 Taylor Stadium's Memorial Plaque | |
 | |
| Full name | Taylor Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Owner | Lehigh University |
| Operator | Lehigh University |
| Capacity | 20,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1914 |
| Closed | 1987 |
| Architect | Henry Hornbostel |
| Structural engineer | Charles W. Leavitt |
| Tenants | |
| Lehigh Engineers football (1914–1987) | |
Taylor Stadium was a stadium in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that hosted the Lehigh University Engineers football team until 1988, when the team moved to Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem. [1]
Prior to becoming a stadium the area was a practice field with no bleachers. Charles L. Taylor, an alumnus from the class of 1876, proposed turning the field into a purpose built stadium. Construction was largely financed by alumni donations, with the single largest donation came from Charles M. Schwab and his wife Emma Schwab. The stadium opened in 1914 making it just the third concrete stadium in the United States. [1] [2] [3] [4]
The stadium would be used by the Lehigh Engineers football, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and track and field teams as their primary venue. Later in the stadium's life Bethlehem Steel donated a grandstand increasing the stadium's capacity to 20,000. [1] [3]
In 1987 Lehigh University sought to diversify its courses and build a business school. Despite the stadium's historical significance, and cultural identity as being the home for Lehigh football for 70 years, the university demolished the stadium and built the Rauch Business Center and Zoellner Arts Center on its location. The last game to be played at Taylor was the frigid 123rd meeting of Le-Laf with the Lehigh Engineers overcoming the -20º windchill and the Lafayette Leopards 17-10. [3] [4] The following 1988 season the Engineers would play in the new 14,000 seat Goodman Stadium at the Goodman campus located on the other side of South Mountain. [1] [3]
Despite the stadium showing its age in its later years, in interviews, many alumni who had the experience to visit prefer it to Goodman. This comes despite its shortcomings in the lack of parking, bathrooms, and comfortable seats. [3] Due to the fact it was a short walk from anywhere on campus, every game at Taylor was sold out as both Lehigh students and Bethlehem residents often filled the stadium beyond capacity. Additionally, the bleachers at Taylor where right behind the players benches allowing fans to be as close as possible to the field while at Goodman there is a large separation between the two. Lastly, the decision to demolish the stadium in the first place was not well received by the student body and attendance to football games dropped dramatically which wasn't helped by the fact Goodman stadium requires driving or taking a bus to get to and from Asa Packer campus. [4]
Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was initially affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been coeducational since the 1971–72 academic year. As of 2019, the university had 5,047 undergraduate students and 1,802 graduate students.
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The Lehigh Mountain Hawks football program represents Lehigh University in college football. Lehigh competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level as members of the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks play their home games at Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tom Gilmore was the team's head coach from 2019 to 2022; he resigned following the 2022 season with a cumulative Lehigh coaching record of 9–27.
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The 1987 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Lehigh finished second in the Colonial League.
The 1988 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Lehigh tied for third in the Colonial League.
The 1989 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Lehigh tied for last in the Colonial League.
The 1993 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1993 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Lehigh won the Patriot League championship.
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.
The 1951 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University as an independent during the 1951 college football season. Lehigh won the Middle Three Conference championship for the second year in a row. In their sixth year under head coach Bill Leckonby, the Engineers compiled a 7–2 record, winning both games against their conference opponents. John Bergman and Richard Pradetto were the team captains. Lehigh played home games at Taylor Stadium on the university's main campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The 1956 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1956 college football season. Lehigh won the Middle Three Conference championship.
The 1957 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1957 college football season. Lehigh won the Middle Three Conference championship and the inaugural small-college Lambert Cup.
The 1962 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1962 NCAA College Division football season. Lehigh finished third in the Middle Atlantic Conference, University Division, and second in the Middle Three Conference.
The 1964 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1964 NCAA College Division football season. Lehigh tied for last in both the Middle Atlantic Conference, University Division, and in the Middle Three Conference.
The 1974 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University as an independent during the 1974 NCAA Division II football season.