ESPN considers "The Rivalry" to be among the top ten in college football,[3] and was the subject of a PBS documentary narrated by NFL Films voice and Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas.

A member of the class of 1884, Welles brought football to Easton after learning the new game at Wilkes-Barre Academy and Princeton University, where he studied as a college freshman.

Shell, was from the University of Pennsylvania and was cited in the newspaper for making several bad calls against Lafayette, including negating a five-point field goal on a phantom offside.

Samuel B. Newton, who arrived after coaching Penn State led Lafayette to its most victories ever with a 12–1 record in 1899, with a lone 12–0 defeat to national champions Princeton (12–1) and outscoring opponents 253–23.

After coaching an undefeated team at an Army base in Georgia during World War I and only a few years removed from playing for the University of Pittsburgh and Pop Warner, Sutherland was prepared to enter a career in dentistry.

New coach Herb McCracken, also a recent player under Pop Warner, quickly proved himself by defeating Sutherland at Pittsburgh 10–0 in the second game of the season.

Halfback and team captain Frank Kirkleski, who later starred for the NFL's Pottsville Maroons, also received All-American praise played in the East-West Shrine Game in San Francisco.

The Presidents won 7–0 on an easy touchdown within the two-yard line with the help of a play that is illegal today—a recovered "fumble" by pushing a Lafayette defender into the kicker and the ball.

[5] To return the Leopards to the spotlight, Lafayette called on Ernie Nevers, an assistant coach at Stanford University who helped lead the Indians to three straight Rose Bowl games.

Furthermore, the Leopards posted seven shutouts, outscored opponents 130–6, and featured an unscored upon defense, including a 13–0 win over heavily favored New York University at Yankee Stadium.

[9] Mylin led Lafayette to its second undefeated season in four years with the help of a physical team and the triumvirate of Walt Zirinsky, Sammy Moyer, and James Farrell.

With a narrow 9–7 win over New York University in their second game and missing several injured players, Lafayette carried a 4–0 record into their meeting with Army at West Point.

Unlike Harvard and Yale, Lafayette and Lehigh continued their rivalry, playing each other twice, as well as Rutgers twice and one game against nearby Willow Grove Naval Air Station.

Following a 7–2 mark in 1948 and a 23–13 win against Lehigh before 21,000 at Fisher Field, Lafayette received an invitation to play UTEP (Texas College of Mines) in the 1949 Sun Bowl.

The station and the students sent a telegram to President Truman condemning racial intolerance and segregation with a terse, "Denied Sun Bowl bid with Negro on team.

Despite mediocre records of three and five win seasons, the Lafayette student newspaper editorialized in 1975 that the program was in a 25-year demise between 1949 and 1975 and was being dominated by teams which the paper considered football 'powers.'

Citing poor morale on campus and the administration's unwillingness to commit to improving the program and attributing losing to a 'temporary down cycle', the paper editorialized, "Let's get rid of Colgate and yes, even Lehigh.

Also, the success of Lehigh reaching double-digit wins and playoff berths each season since 1998, coupled with aged facilities, placed Lafayette in the shadow of its regional rival.

Lafayette entered their game as underdogs to Lehigh, ranked number eight in the polls, but the dual-threat ability of Maurer, McCourt's 23 carries, and a punishing defensive effort, propelled the Leopards to a 24–10 win.

[13] Success continued into 2005 as Maurer and a stingy defense led the Leopards to a second consecutive Patriot League Championship season, playoff berth, and 8–4 record.

The Leopards entered their final game of the season at 12th ranked Lehigh needing a win to tie for the Patriot League championship and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

With 38 seconds remaining and Lafayette facing its potential last play, Davis chucked a 37-yard touchdown strike to running back Jonathan Hurt, who managed to sneak behind the last defender at the five for the reception and skipped into the end-zone for the winning 23–19 score.

Though Lafayette fell to Appalachian State, the eventual national champions, after being tied 20–20 entering the fourth quarter, the Leopards ended the season ranked in the top 25.

During the off-season, the 80-year-old stadium underwent extensive renovations that included new bleachers, press box, scoreboard, FieldTurf, and a football varsity house complex, among many other additions.

However, absent from their 1896 schedule was Lehigh, who protested the eligibility and amateur status of George Barclay who had played professional baseball at Chambersburg the previous summer.

The Associated Press also crowned Lafayette as the national five-year champion, ahead of Michigan, Notre Dame, and the selected Rose Bowl participant Alabama.

The visiting stands' dimension and capacity altered several times, with the last concrete grandstand being built in 1973 along with the construction of Allan P. Kirby Field House.

The first organized athletic structure built at Lafayette was a small grandstand in front of Martien Hall (located on dormitory row, near the site of the current Kirby House), seating roughly 250 spectators.

Since the football, baseball, and track configurations overlapped each other due to the angle of the field and the reservoir, the Athletic Association had to spend money on contractors to build and disassemble the bleachers for each season.

Young boys and many citizens of Easton would easily gain admittance, with only alumni wishing to support the new, informal athletic association paid for tickets.