1988 Lafayette Leopards football team

The 1988 Lafayette Leopards football team was an American football team that represented Lafayette College during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Leopards swept the Colonial League to win the conference championship.

1988 Lafayette Leopards football
Colonial League champion
Conference	Colonial League
Record	8–2–1 (5–0 Colonial)
Head coach	Bill Russo (8th season)
Defensive coordinator	Mike Donnelly (1st season)
Captains	Chris LaPietra Andy Nygren
Home stadium	Fisher Field
Seasons ← 1987 1989 →

1988 Colonial League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Lafayette $	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	2	–	1
No. 19 Holy Cross	3	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Lehigh	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Bucknell	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Colgate	2	–	3	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
Davidson	0	–	4	–	0			0	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

In their eighth year under head coach Bill Russo, the Leopards compiled a 8–2–1 record.^[1] Chris LaPietra and Andy Nygren were the team captains.^[2]

The Leopards outscored opponents 420 to 251. Their undefeated (5–0) conference record placed first in the six-team Colonial League standings.^[3]

Unranked in the preseason poll, Lafayette soon climbed the ranks during a five-game winning streak, reaching as high as No. 5 in the weekly national Division I-AA rankings. Non-conference losses in the middle of the year led to the team dropping out of the top 20, and it finished the season unranked.

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

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	Kutztown*		Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 54–7		^[1]
September 17	No. 1 Holy Cross		Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 28–20	6,200	^[4]
September 24	at Columbia*	No. 12	Wien Stadium New York, NY	W 49–3	6,560	^[5]
October 1	at Colgate	No. 8	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY	W 42–35	6,200	^[6]
October 8	at Bucknell	No. 6	Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 52–35	9,820	^[7]
October 15	at Army*	No. 5	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 17–24	40,570	^[8]
October 22	Mercyhurst*	No. 7	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 50–18		^[1]
October 29	Cornell*	No. 7	Fisher Field Easton, PA	T 21–21	9,500	^[9]
November 5	Penn*	No. 18	Fisher Field Easton, PA	L 17–31	3,500	^[10]
November 12	at Davidson		Richardson Stadium Davidson, NC	W 38–13	600	^[11]
November 19	Lehigh		Fisher Field Easton, PA (The Rivalry)	W 52–45	17,500	^[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from the latest NCAA Division I-AA poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Lafayette Football 1963-1988". 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. "Football All-Time Year-by-Year Results". Patriot League Football Record Book (PDF). Center Valley, Pa.: Patriot League. 2020. p. 1. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
4. Rieber, Anthony (September 18, 1988). "Crusaders Scrambled; Lafayette Quarterback Baur Burns Holy Cross, 28-20". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 56 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Lafayette Sends Columbia to 43d Straight Loss, 49-3". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. September 25, 1988. p. 81 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Lafayette Ends 20-Year Skid Against Colgate". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton, N.Y. October 2, 1988. pp. 7E, 6E – via Newspapers.com.
7. Baker, Wayne (October 9, 1988). "Leopards Win Offensive Battle". The Daily Item. Sunbury, Pa. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Colaizzo, Pete (October 16, 1988). "Army Grounds Lafayette". Poughkeepsie Journal. Poughkeepsie, N.Y. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
9. Dennehy, Chris (October 31, 1988). "Cornell Ties Powerful Lafayette, 21-21". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, N.Y. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Larimer, Terry (November 6, 1988). "Slide Continues for Lafayette with a 31-17 Defeat by Penn". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Edwards, John (November 13, 1988). "Davidson Mistakes Lead to Loss, 0-10". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, N.C. p. 10C – via Newspapers.com.
12. Meixell, Ted (November 20, 1988). "Lafayette Wins Offensive Show 52-45; Most Points in 104 Years". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.