1979 Lehigh Engineers football team

The 1979 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University as an independent during the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Engineers finished the year ranked No. 3 in Division I-AA and qualified for the four-team national playoff. They won their semifinal but lost the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game.

1979 Lehigh Engineers football
Division I-AA Championship Game, L 7–30 vs Eastern Kentucky
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	No. 4
Record	10–3
Head coach	John Whitehead (4th season)
Captains	Rich Andres Jim McCormick Eric Yaszemski
Home stadium	Taylor Stadium
Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Lehigh ^			–					10	–	3	–	0
Florida A&M			–					7	–	4	–	0
Portland State			–					6	–	5	–	0
Lafayette			–					5	–	3	–	2
Bucknell			–					4	–	4	–	2
Northwestern State			–					3	–	6	–	0
Northeastern			–					3	–	7	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

In their fourth year under head coach John Whitehead, the Engineers compiled a 10–3 record (9–2 in the regular season).^[1] Rich Andres, Jim McCormick and Eric Yaszemski were the team captains.^[2]

Lehigh returned to the national championship two years after winning the NCAA Division II Football Championship and the Lambert Cup in 1977. Its two regular season losses in 1979 were away games at Colgate, a Division I-A team, and at Delaware, the eventual Division II champion.

Lehigh played its home games at Taylor Stadium on the university's main campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	at West Chester		John A. Farrell Stadium West Chester, PA	W 12–7	5,500	^[3]
September 15	Slippery Rock		Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 44–9		^[1]
September 22	at Colgate	No. 9	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY	L 3–10	7,200	^[4]
September 29	Penn		Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 31–7	10,500	^[5]
October 6	at No. 2 (D-II) Delaware		Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	L 14–21	20,636	^[6]
October 13	Davidson		Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 10–0	11,500	^[7]
October 20	at New Hampshire		Cowell Stadium Durham, NH	W 16–3	15,400	^[8]
October 27	at Bucknell	No. 10	Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 14–13	8,000	^[9]
November 3	C.W. Post	No. 7	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 17–0	10,000	^[10]
November 10	at Maine	No. 7	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 12–6	5,000	^[11]
November 17	Lafayette	No. 6	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA (The Rivalry)	W 24–3	19,000	^[12]
December 8	at No. 2 Murray State	No. 4	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	W 28–9	10,000	^[13]
December 15	vs. No. 3 Eastern Kentucky	No. 4	Orlando Stadium Orlando, FL (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	L 7–30	5,200	^[14]
^ Parents Day Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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. Larimer, Terry (September 9, 1979). "Lehigh Starts on 'Right Foot' as Iobst's FGs Decide 12-7". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Marzo Injured in Colgate Win". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton, N.Y. September 23, 1979. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.
5. Larimer, Terry (September 30, 1979). "Lehigh and Lafayette Turn Back Ivy League Foes; Engineers Play Ball-Control in Handing Penn 31-7 Pasting". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Tomashek, Tom (October 7, 1979). "Lehigh Finds Delaware Defense Offensive in 21-14 Hen Triumph". Sunday News Journal. Wilmington, Del. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Lehigh Controls Ball and Davidson". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, N.C. October 14, 1979. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Defense Plays Key Role as Lehigh Whips New Hampshire, 16-3". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. October 21, 1979. p. C4 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Larimer, Terry (October 28, 1979). "Lehigh Wins, 14-13, in Last Minute". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Lehigh 17, C.W. Post 0". Palm Beach Post-Times. West Palm Beach, Fla. November 4, 1979. p. 54 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Maine Gridders Nudged by Touted Lehigh, 12-6". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. November 12, 1979. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Larimer, Terry (November 18, 1979). "Lehigh Rolls, 24-3; Awaits Playoff Bid". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Pollitte, Dennis (December 9, 1979). "Murray's Trip to Florida Canceled". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Ky. p. 49 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Larimer, Terry (December 16, 1979). "Lehigh Routed, 30-7, in Title Game". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.