Fordham

[Tod]

Just catching up on Fordham since they are the sponsor of the month, and I have to say that the poem, about the Fordham wall, just breaks me up. Tears, man. Beautiful. I've challenged myself to memorize it, it is a thing a beauty.

Didn't know, or didn't remember, about Vince Lombardi!!!!

Who graduated from Fordham? Oh, nobody important, just... xeekx xeekx xeekx

Those who know or who love to research: Dylan McDermott is a graduate of Fordham (very good actor, love his stuff), and so did a Vince Lombardi award winner in 1999 (if my drunken mind remembers correctly) named Gerry McDermott.

Are they related?

xeyebrowx xeyebrowx

[RAMS83]

Denzel Washington, The late Wellington Mara (owner NY Giants), and a bunch of sports announcers (Vin Scully, Michael Kay, Bob Papa to name a few) are some of the more notable alumni.

As far as 1aa football - we were happy to win the PL Title and perform admirably against UMass in the playoffs, 35-35 in the 4th before fading.

Among the alumni we think we got a terrific recruiting class. Hope it translates to continued winning seasons. The one stickler with the PL and our program is we truly want to be a full 63 scholarship team. First to compete for a National Championship and secondly to increase the likelihood of playing one 1A team a year.. We hope the PL moves towards this-if not its possible we move conferences in the next few years..

Good school, pretty campus. I think the NYC angle is a good sell to football recruits that are not from the Northeast. They can play good football at a respected school and be close enough to experience all that NYC has to offer.

[schmofstra]

I endorse the tradition of ringing the Victory Bell. Momma Schmofstra and some of her relatives joined me for the win in 2006 against Georgetown. When the Fordham players lined up to ring the bell, we took some photos. And the players don't just go up and ring it once as a formality -- they tend to ring it with GUSTO, with all their might. We also took photos with the statue of the Ram and even with that guy who wears the goofy red wig. "The Fordham Ram" has become one of my favorite fight songs.

Very nice campus. Well worth visiting if you are in NYC. The dining hall next to the gym is like a feast -- I believe it's $9 for all you want including desserts and coffee.

If you are Catholic, stop by the daily Mass in the Keating Blue chapel. One word of warning: Before the Mass starts, you have to go up to the altar and pick out a Communion host from a separate container and place it on the gold plate. I found this out too late, the hard way.

[schmofstra]

Our Fordham friends can maybe give you better info, but I believe the Victory Bell was a donation to Fordham from Adm. Nimitz and was a Navy ship's bell in some Pacific battle of World War II.

[andy7171]

If you are Catholic, stop by the daily Mass in the Keating Blue chapel. One word of warning: Before the Mass starts, you have to go up to the altar and pick out a Communion host from a separate container and place it on the gold plate. I found this out too late, the hard way.
Ain't the communion supposed to be in the tabernacle? xeyebrowx

[Syntax Error]

Our Fordham friends can maybe give you better info, but I believe the Victory Bell was a donation to Fordham from Adm. Nimitz and was a Navy ship's bell in some Pacific battle of World War II.
Yup, http://www.anygivensaturday.com/forum/showpost.php?p=857954&postcount=7

[schmofstra]

Ain't the communion supposed to be in the tabernacle? xeyebrowx

Yes, but I assume now (from this Fordham chapel) that it's an acceptable practice to place the hosts on the altar before the Mass.

And maybe I had it backwards above. Maybe there was a gold plate of hosts and you picked a host from that plate and then placed it into a chalice or something like that. Each of the "regulars" did this as they entered the chapel before the Mass. I didn't realize it until someone noticed that I didn't do it and, probably recognizing that I'm not a "regular" there, came up to me and quickly explained it. So I went up to the altar and transferred a host from the plate to the chalice -- just as the priest was emerging and the Mass was starting! Ughh. Oh well.

Before someone accuses us of a "holy hijack" here, would someone please post something about Vince Lombardi or the Rams' chances in the Patriot League next year?!!!!!:)

[danefan]

Here's a little Lombardi for ya!
http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/3226606.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=27D044C0A019FA6CBB2C11F7384CBED2A55A1E4F32AD3138

[andy7171]

"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious."

[JoltinJoe]

Just catching up on Fordham since they are the sponsor of the month, and I have to say that the poem, about the Fordham wall, just breaks me up. Tears, man. Beautiful. I've challenged myself to memorize it, it is a thing a beauty.

Didn't know, or didn't remember, about Vince Lombardi!!!!



