Middle Three Conference

Middle Three Conference
Association	NCAA
Founded	1929;94 years ago
Ceased	1969;54 years ago
Division	University Division (Rutgers); College Division (Lafayette and Lehigh)
No. of teams	3
Region	New Jersey and Pennsylvania

Last updated July 30, 2023

The Middle Three Conference was an intercollegiate athletic scheduling alliance from 1929 to 1969. It had three members throughout its 41-year existence: Lafayette College and Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, and Rutgers University in New Jersey. Administratively, the "conference" was little more than a three-way rivalry; there was no league commissioner or central office for scheduling or enforcement.

Lafayette, Lehigh and Rutgers competed for a Middle Three championship in several sports, including baseball, men's basketball and football. In all sports, the Middle Three was part of the Middle Atlantic Conference, University Division, from the 1958–59 season to the 1961–62 season, when Rutgers withdrew from the MAC.

[Interactive fullscreen map]

Locations of Lafayette and Lehigh in eastern Pennsylvania, and Rutgers in central New Jersey

History

By the end of the 1920s, the Lafayette Leopards, Lehigh Brown and White and Rutgers Queensmen had been longtime rivals, regularly scheduling annual games on their independent schedules. On May 12, 1929, representatives of the three colleges agreed to formalize their annual matchups and compete for a championship.^[1]

As there was no official league structure, there was no formal announcement of the Middle Three Conference dissolving. By 1970, local newspapers had stopped reporting Middle Three football championships. Early in the 1970 season, the Associated Press stated that Lehigh's win over Rutgers was "the start of Lehigh's Middle Three Conference title defense" (as 1969 conference champion).^[2] The principal newspapers covering Middle Three teams, The Morning Call of Allentown, Pennsylvania, and The Home News of New Brunswick, New Jersey, make no mention of the conference during their coverage of the 1970 or 1971 seasons. By 1972, Lehigh and Rutgers were being referred to as "the old Middle Three rivals".^[3]

Lehigh changed its athletic teams' nickname to "Engineers" before the 1931 season; its current name, "Mountain Hawks", was adopted in 1996, long after the Middle Three folded. Rutgers dropped "Queensmen" in favor of "Scarlet Knights" in 1955.

After the Middle Three era ended, Lafayette and Lehigh continued to compete mainly with mid-sized colleges in the northeastern United States, eventually helping to found the Patriot League in Division I FCS in the 1980s. Rutgers, on the other hand, pushed into the highest level of collegiate competition, joining the Big East in 1991 and the Big Ten Conference in 2014.

Football

In football, the Middle Three Conference continued a long tradition of Lafayette, Lehigh and Rutgers meeting on the gridiron. The Lafayette–Rutgers series dated back to the start of Lafayette football in 1882, and had been played 24 times by 1929, including annual matchups since 1921.^[4] Lafayette–Lehigh and Lehigh–Rutgers matchups were both present on Lehigh's inaugural schedule in 1884. The former, known as "The Rivalry", had been played every year except 1896, sometimes more than once a year. The Lehigh–Rutgers annual series had been uninterrupted since 1918.^[5]

The three colleges continued to play a round-robin as part of their football schedules throughout the 41 years of Middle Three competition, with the exception of 1936 (Lafayette–Rutgers not played), 1952 and 1953 (Lehigh–Rutgers not played). During the 1943 and 1944 seasons, as World War II travel restrictions and military training disrupted the usual college football schedules, the Middle Three teams played a double round-robin, scheduling home-and-home series against each other.

Even after the last declared championship in 1969, the round-robin remained in place until 1975, after which Rutgers dropped Lafayette from its schedule; they have not met since then. The Lehigh–Rutgers series ended in 1977 and has not been renewed. Lafayette–Lehigh continues as an annual rivalry.

Football champions

The championship was determined solely by games against Middle Three rivals; these records are given in parentheses in the list below. NCAA rules did not allow overtime play during the Middle Three era, so records could include tie games. Because Middle Three games made up such a small proportion of the overall schedule (most years, just two games out of a full season of eight to 10), teams could win the Middle Three despite posting a losing overall record.

