Just So You Know

The most often played rivalry in college football is over there in the Patriot League. It was played again yesterday and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks were victorious:

Lehigh 20
Lafayette 13

Lehigh was undefeated in the Patriot League for the first time since 2001.
ESPN Link

You say you have never heard of it? Well here is the lead in Wikipedia:

The Rivalry is the college rivalry between Lafayette College and Lehigh University...  The two institutions are located 17 miles apart in eastern Pennsylvania. The Rivalry is not limited to one sport, but is seen in any meeting of the two schools.

As of 2010, the football rivalry has been played 146 times since 1884, making it the most-played football rivalry in the nation. It is also the longest uninterrupted rivalry, since the teams have met every year since 1897. (Although Harvard and Yale began The Game in 1875, they did not play in 1885, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1899, 1917, 1918, 1943, or 1944). Furthermore, Lehigh and Lafayette met twice in each football season during World War II. "The Rivalry" is so old that it predates football trophies; the winning team just gets to keep the game ball. These are painted with the score and displayed in winning institution's hall of fame. The evolution of the shape of the football can be seen in the displays of past game balls.

The football game is always sold out months in advance and has inspired books and a PBS television documentary narrated by the late Harry Kalas. In 2006, ESPNU ranked The Rivalry #8 in their Top Ten College Football Rivalries and Sports Illustrated has told its readers that seeing it "is something you have to do once in your life."

Well, I have been there five times, 1966 - 1970, games 102-106. Lehigh won in 1968 and 1969.

Here's the PBS video from You Tube:



The Lehigh Band, The Marching 97, won every year.