap. The team finished the regular season with a 4–5–1 record.[1] Mike Leib and Pete Tomaino were the team captains.[2]

To kick off its conference schedule, Lehigh scored a significant upset against Rutgers, dealing the Scarlet Knights their first loss during college football's centennial season, the 100th anniversary of the 1869 game between Rutgers and Princeton that is considered the sport's first intercollegiate matchup.[3] Dunlap compared the 17-7 victory to Lehigh's best season in recent memory: "We beat Columbia, Colgate and Harvard in 1961, our Lambert Cup year and this is the greatest football triumph for us since then."[4]

The Engineers beat both of their Middle Three rivals, Rutgers and Lafayette, to win the conference championship. The Engineers were 2–2 against MAC University Division opponents, earning fourth place in that conference.

Lehigh played its home games at Taylor Stadium on the university campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Schedule
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 20 The Citadel*
L 16–41 10,000 [5]
September 27 Ithaca*
  • Taylor Stadium
  • Bethlehem, PA
W 55–7 6,500 [6]
October 4 at Wittenberg*
L 13–21 5,500 [7]
October 11 at Rutgers
W 17–7 17,000 [8]
October 18 at Penn*
L 7–13 27,002 [9]
October 25 Gettysburg
  • Taylor Stadium
  • Bethlehem, PA
L 24–36 10,500 [10]
November 1 Colgate*
  • Taylor Stadium
  • Bethlehem, PA
T 14–14 7,500 [11]
November 8 at No. 4 Delaware
L 14–42 14,093 [12]
November 15 at Bucknell
W 7–3 4,100 [13]
November 22 Lafayette
W 36–19 16,000 [14]

References
  1. "Year-by-Year Results". Lehigh Football Record Book (PDF). Bethlehem, Pa.: Lehigh University. p. 22. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  2. "Lehigh Football Captains". Lehigh Football Record Book (PDF). Bethlehem, Pa.: Lehigh University. p. 12. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  3. "1869–1969, The Centennial of Rutgers Football" (PDF). Rutgers Football Media Guide. Rutgers University. 1969.
  4. Werden, Lincoln A. (October 12, 1969). "Lehigh Defense Halts Rutgers, 17-7, Despite 29 Completions by Policastro". The New York Times. New York, N.Y.
  5. "Citadel Sweeps to 41-16 Win". The Greenville News. Greenville, S.C. Associated Press. September 21, 1969. sec. 3, p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Langan, Phil (September 29, 1969). "Bomber Gridders Beaten by Lehigh". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, N.Y. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Lehigh Gains 538 Yds., Blasts Ithaca, 55-7". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. September 28, 1969. sect. 3, p. 4.
  7. Havach, Lynn (October 5, 1969). "Lehigh Rallies Too Late". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Fleming, Jimmie (October 12, 1969). "Rutgers' Miscues Give Lehigh Game, 17-7". The Sunday Home News. New Brunswick, N.J. p. A1 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Dell, John (October 19, 1969). "Penn Loses 3d Quarterback but Defense Holds Off Lehigh". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. sect. 3, p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Larimer, Terry (October 26, 1969). "Engineers Are Stunned 26-24 by Gettysburg's Late Surge". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Larimer, Terry (November 2, 1969). "Colgate Rallies to Tie Lehigh 14-14". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Colgate, Lehigh Play a 14-14 Tie". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. United Press International. November 2, 1969. p. S4.
  12. Bodley, Hal (November 10, 1969). "Records, Lehigh Tumble to Hens' DiMuzio". The Morning News. Wilmington, Del. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. Larimer, Terry (November 16, 1969). "Engineers Turn Back Bucknell 7-3". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Lehigh Nips Bucknell with 2d Half TD, 7-3". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. November 16, 1969. sect. 3, p. 3.
  14. Larimer, Terry (November 23, 1969). "Engineers Outpoint Lafayette". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
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