As the only quarterback to go 4-0 as a starter in the storied rivalry with Lafayette, Phil Stambaugh is something of a Lehigh legend.
But he originally wanted to go to Lafayette instead.
He went to games on College Hill as a kid because of a close family connection and then attended the Leopards’ passing camp while at Pius X.
Meanwhile, Erik Marsh seemed destined to go to Lehigh.
“I was the ball boy at Lehigh when I was in seventh grade because I played on a junior high football team that also had Mike Anderson, whose father, Craig Anderson, was the pitching coach at Lehigh,” Marsh said.
The fact that Marsh, a Bethlehem Catholic product, ended up as the MVP of the 1994 game for Lafayette is one of the many twists of fate that has made this game so special over the years.
Both Stambaugh and Marsh will be among the 48,000-plus expected to pack Yankee Stadium on Saturday for the much-anticipated 150th meeting between Lehigh and Lafayette.
Having grown up in the region, they’ve known about the game their entire lives and then to got to play in several of them. This once-in-a-time opportunity for these two schools to share their rivalry with New York City and the rest of the nation has Stambaugh and Marsh as excited as if they were still suiting up.
The two were part of a special panel discussion at Coordinated Health on Sunday morning that also brought together head coaches Andy Coen and Frank Tavani and the medical staffs for both programs.
“The reality for Phil and me is that it’s so much more special because we grew up here and grew up with this game,” Marsh said. “Being local and knowing the history, made me feel as though as I was in my element when this game came around as a player. I wasn’t nervous for the games against Lehigh. I felt more exhilaration than anything. That’s because the rivalry was in my blood, so to speak.”
Stambaugh said of all the things that he did in his athletic career — and there were many considering that he was also a wrestling and baseball star — he was proud of going 4-0 against Lafayette the most.
He told the story of having a 100-degree fever before the game when he was a freshman in 1996, but said that nothing was going to stop him from playing.
“Seka Edwards was our starter that year and his getting injured was how I got to play in the first place,” Stambaugh said. “He was ready to come back, so that’s why I didn’t tell anyone that I wasn’t feeling well. I was taking DayQuil, NyQuil … you name it, just to get through it. I practiced in a fog. If I didn’t play well or couldn’t play, they were going to go to him.”
Stambaugh later found out that he was close to getting pulled anyway as Lafayette took a 19-0 lead.
“My thought process was to not pass out,” Stambaugh said. “I remember we went into a two-minute drill and I threw a pass that got batted up in the air, but Deron Braswell came from nowhere, jumped up, and caught it. We scored there and then took the game over in the second half. I was named the MVP and it was an amazing day.”
Stambaugh said that a hard hit caused concussion-like symptoms when he was a junior, but again, he refused to tell anybody about it because he wanted to keep playing.
“It’s probably not the best thing to say while we’re here at Coordinated Health,” Stambaugh joked.
Both Stambaugh and Marsh spent time in NFL camps before leaving the game behind for the business world. Stambaugh’s competitive juices still flow on the high school sidelines as the head coach at Pius X.
They both maintain strong ties to their schools and the current coaches. Coen was Stambaugh’s offensive coordinator during the latter’s career at Lehigh. Tavani was Lafayette’s running backs coach and recruited Marsh to College Hill.
“I wouldn’t miss this game for the world,” Marsh said. “I don’t regret not getting the chance to play in this game. I’m just thankful it’s happening and I can be part of it in some small way.”
“It doesn’t matter what their record is, I still support Coach Coen and will be pulling for Lehigh all the way,” Stambaugh said. “I knew our Pius X team would still be playing in this weekend. I’m happy that they allowed us to play our state game Friday night so that I will get to be at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. It’s going to be a great day for the two schools and the Lehigh Valley.”
TV COVERAGE
Gary Laubach, the longtime TV voice of Lafayette sports for RCN4, said he was really disappointed that he won’t get to work this game for television. The game can be seen only on the CBS Sports Network with Carter Blackburn and Aaron Taylor on the call.
Yet, Laubach will be still be working on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
“We’ll do a two-hour pregame show for the Lafayette website (www.goleopards.com) and we’ll show footage from the PBS special that was hosted by Harry Kalas along with added footage from games we’ve done,” Laubach said. “We’ve put together a montage that will show what the game’s history is all about.”
And that will be shown on the giant scoreboard at Yankee Stadium as well as on the Internet. There will also be special interviews with dignitaries, including Lafayette graduate and Cubs manager Joe Maddon. There will also be interviews with school officials.
“We want to give the whole perspective of the game from an academic and athletic standpoint,” Laubach said. “I’m very disappointed not to be able to do the game because this would have been my 15th straight game, but I am happy to still be involved in some way.”
