1985 Lafayette Leopards football team

The 1985 Lafayette Leopards football team was an American football team that represented Lafayette College during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season.

1985 Lafayette Leopards football
Conference	Independent
1985 record	6–5
Head coach	Bill Russo (5th season)
Captains	John Anderson Ryan Priest
Home stadium	Fisher Field

1985 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 9 Georgia Southern ^	0	–	0	–	0			13	–	2	–	0
No. 11 Eastern Washington ^	0	–	0	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 18 Richmond	0	–	0	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Colgate	0	–	0	–	0			7	–	3	–	1
Delaware	0	–	0	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Tennessee State	0	–	0	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
No. 16 William & Mary	0	–	0	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Lafayette	0	–	0	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
James Madison	0	–	0	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Lehigh	0	–	0	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross	0	–	0	–	0			4	–	6	–	1
Florida A&M	0	–	0	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Western Kentucky	0	–	0	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Bucknell	0	–	0	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Northeastern	0	–	0	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from Div I-AA Football Committee poll

In their fifth year under head coach Bill Russo, the Leopards compiled a 6–5 record.[1] John Anderson and Ryan Priest were the team captains.[2]

This would be Lafayette's final year as an independent, before joining the Colonial League. Future league football opponents on the Leopards' 1985 schedule included Bucknell, Colgate, Lehigh and (1997-2003) Towson. The league was later renamed Patriot League, and continues to be Lafayette's home conference as of 2020.

Lafayette played its home games at Fisher Field on College Hill in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 14	at New Hampshire	Cowell Stadium Durham, NH	W 20–7	10,126	[3]
September 21	Colgate	Fisher Field Easton, PA	L 14–30	11,500	[4]
September 28	Columbia	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 20–0	3,500	[5]
October 5	at Cornell	Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY	W 17–3	10,008	[6]
October 12	James Madison	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 20–13	10,500	[7]
October 19	at Navy	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	L 14–56	28,402	[8]
October 26	at Rhode Island	Meade Stadium Kingston, RI	L 21–41	12,933	[9]
November 2	Towson State	Fisher Field Easton, PA	L 24–27	2,000	[10]
November 9	Bucknell	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 47–0	5,500	[11]
November 16	Kutztown	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 23–7	350	[12]
November 23	at Lehigh	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA (The Rivalry)	L 19–24	17,000	[13]
Homecoming

References

1. "Lafayette Football 1963-1986". 2019 Lafayette Football Record Book (PDF). Easton, Pa.: Lafayette College. p. 104. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
2. "Team Captains 1882-2019". 2019 Lafayette Football Record Book (PDF). Easton, Pa.: Lafayette College. p. 97. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
3. "Lafayette 20, UNH 7". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. September 15, 1985. p. 68 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Meixell, Ted (September 22, 1985). "No 'Big Plays' for Leopards". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C-1 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Lafayette Keeps Columbia on the Skids". The Sunday Record. Hackensack, N.J. September 29, 1985. pp. S-9, S-10 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Meixell, Ted (October 6, 1985). "McIntyre Rallies Lafayette 17-3". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Meixell, Ted (October 13, 1985). "Leopards Prove to Be Confident". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Meixell, Ted (October 20, 1985). "Navy Dominates Lafayette". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Ehrhardt, URI Keep Flying, 41-21". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. October 27, 1985. p. 68 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Meixell, Ted (November 3, 1985). "Unbeaten Towson Hands Lafayette 3rd Loss in Row". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Meixell, Ted (November 10, 1985). "47-0 'Laugher' for Lafayette". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C4 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Meixell, Ted (November 10, 1985). "Lafayette Tops Stubborn Kutztown 23-7". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C4 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Meixell, Ted (November 24, 1985). "Lehigh's Horn, Defense Thwart Lafayette 24-19". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.