# Lehigh football, 1884–1889

The Lehigh football team (later known as the Lehigh Mountain Hawks) represented Lehigh University of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in American football. Significant points in this, the first decade of Lehigh football, included the following:
* The Lehigh football program started on October 25, 1884, with a 50–0 loss to Lafayette. The team lost all four games in 1884 by a combined score of 181 to 16.
* Lehigh won its first intercollegiate football game on November 14, 1885, defeating Rutgers by a 10–5 score.
* Lehigh's first winning season was in 1886 when the team compiled a 4–3–1 record.
* The 1888 team became one of the sport's leading teams, compiling a 10–2 record and shutting out seven oppoinents, including Bucknell (74–0), Rutgers (30–0), Penn State (30–0), and Cornell (4–0).
* On November 11, 1889, Lehigh shut out Penn State, 106–0, the worst defeat in the history of the Penn State football program.
The Lehigh football team did not have a coach during the 1880s.

## 1884

The 1884 Lehigh football team represented Lehigh University in the 1884 college football season. The team compiled an 0–4 record.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| October 25 | at Lafayette | The QuadEaston, PA (The Rivalry) | L 0–50 |
| November 1 | at Rutgers | New Brunswick, NJ | L 0–61 |
| November 12 | Lafayette | Bethlehem, PA | L 4–34 |
| November 15 | Haverford | Bethlehem, PA | L 12–36 |

## 1885

The 1885 Lehigh football team represented Lehigh University in the 1885 college football season. The team compiled a 1–5–1 record.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| October 10 | at Penn | Philadelphia, PA | L 0–54 |
| October 17 | at Haverford | Haverford, PA | L 8–24 |
| October 31 | Lafayette | University Athletic GroundsBethlehem, PA (The Rivalry) | L 0–6 (forfeit) |
| November 7 | Stevens | Bethlehem, PA | L 4–20 |
| November 14 | Rutgers | Bethlehem, PA | W 10–5 |
| November 18 | at Penn | Philadelphia, PA | L 0–35 |
| November 21 | at Lafayette | Easton, PA | T 6–6 |

## 1886

The 1886 Lehigh football team represented Lehigh University in the 1886 college football season. The team compiled a 4–3–1 record.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| October 9 | at Penn | Philadelphia, PA | L 4–26 |
| October 16 | at Dickinson | Carlisle, PA | W 26–0 |
| October 30 | at Stevens | Hoboken, NJ | T 0–0 |
| November 6 | at Lafayette | Easton, PA (The Rivalry) | L 0–12 |
| November 13 | Stevens | Bethlehem, PA | W 14–0 |
| November 18 | Penn | Bethlehem, PA | W 28–0 |
| November 20 | Haverford | Bethlehem, PA | W 18–4 |
| November 24 | Lafayette | Bethlehem, PA | L 0–4 |

## 1887

The 1887 Lehigh football team represented Lehigh University in the 1887 college football season. The team compiled a 4–3 record.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| October 8 | Swarthmore | Bethlehem, PA | W 24–0 |
| October 15 | at Princeton | University FieldPrinceton, NJ | L 0–80 |
| October 22 | Dickinson | Bethlehem, PA | W 20–0 |
| October 29 | Lafayette | Bethlehem, PA (The Rivalry) | W 10–4 |
| November 12 | at Penn | Philadelphia, PA | L 4–6 |
| November 23 | at Lafayette | The QuadEaston, PA | L 0–6 |
| November 26 | vs. Cornell | Elmira, NY | W 38–10 |

## 1888

The 1888 Lehigh football team represented Lehigh University in the 1888 college football season. The team compiled a 10–2 record.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| September 29 | at Princeton | University FieldPrinceton, NJ | L 0–75 |
| October 6 | Swarthmore | Swarthmore, PA | W 12–8 |
| October 11 | Bucknell | Bethlehem, PA | W 74–0 |
| October 13 | Rutgers | Bethlehem, PA | W 30–0 |
| October 17 | Haverford | Bethlehem, PA | W 16–6 |
| October 20 | Swarthmore | Bethlehem, PA | W 50–0 |
| October 27 | Penn | Bethlehem, PA | L 0–36 |
| November 3 | at Penn State | Old MainState College, PA | W 30–0 |
| November 10 | at Stevens | Hoboken, NJ | W 10–0 |
| November 17 | at Lafayette | The QuadEaston, PA (The Rivalry) | W 6–4 |
| November 27 | Lafayette | Bethlehem, PA | W 16–0 |
| December 1 | at Cornell | Elmira, NY | W 4–0 |

## 1889

The 1889 Lehigh football team represented Lehigh University as an independent during the 1889 college football season. The team compiled an 8–3–2 record.

### Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 5 | 2:40 p.m. | at Princeton | Princeton, NJ | L 0–16 | |
| October 10 | | Princeton | Bethlehem, PA | L 4–16 | |
| October 16 | 3:30 p.m. | Haverford | Athletic Association's groundsSouth Bethlehem, PA | W 60–0 | |
| October 19 | 3:15 p.m. | at Penn | West Philadelphia groundsPhiladelphia, PA | L 4–6 | |
| October 30 | | Lafayette | University groundsSouth Bethlehem, PA (The Rivalry) | W 16–10 | |
| November 2 | | at Columbia | Berkeley OvalNew York, NY | W 51–6 | 1,500 |
| November 11 | | Penn State | South Bethlehem, PA | W 106–0 | |
| November 16 | | at Lafayette | The QuadEaston, PA | T 6–6 | 2,000 |
| November 20 | | Penn | Bethlehem, PA | W 8–0 | |
| November 22 | | vs. Wesleyan | Hampden ParkSpringfield, MA | T 11–11 | |
| November 28 | 10:45 a.m. | at Navy | Annapolis, MD | W 26–6 | |
| November 29 | 3:38 p.m. | vs. Johns Hopkins | Capitol ParkWashington, DC | W 40–0 | 1,000 |
| November 30 | | at Virginia | Madison Hall FieldCharlottesville, VA | W 26–12 | |