Wikipedia

1996 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team

The 1996 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Lehigh finished third in the Patriot League.

1996 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football
ConferencePatriot League
Record5–6 (3–2 Patriot)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorAndy Coen (1st season)
Captains
  • Brian Bartelle
  • Lance Eckenrode
  • Mark Miller
  • Doug Yates
Home stadiumGoodman Stadium
Seasons
← 1995
1997 →
1996 Patriot League football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Bucknell $   4 – 1     6 – 5  
Colgate   3 – 2     6 – 5  
Lehigh   3 – 2     5 – 6  
Lafayette   2 – 2     5 – 5  
Fordham   1 – 3     2 – 8  
Holy Cross   1 – 4     2 – 9  
  • $ – Conference champion

In their third year under head coach Kevin Higgins, the newly renamed Mountain Hawks compiled a 5–6 record.[1] Brian Bartelle, Lance Eckenrode, Mark Miller and Doug Yates were the team captains.[2]

The Mountain Hawks were outscored 264 to 208. Their 3–2 conference record, however, placed third in the six-team Patriot League standings.[3]

Lehigh's football team competed under a new name for the first time since 1914. The "Mountain Hawk" mascot had been introduced in November 1995,[4] but the football team completed that season under its longstanding "Engineers" name.

In the ensuing months, many fans and alumni were vocal about their attachment to the "Engineers" nickname and brown-and-white colors. As late as spring 1996, college administrators were reaffirming that Lehigh's teams were still officially known as "Engineers".[5] By the start of the 1996 football season, however, the new identity had taken hold.[6]

Lehigh played its home games at Goodman Stadium on the university's Goodman Campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 7 at No. 5 Delaware*
L 7–49 15,520 [7]
September 14 Fordham
W 20–14 6,527 [8]
September 21 Buffalo*
  • Goodman Stadium
  • Bethlehem, PA
L 20–34 8,227 [9]
September 28 Dartmouth *
  • Goodman Stadium
  • Bethlehem, PA
L 14–21 11,325 [10]
October 5 at Princeton*
W 20–14 7,053 [11]
October 12 at No. 24 New Hampshire*
L 27–42 7,335 [12]
October 19 at Penn*
W 28–24 5,074 [13]
November 2 Bucknell
  • Goodman Stadium
  • Bethlehem, PA
L 6–7 10,271 [14]
November 9 at Holy Cross
W 20–10 2,863 [15]
November 16 Colgate
  • Goodman Stadium
  • Bethlehem, PA
L 23–30 6,104 [16]
November 23 at Lafayette
W 23–19 13,208 [17]

References

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  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. ^ "Football All-Time Year-by-Year Results". Patriot League Football Record Book (PDF). Center Valley, Pa.: Patriot League. 2020. p. 5. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  4. ^ Blockus, Gary R. (November 12, 1995). "Lehigh Clinches Share of League Title; Abdullah Sets Mark in Rout of Holy Cross". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Larimer, Terry (March 20, 1996). "Lehigh Alumni Find Changes for the Birds". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Tomashek, Tom (September 4, 1995). "Raymond Warns of Potential Upset Against Lehigh". The News Journal. Wilmington, Del. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Tomashek, Tom (September 8, 1996). "Defense Shines in Blue Hen Opener; Lehigh Rushes for Just 17 Yards in UD Romp". Sunday News Journal. Wilmington, Del. p. E1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Blockus, Gary R. (September 15, 1996). "Defense Leads Lehigh to Win Over Fordham". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Scoreboard: Division I-AA". The Miami Herald (Florida ed.). Miami, Fla. September 8, 1996. p. 7C.
  9. ^ Blockus, Gary R. (September 22, 1996). "Lehigh Goes Local, Falls to Buffalo". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Blockus, Gary R. (September 29, 1996). "Two Lehigh Turnovers Lead to Loss to Dartmouth". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Finnegan, Tara (October 6, 1996). "Lehigh Finds Right Motivation to Shut Down Princeton". The Home News & Tribune. New Brunswick, N.J. p. C8 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "New Hampshire Holds Off Lehigh". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. October 13, 1996. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Blockus, Gary R. (October 20, 1996). "Lehigh's Heroes Spark Rally to Beat Penn". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Blockus, Gary R. (November 3, 1996). "Missed PAT Costs Lehigh in 7-6 Loss to Bucknell". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Burgin, Sandy (November 10, 1996). "Lehigh Tops Holy Cross to Forge Three-Way Tie". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "New England Football Summaries". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. November 10, 1996. p. C18.
  16. ^ Blockus, Gary R. (November 17, 1996). "Colgate Ruins Lehigh's Hopes for Patriot Title". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Meixell, Ted (November 24, 1996). "Lehigh's Comeback in the Second Half Topples Lafayette". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
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