As Lehigh and Lafayette met for the 160th time on the gridiron this season, Chip Walakovits took his seat for his 56th Rivalry game.
Walakovits, an original member of the Lehigh South Side Boosters, a board member of the group for nearly 40 years and president for 15, has witnessed just as much Lehigh football as anyone. Growing up on Bethlehem’s South Side, his father invited Lehigh students who worked during the summer with him at Bethlehem Steel over for dinner. Some were Lehigh football players, sparking Walakovits’ love affair with the program.
At one point, Walakovits attended more than 80 straight Lehigh games—home and away—even riding the team plane on a few trips.
Over the years, he has accumulated a range of Lehigh memorabilia. One of his favorites is a Lehigh South Side Boosters Christmas ball made just after the group formed. But it’s not his collection he’s most proud of—it’s the people he cherishes.
“My memorabilia is seeing a lot of these former ball players, and they still recognize me. That’s my memorabilia—a smile, a hug.”
