| Sport | Football |
|---|---|
| Location | Northeast United States |
| Stadiums | Goodman Stadium Yale Bowl |
| Trophy | Yank Townsend Trophy |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 27 |
| Most wins | Yale |
| All-time record | 19-7 |
| All-time series (Patriot League, Ivy League only) | 8-2 |
| Largest victory | Yale 34-0 |
| Smallest victory | Yale 26-20 |
| Longest win streak | 3 (Yale) |
| Current win streak | 3 (Yale) |
The Yank Townsend Trophy is an award created in 2006 and given to the winner of Lehigh-Yale Football games.
Both Yale, founded in 1701, and Lehigh, founded in 1865, where early adopters of Football with both schools running powerhouse teams through the 19th century. Both schools participate in the oldest rivalries in the sport, with Lehigh's rivalry with Lafayette [a] and Yale's rivalry with Harvard being the most played, and third most played, rivalries in college football respectively. [1] The Yank Townsend Trophy was created in 2006 at the urging of Alumni from both schools to commemorate "the lifetime achievements of their graduates, and the generations of families that have attended both universities." [1] [2] [3] The trophy is named after Charles "Yank" Townsend (1873–1963), the only resident of Connecticut in Lehigh's class of 1895 who operated an architecture and engineering firm Norton & Townsend which designed buildings across the east coast. [1] [2] After his graduation from Lehigh Townsend worked in New Haven where he was a prominent member of the local community, and a Freemason. [4] Townsend was a major Booster for both the Lehigh Engineers [b] and Yale Bulldogs and was heavily involved in both schools athletic programs. [1] [5] [6] Yale would win the first game 26–20 in overtime. [4]
Described as "mirror images" of each other, Lehigh would comprehensibly defeat Yale 65–35 in the 2016 meeting between the two teams, just for the following season seeing Yale beat Lehigh 56–28. [7] In 2016, the 70 points scored by both teams at half was the most ever scored at the Yale Bowl. [8] Lehigh would throw for 524 yards and 6 passing touchdowns, with one of Yale's touchdowns being a punt return. [8] Lehigh's Quarterback Brad Mayes would set a school record for passing yards, surpassing the previous record of 480 set in 1998 by Scott Semptimphelter, and would tie for first in passing touchdowns. [9]
However, the next meeting between the two teams in 2017 would see Yale rout Lehigh. Lehigh had closed to within 28-21 56 seconds into the third quarter, however, Yale would score twice in six minutes to put the game away. [7] Yale's Quarterback Kurt Rawlings went 20-for-26 with 308 yards and threw for 4 Touchdowns, while Lehigh's Brad Mayes went 18-for-31 with 304 yards and threw for 3 Touchdowns. [10] [7] Yale would also capitalize on two Lehigh turnovers. [11] Lehigh's coach Andy Coen went on record saying "They looked like a whole different team out there... They weren't a very good football team last year." [7]
The overall record for the Yale-Lehigh series is 19–7 in Yale's favor, however, the trophy was only created in 2006, with games before then not counting for the rivalry's series.
| Lehigh victories | Yale victories | Tie games |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 14, 2006 | New Haven, Connecticut | Yale | 26–20 | ||||
| 2 | October 13, 2007 | New Haven, Connecticut | Yale | 23–7 | ||||
| 3 | October 17, 2009 | Lower Saucon, Pennsylvania [c] | Yale | 7–0 | ||||
| 4 | October 11, 2011 | Lower Saucon, Pennsylvania | Lehigh | 37–7 | ||||
| 5 | October 18, 2014 | New Haven, Connecticut | Yale | 54–43 | ||||
| 6 | October 3, 2015 | Lower Saucon, Pennsylvania | Yale | 27–12 | ||||
| 7 | October 1, 2016 | New Haven, Connecticut | Lehigh | 63–35 | ||||
| 8 | September 16, 2017 | Lower Saucon, Pennsylvania | Yale | 56–28 | ||||
| 9 | October 2, 2021 | Lower Saucon, Pennsylvania | Yale | 34–0 | ||||
| 10 | October 19, 2024 | New Haven, Connecticut | Yale | 38–23 | ||||
| Series: Yale leads 8–2 | ||||||||
The Harvard–Yale football rivalry is renewed annually with The Game, an American college football match between the Crimson football team of Harvard University and the Bulldogs football team of Yale University.
