1975 Lehigh Engineers football team

1975 Lehigh Engineers football
Lambert Cup
Division II first round vs. New Hampshire, L 21-35
Conference	Independent
Record	9–3
Head coach	Fred Dunlap (11th season)
Captains	Jerry Mullane Joe Sterrett
Home stadium	Taylor Stadium
Seasons ←  1974 1976  →

1975 NCAA Division II independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Northern Michigan ^			–					13	–	1	–	0
American International			–					8	–	1	–	0
Lehigh ^			–					9	–	3	–	0
Delaware			–					8	–	3	–	0
Portland State			–					8	–	3	–	0
Akron			–					7	–	4	–	0
Kentucky State			–					7	–	4	–	0
UNLV			–					7	–	4	–	0
Santa Clara			–					6	–	5	–	0
Tennessee State			–					5	–	4	–	0
Youngstown State			–					5	–	4	–	0
Chattanooga			–					5	–	5	–	1
Bucknell			–					5	–	5	–	0
Indiana State			–					5	–	5	–	0
Lafayette			–					5	–	5	–	0
Southern Connecticut State			–					5	–	5	–	0
Central Connecticut			–					4	–	5	–	0
Central State (OH)			–					4	–	6	–	0
Eastern Michigan			–					4	–	6	–	0
Eastern Illinois			–					3	–	5	–	2
Northeastern			–					3	–	6	–	0
Western Carolina			–					3	–	7	–	0
Nevada			–					3	–	8	–	0
Nebraska–Omaha			–					2	–	9	–	0
Arkansas–Pine Bluff			–					0	–	11	–	0
^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 1975 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University as an independent during the 1975 NCAA Division II football season. Lehigh lost in the quarterfinal round of the national playoffs, but won the Lambert Cup.

In their 11th and final year under head coach Fred Dunlap, the Engineers compiled a 9–3 record (9–2 in the regular season). ^[1] Jerry Mullane and Joe Sterrett were the team captains. ^[2]

Unranked at the start of the year, the Engineers first appeared in the 1975 Division II national polls in late October, climbing to No. 4 in the coaches poll before a late-season loss to Bucknell dropped them to No. 6, their final coaches poll position. In the AP writers poll, Lehigh ended the regular season ranked No. 11, but the final poll was released after the playoffs, and Lehigh did not rank in the top 15.

Lehigh won the Lambert Cup, awarded to the best team from a mid-sized college in the East. The Engineers also qualified for its second NCAA Division II national playoff in three years, but lost in the first round to No. 8 New Hampshire.

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

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	Millersville		Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 27–18	9,500	[3]
September 20	at Army		Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 32–54	27,800–27,872	[4]
September 27	Penn		Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 34–23	14,000	[5]
October 4	at Gettysburg		Musselman Stadium Gettysburg, PA	W 56–22	3,500	[6]
October 11	Rutgers		Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 34–20	11,500	[7]
October 18	at No. 9 Delaware		Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	W 35–23	21,100–21,105	[8] [9]
October 25	Maine	No. 10	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 21–14	9,500	[10]
November 1	Colgate	No. 7	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 38–6	15,000	[11]
November 8	at Davidson	No. 5	Richardson Stadium Davidson, NC	W 37–19	3,000	[12]
November 15	at Bucknell	No. 4	Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	L 25–32	7,500	[13]
November 22	Lafayette	No. 6	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA (The Rivalry)	W 40–14	17,000–17,300	[14] [15]
November 29	No. 8 New Hampshire	No. 6	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)	L 21–35	9,100	[16]
Rankings from UPI Division II Coaches Poll

^[17]

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. "Lehigh Fights for 27-18 Win over Millersville". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. September 14, 1975. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Gaffer, Wes (September 21, 1975). "Army Explodes Again, Blasts Lehigh, 54-32". Sunday News . New York, N.Y. p. 132 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Dell, John (September 28, 1975). "Lehigh Beats Penn 1st Time in 87 Years". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
6. Larimer, Terry (October 5, 1975). "Lehigh Steamrolls Past Gettysburg 56-22". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Lehigh 56, Gettysburg 22". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. October 5, 1975. p. 6E.
7. O'Brien, Ken (October 12, 1975). "Lehigh's Air, Ground Attack Too Much for Rutgers". The Home News Sunday . New Brunswick, N.J. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Simmons, Bill (October 19, 1975). "Sterrett's Arm Leads Lehigh over Delaware". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. p. 8D – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Final 1975 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Delaware)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 15, 2024.
10. Larimer, Terry (October 26, 1975). "Lehigh Walks over Maine 51-14". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Larimer, Terry (November 2, 1975). "Lehigh Easily Handles Colgate 38-6". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Spencer, Reid (November 9, 1975). "Wildcats Improved, but Lehigh Triumphs". The Charlotte Observer . Charlotte, N.C. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
13. Ranck, Jeff (November 17, 1975). "Bucknell Stuns Lehigh, Finishes 5-4". The Daily Item . Sunbury, Pa. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Larimer, Terry (November 23, 1975). "Sterrett, Gardner Spark Lehigh 40-14". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Final 1975 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Lafayette)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 16, 2024.
16. Cadigan, Barry (November 30, 1975). "UNH Gains Bowl, 35-21". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. p. 88 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Final 1975 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Lehigh)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 16, 2024.