The absolute oldest collegiate football rivalry in the United States and globally is the intense competitive series contested between Lafayette College and Lehigh University, historically celebrated as "The Rivalry." First played in eighteen eighty-four, this annual gridiron clash has been held more times than any other football series in history, transcending conference realignments and athletic eras to remain a foundational cornerstone of American collegiate sports tradition, passion, and historic deep-seated institutional pride for both of these Pennsylvania-based academic universities.