Lehigh Sports Forum

Doesn’t sound a day over 95…..

Spladle1989 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:58 pm Doesn’t sound a day over 95…..

+1

HFO wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 7:45 pm Having been associated with LEHIGH as a student and alumni since 1943, I can say that the last 3 Presidents have been mediocre at best and LEHIGH as an institution is nowhere as competitive and held in esteem whether by journal publishing, quality of research and overall attainment levels of alumni as it had in the past.

I entered Lehigh with Clement Williams as President, and graduated with the incredible Whitaker as President. The tradition of great Lehigh presidents continued with Neville, Lewis and Likins. Hittinger who was a Senior when I was a Freshman nobly served as an interim. Then mediocrity of Farrington, Gast and the dismal Simon. One can only hope Helble lights a fire under faculty and students going forward.

As for Lehigh football, it ebbs and flows. The one person who has to go is Sterrett. It has become a fifedom under his leadership. The money to retain football coaches was within reach. Instead AD money was directed to basketball. As for Gilmore, Lehigh's greatest loser since Mike Cooley who lasted 3 years. I don't recommend buying out Gilmore, but he should be shown the door as soon as his contract is over. 1976 to 2018, we had good coaches with a few outstanding coaches in there. I came into Lehigh with one of the worst football teams ever, but then again, almost anyone of fighting ability was in Europe or South Pacific. I left to join them in 1944 at conclusion of my freshman year.

New President, hopefully a new AD next year and in a few year a new Head Football Coach. Hopefully this is an inflection point to get Lehigh back to being competitive and elite on all fronts.

+1

HFO wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 7:45 pm Having been associated with LEHIGH as a student and alumni since 1943, I can say that the last 3 Presidents have been mediocre at best and LEHIGH as an institution is nowhere as competitive and held in esteem whether by journal publishing, quality of research and overall attainment levels of alumni as it had in the past.

I entered Lehigh with Clement Williams as President, and graduated with the incredible Whitaker as President. The tradition of great Lehigh presidents continued with Neville, Lewis and Likins. Hittinger who was a Senior when I was a Freshman nobly served as an interim. Then mediocrity of Farrington, Gast and the dismal Simon. One can only hope Helble lights a fire under faculty and students going forward.

As for Lehigh football, it ebbs and flows. The one person who has to go is Sterrett. It has become a fifedom under his leadership. The money to retain football coaches was within reach. Instead AD money was directed to basketball. As for Gilmore, Lehigh's greatest loser since Mike Cooley who lasted 3 years. I don't recommend buying out Gilmore, but he should be shown the door as soon as his contract is over. 1976 to 2018, we had good coaches with a few outstanding coaches in there. I came into Lehigh with one of the worst football teams ever, but then again, almost anyone of fighting ability was in Europe or South Pacific. I left to join them in 1944 at conclusion of my freshman year.

New President, hopefully a new AD next year and in a few year a new Head Football Coach. Hopefully this is an inflection point to get Lehigh back to being competitive and elite on all fronts.

+ 1 billion on all fronts

Mike Cooley had a small but important part in The Fugitive.

Obviously, can't match HFO for knowledge. But he does seem to have overlooked Leckonby and Dunlap as quality coaches.

If he waas a freshman in 1943, should be under a 100.
\

I never really considered myself to be a real contrarian until I get on the forums

I happen to disagree with most of HFOs post. I suppose perception is reality to many if not most. If we are honest with ourselves, Lehigh was built on the shoulders of Bethlehem Steel not unlike how Stanford achieved it's elevated position on the shoulders of Silicon Valley. Bethlehem Steel provided the research projects, the funding, the jobs and virtually everything else to turn Lehigh into one of the country's finest Engineering schools. It doesn't seem that challenging to steady that ship with all those resources. That doesn't make you a great college President though.

I know, the wrestling community loves Peter Likens probably due to his wrestling roots but it was during his years that the University lost much of it's prestige. We also lost that backing from Bethlehem Steel. We went from the mid 30s per US News and World Report (again perception is reality) to the mid 50s. During this time we transitioned from the Engineers to the Mountainhawks. We ceased to be a engineering school as the College of Arts and Sciences became the largest college. The highly touted wrestling program reached it's depths. The once proud Marching 97 had only 45 members and the Greek system was being dismantled. Lehigh excelled at nothing.

My memory says that Greg Farrington turned that trajectory around. Upon his arrival Peter Rossin donates $25 M to resurrect the engineering program. Football begins it's big run under Higgins. Wrestling has a massive resurgence. The Marching band is back to 97. He introduces integrated learning to Lehigh which arguably is one of our biggest academic strengths and is about to expand and we are ranked in the Top 40 again. Some of it may have been a matter of timing but all of this was done with Bethlehem Steel.

As for football coaches, Gilmore coaches one full season and a program that was 3-8 the year before, loses it's 2 All Americans and goes 4-7 is now considered the worst coach of all time. Sounds pathetic to me. The real truth is that in the last 70 years, only Whitehead and Lembo had good starts to their coaching careers and they both inherited juggernauts. I think Dunlap was 3-25 in his first 3 seasons.

But then again, perception is reality.

+1

Dunlap 0-9 then 1-8 then 3-7.

Gilmore may do as well as Cecchini over the next ten years, but not over the next ten. If you have 2 guys with pretty similar credentials, probably choose the younger

Also, if you regularly have 7-4 seasons, and regularly outscore your opponents by a net 30 points, I think the team that averages 38 points a game outdraws fanwise, a team that averages 19.

In reply to TMH ++1!