Charles "Babe" Rinehart 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.
