1978 Lafayette Leopards football team

1978 Lafayette Leopards football
Conference	Independent
Record	4–7
Head coach	Neil Putnam (8th season)
Captains	Jim Medes Brian Musician
Home stadium	Fisher Field
Seasons ←  1977 1979  →

1978 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Florida A&M ^			–					12	–	1	–	0
No. 1 Nevada ^			–					11	–	1	–	0
No. 9 Lehigh			–					8	–	3	–	0
Northeastern			–					6	–	5	–	0
Bucknell			–					5	–	5	–	0
Northwestern State			–					5	–	6	–	0
Portland State			–					5	–	6	–	0
Lafayette			–					4	–	7	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

The 1978 Lafayette Leopards football team was an American football team that represented Lafayette College as an independent during the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season.

In their eighth year under head coach Neil Putnam, the Leopards compiled a 4–7 record. ^[1] Jim Medes and Brian Musician were the team captains. ^[2]

This was the first year of competition for Division I-AA, later to be renamed the Football Championship Subdivision. Lafayette, along with its in-state rivals Bucknell and Lehigh, moved up to I-AA after having previously competed as independents in NCAA Division II. The Leopards' 1978 schedule included opponents from Division I-A, Division I-AA, Division II and Division III.

Lafayette played its home games at Fisher Field on College Hill in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 9	Gettysburg	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 31–0	5,000	[3]
September 16	at Army	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 14–24		[1]
September 23	Merchant Marine	Fisher Field Easton, PA	L 10–13		[1]
September 30	at Columbia	Baker Field New York, NY	L 0–21	4,500	[4]
October 7	Fordham^	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 17–14	7,700	[5]
October 14	at Bucknell	Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 14–7		[1]
October 21	Penn	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 20–19	11,200	[6]
October 28	at Maine	Alumni Field Orono, ME	L 25–31	3,000	[7]
November 4	at Colgate	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY	L 7–17	4,500	[8]
November 11	at Davidson	Richardson Stadium Davidson, NC	L 12–17	2,000	[9]
November 18	Lehigh	Fisher Field Easton, PA (The Rivalry)	L 15–23	17,000	[10]
^ Parents Days

References

1. "Lafayette Football 1963-1986". 2019 Lafayette Football Record Book (PDF). Easton, Pa.: Lafayette College. p. 104. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
2. "Team Captains 1882-2019". 2019 Lafayette Football Record Book (PDF). Easton, Pa.: Lafayette College. p. 97. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
3. Kenworthy, Robert (September 11, 1978). "Lafayette Rolls over Bullets". The Gettysburg Times . Gettysburg, Pa. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Wismer, Ted (October 1, 1978). "Columbia Blanks Lafayette 21-0 for 2nd Win". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Wismer, Ted (October 8, 1978). "Lafayette Uses Balanced Attack in 17-14 Win". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
6. McKee, Don (October 22, 1978). "Lafayette Upsets Penn, 20-19, on Flea-Flicker Pass". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. p. 9-F – via Newspapers.com.
7. Warner, Bill (October 30, 1978). "Records Fall as U-Maine Beats Lafayette, 31-25". Bangor Daily News . Bangor, Maine. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "17-7 Colgate Win on Colosimo TDs". Press & Sun-Bulletin . Binghamton, N.Y. November 5, 1978. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
9. Sink, Richard (November 12, 1978). "Davidson Holds Off Lafayette for a .500 Season". The Charlotte Observer . Charlotte, N.C. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
10. McKee, Don (November 19, 1978). "Lafayette Is Downed by Lehigh". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. p. 8-F – via Newspapers.com.