Lehigh Football Nation

Normally I wouldn't cover something like this in my blog, but the announcement of Alice P. Gast as the new president of Lehigh is, well, big news. As some of you may know, current Lehigh president Greg Farrington is stepping down, presiding over a fantastic eight year period in Lehigh's history, especially in regards to Lehigh football. I'll spare the details on successful initiatives like the "Shine Forever" and 2020 initiatives and his work to get more of an international Lehigh presence, but I will mention that I feel that under his term in office Lehigh's football team and athletics department have been a great success. In 2004, Farrington and benevolent Lehigh donor Murray Goodman -- yes, Murray Goodman is not just a name on our football stadium -- endowed the "Murray Goodman Dean of Athletics" position. ( Joe Sterrett ('76) - a famous football alumnus - was given the position then, and he still holds the position today.) Clearly, with i...

I'll get to the NCAA meetings in a moment, but first the big news in the Lehigh football family. Unlike TE Adam Bergen last year, senior WR Gerran Walker may not have been expecting to be picked in the NFL draft. But "G" is in the same place as Bergen was last year, signing a rookie free-agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts . Anyone who watched a Lehigh game last year could tell you that Walker was a difference-maker with his speed. Against Monmouth he racked up 311 all-purpose yards and 2 TDs , including 144 return yards. He was one of the fastest athletes I'd ever seen as a Mountain Hawk. His hard work during the season -- and offseason -- has given him a shot at professional ball. The press release has some interesting quotes: “The opportunity to one day maybe catch a pass from Peyton Manning and learn from one of the best receivers in Marvin [Harrison] is still sinking in,” Walker said Tuesday afternoon from Bethlehem. "If I work hard enough, I mig...

The media reports are in, and we even got some pictures (courtesy of the Morning Call) of Saturday's practice. To my left is rising junior DL Ted Smith sacking rising junior QB Kevin Marshall , getting a little "contact". (It's encouraging to know that even the professional photographers get hazy pictures when covering a wet Lehigh game. I thought I was the only one!) The roundup around the mainstream press seems to show a lot of excitement about the local kids who appear to have the inside track for some of the starting roles, especially Bethlehem Catholic's WR Frank Trovato (rising senior) and also WR Pete Donchez (rising junior). They also share quite a few quotes from the eminently quotable junior QB Sedale Threatt . (The kid is a quote machine - it's always fun to hear what he's going to say next. His enthusiasm is catchy.) Curiously, the defense which impressed me so much didn't get a lot of coverage. I'm really surprised nobody pic...

This Saturday, on a wet October-like day, the Lehigh defense (Brown) played extremely well in a 30-24 win against the offense (White). With the halftime festivites cancelled due to the poor weather, some key spring injuries to senior FB Greg Fay and junior RB Josh Pastore, and a scant 90 scrimmage plays being called, it was certainly not a complete picture, especially offensively. But we did learn some tantalizing bits of information, and for sure some questions have been answered. What's to get excited about in the fall, first and foremost? That's easy. Defensive Coordinator David Kotulski's 3-4 defense may promise to give the rest of the Patriot League fits. With rising senior and team captain SS Julian Austin heading a strong, experienced secondary, an interesting linebacking unit led by rising senior LB Matt Mohler (who had an interception in the game), and a very strong senior front three in DT Royce Morgan , NT Paul Fabre and DE Eric Rakus , I sense we are going to ...

Spring Practice is wrapping up very soon, cumulating with the Brown/White game on Saturday. I'll get to the hot rumors on what Lehigh's 2006 football team will look like in a moment. But I thought it would be a good idea today to remind people who I am, where I'm coming from, and why I'm doing this. I'm a 36 year old Lehigh alum. Although I never played football, I've always had a love for the game of football that has transcended the passsions of most. How did it happen? Perhaps it's because I never had the opportunity to play the game, since I went to a high school that didn't offer football. Football was a game played by people far away, and I lived the games through press reports, articles, and even short-wave radio (yes, folks, I actually lived in a pre-internet world). Maybe it's because some of the best memories I have of my college experience center around going to Lehigh football games, tailgating, and reconnecting with friends. Serend...

Earlier this week, the Lehigh athletic department released the long-awaited spring prospectus , giving us a bit of a closer look at Lehigh's football team for 2006. The first pieces of the puzzle are being put together, and some interesting battles are shaping up - as well as a few surprises. Here's my take on what I see as the three biggest surprises, and three things to take forward up to the Brown/White game on April 22nd (which, by the way, is free and open to the public). Biggest Surprises 1. New faces at LB. Some of the talent and depth on the "D" line has made the change to outside linebacker. Rising senior DE Matt Mohler and rising junior DE Joel Kriss are joining a hot battle for the outside spot along with rising sophomores Tim Diamond and Ben Pravata. Mohler has more experience, but Kriss is very athletic, so it will be interesting to see who will be the starters - and you can't count out the X-factors, the sophs, as well. On the inside, rising se...

Earlier last week, Ralph of I-AA Waves fame and I interviewed Lafayette football head coach Frank Tavani about Lafayette's upcoming year, the happenings over in Easton, and, of course "the rivalry". It airs tonight at 9PM EDT, and you can listen to the show online by following this link . Ralph and I are hoping to get other Patriot League coaches on the I-AA Waves radio show in the very near future, which will hopefully include coach Coen. In regards to spring practice, I, like you, are anxiously waiting for the official Lehigh website to post their spring prospectus and to get a feel for how the spring is going. I beleive practices are going on as we speak.