Forum › Forum › Lehigh Sports › Lehigh Football › LUFB: 30 years ago compared to today
This topic contains 8 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by RichH 9 years, 1 month ago.
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December 30, 2015 at 8:31 am #24550
Cleaning up tonight I came across a 1985 LU media guide, all 42 pages black and white of it, about 4×5.5 inches.
The guide claimed attendance for the following 1984 home games at Taylor as:
Colgate: 12,500
Delaware: 12,000
UNH: 10,500
URI: 12,500
Bucknell: 9,500That’s an average of 11,500 for a team with a record of 5-6
Compare that to 2014 at Goodman:
JMU: 6,519
Monmouth: 5,633
Bucknell: 4,984
Fordham: 9,372
Colgate: 4,736That’s an average of 6,249 for a team with a record of 3-8
We can all hypothesize on the huge attendance drop: round numbers in 1985 accurate (?), moving of stadium, lousy team, more co-education, TV, weaker schedule (?) — but it’s not good, no matter what.
The fun facts:
— Muffet McGraw is listed as an administrative assistant in the athletics department. Talk about breaking through the glass ceiling.— Five seniors in 1985 earned letters as freshmen, pretty rare at the time (Benn, Horn, Schreck, Walton, Whitehead). All but Schreck were all-Americans in 83 and/or 84 (as sophomores or juniors).
— Only 26 lettermen returned
— 1984 was Whitehead’s second losing season in nine years (70-35-2)
— Players were smaller. OL Jim Rovito biggest at 6-4, 275.
In 1984, LU O averaged 88.5 on ground; 270.1 in air
In 1984, LU D averaged 156.5 vs run; 197.7 vs passI found it all pretty interesting, though I’ve not formulated many other conclusions …
It is interesting to note give the discussions on other threads here
December 30, 2015 at 7:31 pm #24556Interesting time warp view. Dont really know whether any conclusions can be drawn from the comparison tho. I have a box somewhere with various media guides,programs an South Mountaineers ( remember them ). Keep meaning to dig them out.
Go back another 20 years and the biggest player was 6’1″245 and the starting OC came in at 177 lbsDecember 31, 2015 at 5:02 am #24570Stadium location a non-issue. We were averaging over 10,000 a game in late 90’s and early 2000’s. Many issues at play, not just at Lehigh, but nationally as well.
January 2, 2016 at 6:54 pm #24607Found one more stat from a 1977 media guide (quite thin). This relates back to some comments here a few months ago.
It’s now clear why the Engineers name had to be changed (LOL)
Some bragged on the football team’s GPA. It seemed overloaded with arts college students. My guess is they might have an easier course load than the folks in engineering and business.
Turns out I wasn’t completely right, but close. Yesterday’s engineers are all in the business school now.
In 1977, 38 of 88 kids on the preseason roster were engineering majors; 34 were in the arts school; 16 in business. Way more engineers than now.
Summary: 1977 vs. 2015:
Engineering: 43 percent vs. 16 percent
Business: 18 percent vs 46 percent
Arts: 39 percent vs. 33 percentJanuary 2, 2016 at 7:11 pm #24608Interesting nuhat stands out numbers. What stands out to me are the increase in Arts majors not only fron 77 to now but from my time. Arts majors were few in my day.
January 2, 2016 at 9:38 pm #24609Rich,
It’s a bit deceiving. It is really the College of Arts and Sciences and many of the hybrid majors are located there. IDEAS, Computer Sciences and Earth and Environmental Science are all hot majors today that did not exist when we were students.January 2, 2016 at 9:44 pm #24610True. A lot of majors now that didn’t exist back in the Stone ages
January 3, 2016 at 5:36 am #24616Let me tell you A&S had some very tough majors: biology,chemistry, physics, astronomy, numerous foreign languages (which 18 credits were REQUIRED for all A&S majors!), various pre-law and pre-med majors that were combined from several different curriculums. The “Engineers” was not a nickname due to the engineering schools rep at the time. It relates to the University’s founder, Asa Packer, who founded the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which back in the late 19th and first half of the 20th centuries was a major industrial force. Unfortunately, due to “marketing” concerns, it was deemed necessary to change the nickname, though technically “Engineers” still exists with Mountain Hawks being added along with a feathery mascot youngsters could squeal over. Numerous schools have multiple nicknames and/or mascots, i.e. Yale, Alabama, Auburn, Harvard, Va. Tech,
January 3, 2016 at 5:44 am #24617Actually,se have three “official”nicknames. Brown & White. Stirs the blood does it not
I’m an Engineer. Not go.na change. Understanx co-ed marketing for the change ,just never agreed with it. -
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