“Remember the Sand Hogs”

A Student Assistant’s Day at Special Collections: “Remember the Sand Hogs”

by Abby McBride, Class of 2017

Forgotten in Lehigh history are a rambunctious, dirt-coated, and curious band of children called “Sand Hogs”. The product of Bethlehem Steel’s vast number of employees, young children used to be in abundance in Bethlehem. These children represented the plethora of immigrants that early 20th century America is famous for. These are the children that assembled the Sand Hogs Brigade and posed a perplexing (and amusing) problem to the Lehigh University Athletic Committee.

As young boys often are, the sons of workers in the Bethlehem community were drawn to sports. In large numbers, the boys used to trespass into the Lehigh sports stadiums to watch the various athletic matches. Destruction of property and missing athletic supplies would follow in their wake. With Lehigh’s sterling engineering reputation, the school tried to protect the stadiums from trespassing. Various measures were taken- such as not allowing windows on buildings even though there were ways to protect them from the damage of a stray ball. However, undeterred and unabashed, the youth found their way into the sporting events.

In an act of desperation, the Athletic Committee decided to make the boys into an asset rather than let them continue as a problem. Thus the idea of the official Sand Hogs Brigade had formed. Already being the informal name of the group- because of the ways the children would build hidden tunnels and passages in the sand to enter stadiums- the Athletic Committee legitimized it. The boys were given Sand Hogs cards. On the cards was a pledge. The boys had to swear to stay loyal to Lehigh, practice good sportsmanship, and respect visiting teams and college property. They were to bathe themselves before coming to games. The Athletic Committee felt a civic responsibility for these children. Give them a healthy past time and then they would hopefully stay out of trouble.
The Sand Hogs Brigade swiftly evolved. The cheerleaders taught them Lehigh chants, cheers, and songs. Fifteen-hundred children would show up for the athletic events, sitting in the designated “kids” section of the bleachers. They praised their Lehigh teams with pride and vigor. The Lehigh community embraced the children. When Mr. Charles Taylor was at a Lehigh-Lafayette football game, he was called before the whole assembly of the Sand Hogs. A small boy bestowed upon him a floral tribute on behalf of the Sand Hogs Brigade. Mr. Taylor, accepting the tribute, emotionally quipped, “This is the finest thing Lehigh has ever done.”

While reorganizing the box of Lehigh Sports History Collection, I rediscovered the story of the Sand Hogs in our Sports History collection. The collection details the athletic history of Lehigh University. There are many personal accounts from primary sources of the Lehigh’s athletic evolution. The particular writing of the Sand Hogs came from Howard R. Reiter. Reiter praised the Sand Hogs and he saw the group as a way to build a stable environment for young boys. Through the Sand Hogs, these boys gained skills in sportsmanship, teamwork, and respect. Buried in the past, the Sand Hogs are worth remembering.