LFN

My Lehigh Football Head Coaching Shortlist of 15 Names (and three more) - We didn't want to be here, but we're here now once again.  Lehigh fans have entered this offseason wondering who might be on the Lehigh Athletic Department's shortlist for the next head football coach of the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.I do not know who...
My Lehigh Football Head Coaching Shortlist of 15 Names - We didn't want to be here, but we're here now once again.  Lehigh fans have entered this offseason wondering who might be on the Lehigh Athletic Department's shortlist for the next head football coach of the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.I do not know who...
The Tom Gilmore Era -  I really wanted the Tom Gilmore Era to work.I did not first meet Tom Gilmore when he was a fiery defensive coordinator for some of the best Lehigh teams in history, but I thoroughly enjoyed what he created.  His defense was the final pi...
The Tom Gilmore Era -  I really wanted the Tom Gilmore Era to work.I did not first meet Tom Gilmore when he was a fiery defensive coordinator for some of the best Lehigh teams in history, but I thoroughly enjoyed what he created.  His defense was the final pi...
Bryce Harper’s Home Run Caused An Earthquake In Philadelphia. Lehigh’s Loss to Bucknell Last Weekend Should Cause One In Bethlehem. - Bryce Harper took control of the city of Philadelphia on a 1-2 pitch.He fouled off two 99 mph fastballs, took a changeup just low, and then crushed Daniel Suarez's 98.9 mph sinker into the left-center stands.At that moment, so many people in the Philad...
Lehigh’s First True Spring Game In The Last Four Years Builds Off of Positive Momentum Last November -  BETHLEHEM, PA - It's amazing to contemplate that only two players on Lehigh's spring roster, both fifth-year seniors, experienced anything resembling a regular, fifteen practice, spring season.LB Nate Norris had played in 2017 as a freshman in he...
Breaking Down Lehigh’s Fall 2022 Football Schedule: Is there Room for a "Bacon Classic"? -  It's the spring, and what that means is that the weather (hopefully) is getting better, the flowers are blooming, and - most importantly - we're in the middle of spring football season.Soon I am planning on posting an update on what has gone on i...
Eleven Guys Who Might Be Lafayette’s Next Head Football Coach -


It was a surprise.  Well, to me, anyway.

Most people assumed that Lafayette head coach John Garrett was safe as the Leopards' head coach.  Though his five year record wasn't great, he had beaten bitter Rival Lehigh in two out of the last three Rivalry games, despite a tough 17-10 loss to Lehigh the final week of the year.

Listening to the post-game press conference, I also didn't pick up on some of the signs that his job security might be in jeopardy.  Garrett was a bit prickly, but it was understandable - he had just lost a game to Lafayette's Rivals.  "The future is bright for Lafayette football," he said, not letting on that he might not be a part of that future.

But by Monday, the announcement was made - after five years leading the Leopard football team, "Lafayette College will not renew the contract of head football coach John Garrett," a short press release stated.  "A national search for his replacement will begin immediately.  Defensive coordinator Doug McFadden, who just finished his 12th season with the program, will serve as its interim head coach."

This winter's Lafayette offseason took a decidedly interesting turn as a result.

One name that will not be on this list was Notre Dame coordinator Brian Polian, who somewhat inexplicably showed up in the rumor mill when some "insider tweets" linked him as "being close" to signing as Lafayette's new head coach.  May Lafayette fans and I were deeply skeptical, and today that skepticism was justified, as he announced that he's joining his former boss Brian Kelly at LSU

Polian, a former head coach at Nevada, never made an ounce of sense as Lafayette's head coach - he had no ties to the area, had already been a head coach at a Group of Five school, and it seemed clear to me that he was going to command an astoundingly high salary.

I don't have any super-insider viewpoint as to whom Lafayette will be hiring to lead the Leopards next year.  But I do have a list of ten candidates that I think could be in the running, in alphabetical order.

Read more »
If the Patriot League Thought Bigger, This Is What They Would Do In Reaction To James Madison’s Departure For The Sun Belt - I wish I thought this would actually happen.I wish the Patriot League was proactive, and thinking several steps ahead.But as an observer of the Patriot League for more than twenty years, I don't think the Patriot League Presidents, or any of their athl...
If the Patriot League Thought Bigger, This Is What They Would Do In Reaction To James Madison’s Departure For The Sun Belt - I wish I thought this would actually happen.I wish the Patriot League was proactive, and thinking several steps ahead.But as an observer of the Patriot League for more than twenty years, I don't think the Patriot League Presidents, or any of their athl...