1929 – Lafayette, Lehigh, and Rutgers (1–1)
1930 – Lafayette (2–0)
1931 – Lafayette (2–0)
1932 – Rutgers (2–0)
1933 – Rutgers (2–0)
1934 – Rutgers (2–0)
1935 – Rutgers (2–0)
1936 – Lehigh (2–0)
1937 – Lafayette (2–0)
1938 – Rutgers (2–0)
1939 – Rutgers (2–0)
1940 – Lafayette (2–0)
1941 – Lafayette (2–0)
1942 – Lafayette and Lehigh (1–0–1)
1943 – Lafayette and Rutgers (3–1)
1944 – Lafayette (4–0)
1945 – Rutgers (2–0)
1946 – Rutgers (2–0)
1947 – Rutgers (2–0)
1948 – Rutgers (2–0)
1949 – Rutgers (2–0)
1950 – Lehigh (2–0)
1951 – Lehigh (2–0)
1952 – Lehigh and Rutgers (1–0)
1953 – Rutgers (1–0)
1954 – Lafayette, Lehigh, and Rutgers (1–1)
1955 – Lafayette (2–0)
1956 – Lehigh (2–0)
1957 – Lehigh (2–0)
1958 – Rutgers (2–0)
1959 – Rutgers (2–0)
1960 – Rutgers (2–0)
1961 – Rutgers (2–0)
1962 – Rutgers (2–0)
1963 – Rutgers (2–0)
1964 – Rutgers (2–0)
1965 – Lafayette, Lehigh, and Rutgers (1–1)
1966 – Rutgers (2–0)
1967 – Rutgers (2–0)
1968 – Rutgers (2–0)
1969 – Lehigh (2–0)

Basketball champions

1943 – Rutgers
1949 – Rutgers
1950 – Lafayette and Rutgers
1951 – Rutgers
1952 – Lafayette

Related Research Articles

The Lafayette Leopards football program represents Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania in college football. One of the oldest college football programs in the United States, Lafayette currently plays in the Patriot League at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level.

The 1969 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. Rutgers finished second in the Middle Three Conference.

The 1949 Rutgers Queensmen football team represented Rutgers University in the 1949 college football season. In their eighth season under head coach Harvey Harman, the Queensmen compiled a 6–3 record, won the Middle Three Conference championship, and outscored their opponents 266 to 138.

The 1948 Rutgers Queensmen football team represented Rutgers University in the 1948 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Harvey Harman, the Queensmen compiled a 7–2 record, won the Middle Three Conference championship, and outscored their opponents 224 to 130.

The 1945 Rutgers Queensmen football team represented Rutgers University in the 1945 college football season. In their eighth and final season under head coach Harry Rockafeller, the Queensmen compiled a 5–2 record, won the Middle Three Conference championship, and outscored their opponents 140 to 61. The team's only losses came against Swarthmore (6–13) and Princeton (6–14). In November 1945, Rockafeller announced that he would step down as the head coach at the end of the 1945 season.

The 1943 Rutgers Queensmen football team was an American football team that represented Rutgers University as a member of the Middle Three Conference during the 1943 college football season. In their sixth season under head coach Harry Rockafeller, the Queensmen compiled a 3–2 record, were co-champions of the Middle Three, and outscored their opponents 61 to 21. The team defeated Lehigh twice and split a pair of games against Lafayette.

The 1939 Rutgers Queensmen football team represented Rutgers University in the 1939 college football season. In their second season under head coach Harvey Harman, the Queensmen compiled a 7–1–1 record, won the Middle Three Conference championship, and outscored their opponents 146 to 70. Rutgers was undefeated in its first eight games, but fell short of its first undefeated season in 70 years when Brown scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Queensmen, 13–0, in a Thanksgiving Day game at Providence, Rhode Island.