Brian John Dowling is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. He also was a member of the Charlotte Hornets in the World Football League (WFL). He played college football for the Yale Bulldogs.
The Rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played by the Lafayette Leopards football team of Lafayette College and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team of Lehigh University. It is the most-played football rivalry in the nation and is the longest uninterrupted rivalry game.
The 1996 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The 1996 season was the team's seventh under head coach Steve Spurrier. The Gators competed in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.
The 1906 college football season was the first in which the forward pass was permitted. Although there was no clear cut national championship, there were two teams that had won all nine of their games as the 1906 season drew to a close, the Princeton Tigers and the Yale Bulldogs, and on November 17, 1906, they played to a 0–0 tie. St. Louis University finished at 11–0–0. The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, declared retroactively that Princeton had been the best college football team of 1906. Other selectors recognized Yale as the national champions for 1906.
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 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.
The Georgia–South Carolina football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Georgia Bulldogs and South Carolina Gamecocks. The series started in 1894 and was played intermittently over the next several decades. The series then became much more frequent, being played almost every year from 1958 to 1989. After the Gamecocks joined the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the rivalry was played annually from 1992 to 2023. As a result of SEC expansion, it ceased to be an annual matchup in 2024, although there is speculation that the two could become permanent annual rivals again if the SEC moves to a nine-game conference schedule. Georgia leads the series 55–19–2.
The Princeton–Yale football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Princeton Tigers of Princeton University and the Yale Bulldogs of Yale University. The football rivalry is among the oldest in American sports.
Nicholas Dylan Fitzgerald is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Samuel George Ehlinger is an American professional football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, where he led the team to the 2018 Big 12 Championship Game and two bowl games. He was selected by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Justin Skyler Fields is an American professional football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint with the Georgia Bulldogs, he played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he was twice named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and appeared in the 2021 National Championship Game.
The 1968 Colgate Red Raiders football team was an American football team that represented Colgate University as an independent during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. In its first season under head coach Neil Wheelwright, the team compiled a 5–5 record. Gene Ditwiler was the team captain.
The 1969 Colgate Red Raiders football team was an American football team that represented Colgate University as an independent during the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. In its second season under head coach Neil Wheelwright, the team compiled a 4–5 record. Alan Klumpp was the team captain.
The 1971 Colgate Red Raiders football team was an American football team that represented Colgate University as an independent during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. In its fourth season under head coach Neil Wheelwright, the team compiled a 6–4 record. For the first time since the 1944 season, the team named two players as captains, Thomas Doyle and Steve Morgan.
Caleb Sequan Williams is an American professional football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Following one season of college football with the Oklahoma Sooners, he played for the USC Trojans and won the 2022 Heisman Trophy after setting single-season school records in passing yards and touchdowns. Williams was selected first overall by the Bears in the 2024 NFL draft.
The 2022 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team represented Lehigh University as a member of the Patriot League during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Mountain Hawks, led by fourth-year head coach Tom Gilmore, played their home games at Goodman Stadium. They finished the season 2–9, 2–4 in Patriot League play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. Gilmore resigned at the end of the season.
Carson Raine Beck is an American football quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs. He was part of two national championships as a backup in 2021 and 2022.
The 2023 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team represented Lehigh University as a member of the Patriot League during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Mountain Hawks were led by first-year head coach Kevin Cahill and played home games at Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The 2024 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team represent Lehigh University as a member of the Patriot League during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Mountain Hawks are led by second-year head coach Kevin Cahill and play home games at Goodman Stadium in Lower Saucon, Pennsylvania.
