Leopards

Rutgers gave Lafayette its first opponent on 7 November 1882. The team wore maroon and answered to that name until 1924, when the college finally adopted "Leopards" as its own. That same year, Herb McCracken took over as head coach and, in a game against Penn, had his players huddle up to keep the other side from reading their signals. McCracken went on to an undefeated season in 1926 that Lafayette counted among its national championships, alongside 1921 under Jock Sutherland and the win over Penn in 1896. Sutherland himself had been a Lafayette player before Pittsburgh and the Steelers made him a name outside college football.

George Barclay, from the class of 1898, is remembered for a different piece of the game's equipment: the football helmet is credited to him, player and coach both.

Lehigh has been the opponent every year since 1884, missing only 1896 and 2020, and no two teams in college football have played each other more often. The winner keeps the ball.

Fisher Stadium now holds 13,132 for those games. The Patriot League championships have come more recently than the national titles — eight of them, most recently in 2023 — and that is the level the Leopards compete at now.