1926 Lafayette Leopards football team

{{short description|American college football season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 1926

| team = Lafayette Leopards

| sport = football

| image =

| image_size =

| conference = Independent

| record = 9–0

| head_coach = Herb McCracken

| hc_year = 3rd

| captain = Frank Kirkleski

| stadium = Fisher Field

| champion = National champion (Davis)

}}

{{1926 Eastern college football independents records}}

The 1926 Lafayette Leopards football team was an American football team that represented Lafayette College as an independent during the 1926 college football season. In its third season under head coach Herb McCracken, Lafayette compiled a 9–0 record and shut out five of nine opponents.{{cite web|url=http://www.goleopards.com/sports/maroonclub/mtt/1926_football_team_844030.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508164811/http://www.goleopards.com/sports/maroonclub/mtt/1926_football_team_844030.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 8, 2013|title=goleopards.com 1926 Football Team Bio - Lafayette Leopards Official Athletic Site Lafayette Leopards Official Athletic Site - Maroon Club|work=goleopards.com}}{{cite web|title=2018 Lafayette Football Media Guide|publisher=Lafayette University|access-date=May 21, 2020|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/goleopards.com/documents/2018/8/28/2018LCFBmediaguide.pdf}} Halfback Frank Kirkleski was the team captain.2018 Lafayette Media Guide, p. 129.

Although Alabama and Stanford have been named the 1926 national champion by most selectors, the 1926 Lafayette team was named as the national champion by one selector, Parke H. Davis.{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2015/FBS.pdf |title=National Poll Rankings |author=National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) |year=2015|work=NCAA Division I Football Records |publisher=NCAA |page=108 |access-date=January 13, 2016 }} The team was ranked No. 5 in the nation in the Dickinson System ratings released in December 1926.{{cite news|title=Stanford Eleven Adjudged Best: Navy Ranks Second Under Dickinson System of Rating Teams|newspaper=The Morning Post|location=Camden, N.J.|date=December 17, 1926|page=23|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98552346/dickinson-rankings/|via=Newspapers.com}}

The team played its home games at the Fisher Stadium in Easton, Pennsylvania. Fisher Stadium opened in 1926 with a seating capacity of 13,132.2018 Lafayette Media Guide, pp. 6, 73.