The 1938 Rutgers Queensmen football team represented Rutgers University in the 1938 college football season. In February 1938, Rutgers announced Tasker's resignation as Rutgers' football coach and his replacement by Harvey Harman. In their first season under coach Harman, the Queensmen compiled a 7–1 record, won the Middle Three Conference championship, and outscored their opponents 118 to 57. Rutgers only loss was to NYU by a 25-6 score. On November 5, 1938, Rutgers played its first game at the new Rutgers Stadium, built at a cost of $1 million. Playing in front of a crowd of 22,500, Rutgers won the game, 20-18, against Princeton, marking the first time Rutgers had defeated a Princeton team since the two schools played the first college football game in 1869. In the final game of the 1938 season, Rutgers defeated Lafayette to win the Middle Three championship.

The 1935 Rutgers Queensmen football team represented Rutgers University in the 1935 college football season. In their fifth season under head coach J. Wilder Tasker, the Queensmen compiled a 4–5 record, won the Middle Three Conference championship, and were outscored by their opponents 170 to 115.

The 1934 Rutgers Queensmen football team represented Rutgers University in the 1934 college football season. In their fourth season under head coach J. Wilder Tasker, the Queensmen compiled a 5–3–1 record, won the Middle Three Conference championship, and outscored their opponents 184 to 68.

The 1932 Rutgers Queensmen football team represented Rutgers University in the 1932 college football season. In their second season under head coach J. Wilder Tasker, the Queensmen compiled a 6–3–1 record, won the Middle Three Conference championship, and outscored their opponents 159 to 58.

The 1929 Rutgers Queensmen football team represented Rutgers University in the 1929 college football season. In their third season under head coach Harry Rockafeller, the Queensmen compiled a 5–4 record, finished in a three-way tie for the Middle Three Conference championship, and outscored their opponents 109 to 94.

The 1894 Rutgers Queensmen football team was an American football team that represented Rutgers University during the 1894 college football season. The team compiled a 4–6 record and was outscored by a total of 210 to 61. Rutgers was a member of the Middle States Intercollegiate Football League and won the conference championship by beating the other two member schools, Lafayette and Stevens.

The 1969 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1969 NCAA College Division football season, and completed the 86th season of Engineers football. Lehigh finished fourth in the Middle Atlantic Conference, University Division, and won the Middle Three Conference championship.

The Delaware–Lehigh football rivalry was an American college football rivalry between the Fightin' Blue Hens of the University of Delaware and the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh University.

The 1961 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. Despite not winning either of its two conferences, Lehigh was awarded the Lambert Cup as the best small-college football team in the East.

The 1963 Lafayette Leopards football team was an American football team that represented Lafayette College during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. Lafayette finished last in the Middle Atlantic Conference, University Division, and last in the Middle Three Conference.

The 1963 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. Lehigh finished second-to-last in both the Middle Atlantic Conference, University Division, and the Middle Three Conference.

The 1970 Lafayette Leopards football team was an American football team that represented Lafayette College as an independent during the 1970 NCAA College Division football season.

The 1970 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University as an independent during the 1970 NCAA College Division football season.

References

↑ "Colleges Organize Middle Three Group". The Sun . Baltimore, Md. May 13, 1929. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Lehigh U. Nips Rutgers in 8 Plays". Asbury Park Sunday Press . Asbury Park, N.J. Associated Press. October 11, 1970. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Lehigh Seeking to Extend Streak". The Sunday Home News . New Brunswick, N.J. September 17, 1972. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Series Overall Record". 2019 Lafayette Football Record Book (PDF). Easton, Pa.: Lafayette College. p. 41. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
↑ "Year-by-Year Results". Lehigh Football Record Book (PDF). Bethlehem, Pa.: Lehigh University. pp. 20–21. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

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[1] "Colleges Organize Middle Three Group". The Sun . Baltimore, Md. May 13, 1929. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] "Lehigh U. Nips Rutgers in 8 Plays". Asbury Park Sunday Press . Asbury Park, N.J. Associated Press. October 11, 1970. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Lehigh Seeking to Extend Streak". The Sunday Home News . New Brunswick, N.J. September 17, 1972. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Series Overall Record". 2019 Lafayette Football Record Book (PDF). Easton, Pa.: Lafayette College. p. 41. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

[5] "Year-by-Year Results". Lehigh Football Record Book (PDF). Bethlehem, Pa.: Lehigh University. pp. 20–21. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

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