Lafayette College Athletics

Ernie Peters '56 was a two-sport standout who successfully led Lafayette basketball and baseball teams to post-season playoffs in 1954 and 1955. In basketball, the 5-foot-9 Peters did most of the ball-handling and still scored more than 10 points per game as a junior and senior. He was captain for both years, making him one of only four upon his induction who have been two-year captains in basketball since 1925. It's more than coincidence that Lafayette's best record ever (24-3) came with Peters enjoying the best season of his college career. Peters averaged 12.5 points a game in 1954-55 when the Leopards won 21 straight games to close the regular season before losing to Niagara in the first round of the NIT, then the nation's most prestigious post-season showcase.In baseball, Peters found a home at shortstop as a sophomore and his hustling Pete Rose-style helped Lafayette advance to the eight-team College World Series in Omaha, Neb.