Lafayette College Athletics

Charles "Babe" Rinehart '98 ranks among the very finest linemen ever to play college football. Truxton Hare, a four-time All-American from Penn, provides impressive testimony, "Charley Rinehart of Lafayette was better than anyone from Harvard, Michigan, Brown, the Indians or any other of our opponents against us." Rinehart captained the 1897 team and was a member of Lafayette's first undefeated squad in 1896. The Leopards tied Princeton and defeated Penn 6-4 in Philadelphia that season. The story goes that Penn offered Lafayette $10,000 for a return match but was turned down. Rinehart was named to Walter Camp's All-America team during his playing days and in 1969, was named to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Star team representing the best players of collegiate football's first half century of existence. In 1964, he was inducted into the NFF Hall of Fame.