In the fall following Commencement, Dan Bayer ’59 ’83P ’84P ’13GP was stationed at Fort Dix. One weekend in November, the servicemen were battling against each other in a physical competition — push-ups, pull-ups, rope climbing, and a 300-yard dash. Bayer won it all. His unexpected reward? He was off the rest of the weekend.
He rushed to the phone and called his girlfriend, “Chickie.” She picked him up, and together they drove to Bethlehem, where they came into the Rivalry game during the fourth quarter, only to see Lafayette win decisively.
That could have been the only game he missed if fortune hadn’t been on his side. But fortune has been … for 81 games.
This year Bayer will attend his 82nd Rivalry. Chickie is still riding shotgun and has attended the games with him throughout courtship and marriage.
They are not alone. Joining them at this year’s game will be their best friends: Bob Teufel ’59 ’91P ’16GP, who is taking part in his 64th Rivalry, and his spouse, Anne.
Early Years
For Bayer, Le-Laf games began at age six. In 1943, his dad, Curtis F. Bayer ’35, took him to both games. Yes, that year the rivals met twice on the gridiron. Many teams had ceased their football operations during the war effort. To make a more full schedule, they agreed to multiple contests.
For each game, Bayer joined his father on the train from Northern New Jersey to Newark and then transferred to the Lehigh Valley Railroad to Easton or Bethlehem. Back then, the Engineers played on an old baseball field for most games, but the crowd size for a Rivalry game demanded more space. The team met at the Liberty High School field in Bethlehem — that stadium held 10,000 fans.
Bayer wasn’t alone in those early years. He had five brothers, all who attended Lehigh. Bayer’s two oldest sons also went to Lehigh as well as one grandson. Family tradition to say the least.
School Days
During their college years, Rivalry Week was festive for Bayer and Teufel.
The fraternities would hold a decorating contest. The mechanical engineering students made intricate designs where leopard effigies were dunked or catapulted. The Interfraternity Greek Council served as judges and handed out awards.
The bonfire took place in the upper fields and was piled with all sorts of combustible materials. Students built the mountain of fuel over the course of the fall. When the big week arrived, Lehigh freshmen would attempt to sneak over to Lafayette and light its fire prematurely. If caught, those students returned to campus with their hair shaved in an L. The same attempts at sabotage ended in the same scalp results for Lafayette first years. One time in more extreme measures, Lehigh students rented a helicopter in hopes of descending over Lafayette’s stack of firewood and getting it started.
The tug of war pitted those same freshmen against each other in the ultimate battle of strength.
Rivalry parties were a big deal. That’s where Bayer and Teufel met their future spouses. Both guys were members of Phi Kappa Theta and needed dates for rush. They were behind in their planning, so all the young ladies from area colleges and nursing schools were unavailable.
Another brother, Frank Spiegel ’57, called his sister, a sophomore at the Chestnut Hill women’s college in Philadelphia, and asked for her help. Among the ladies who came north for that party were Chickie and Anne, two best friends. While Bayer and Teufel weren’t paired with them for that dance, they all hit it off and stayed in touch.
Enter Taylor Stadium. Game days were split between the freshman game on Friday and the varsity game on Saturday. Goalposts? Those never made it through the weekend intact, despite rival students guarding their safety. Both guys watched brothers get carted off by local police for fighting and destruction of property.
As Alumni
After active duty as a commissioned officer in the Air Force, Teufel settled in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, where it was easy to get to games and host Bayer, who resides near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, over Rivalry Weekend. They have had season tickets since graduation and go to all of the home games.
Bayer also traveled with other alumni, including C. Keith Rust ’57 ’82P ’88P, Donald B. Stabler ’30, and Charlie Grubmeyer ’48 '87P, to games all over the eastern seaboard.
Bayer admits he’s suffered some years at Rivalry matches while other years have been great. As his 82nd game approaches, he’s just happy to still be alive and kicking and get to the game. He’s got a small bar in his trunk ready for the occasion, and both he and Teufel will bring some snacks. More so they will cheer like hell to bring a victory again to old Lehigh.