You and me both, a tear. I say. xbawlingx

Lombardi and his teammates, the reknowned "Seven Blocks of Granite," are keeping a watchful eye over AGS this month. Lombardi is #40, the third player from the left, in this month's AGS banner.

It was frequently said that Lombardi was the smallest and least talented physically of the Seven Blocks. But, as his line coach Frank Leahy once observed, Lombardi's footwork was remarkable and Lombardi was technically the best blocker Leahy ever saw.

[Cobblestone]

whats with the tiny basketball gym?

It may be a tiny gym but it's a great place to see a game. I've been there the past three years we've played at Fordham and I've never had a bad seat.



plus there's a bar.

[Tod]

Denzel Washington, The late Wellington Mara (owner NY Giants), and a bunch of sports announcers (Vin Scully, Michael Kay, Bob Papa to name a few) are some of the more notable alumni.

As far as 1aa football - we were happy to win the PL Title and perform admirably against UMass in the playoffs, 35-35 in the 4th before fading.

Among the alumni we think we got a terrific recruiting class. Hope it translates to continued winning seasons. The one stickler with the PL and our program is we truly want to be a full 63 scholarship team. First to compete for a National Championship and secondly to increase the likelihood of playing one 1A team a year.. We hope the PL moves towards this-if not its possible we move conferences in the next few years..

Good school, pretty campus. I think the NYC angle is a good sell to football recruits that are not from the Northeast. They can play good football at a respected school and be close enough to experience all that NYC has to offer.

I was impressed, and pleasantly surprised, at how well Fordham played UMass in the playoffs.

xthumbsupx xthumbsupx xthumbsupx

[Pard4Life]

whats with the tiny basketball gym?

I think it is one of the first in America. Like Franklin Field, still in use.

[Pard4Life]

Fordham, if they really tried, could make a strong case for being an FBS team. You have the NYC base, the closest competitor is Rutgers (an NJ team.. a paper tiger IMO). All you need is a place to play.. but the Polo Grounds are gone.

[Seahawks Fan]

Fordham, if they really tried, could make a strong case for being an FBS team. You have the NYC base, the closest competitor is Rutgers (an NJ team.. a paper tiger IMO). All you need is a place to play.. but the Polo Grounds are gone.

That wouldn't fly in NYC. Just not an FBS town. May have been at one time, but no longer.

Rutgers, on the other hand, is expanding their on campus stadium to 56,000. Paper tiger? http://www.scarletknights.com/stadium/index.html

[TheValleyRaider]

Rutgers, on the other hand, is expanding their on campus stadium to 56,000. Paper tiger? http://www.scarletknights.com/stadium/index.html

I'd be interested to see how well their support holds up if (when?) Schiano finally heads to Penn State and they suffer another losing season or two

[Cobblestone]

Fordham, if they really tried, could make a strong case for being an FBS team. You have the NYC base, the closest competitor is Rutgers (an NJ team.. a paper tiger IMO). All you need is a place to play.. but the Polo Grounds are gone.

I'm not sure how true this is,in fact I can't even recall where I heard it, but there was some talk about if the Jets had gotten approval for that new stadium they wanted a little while back that Fordham was considering playing there and possibly going FBS; Big East perhaps. I think I saw it on some scout.com message board.

Probably Jolitn Joe could verify if there was ever any talk of this or just how serious it was.

[Seahawks Fan]

I'd be interested to see how well their support holds up if (when?) Schiano finally heads to Penn State and they suffer another losing season or two


I also think Schiano is ultimately headed to Penn State. How good a foundation he leaves at RU remains to be seen.

[LBPop]

I had the pleasure of visiting Fordham twice in four years to watch the Hoyas. I loved the campus; I was a bit jealous of the stadium (not really high praise when you consider what the Hoyas have); and the people in the stands were fun to hear (I like good natured New York fans).

While not old enough to remember, I know that Fordham and Georgetown have a lengthy football rivalry. They are also linked by Vince Lomardi who, as we all know played at Fordham. When he coached the Redskins in Washington for one year, they would practice at Georgetown's Kehoe field. Later, after cancer sadly took Vince's life, the Lombardi Cancer Center was established at Georgetown's hospital.

I was impressed and encouraged by Fordham's season in 2007. I hope to see them play the Hoyas through the coming years.

[JoltinJoe]

I'm not sure how true this is,in fact I can't even recall where I heard it, but there was some talk about if the Jets had gotten approval for that new stadium they wanted a little while back that Fordham was considering playing there and possibly going FBS; Big East perhaps. I think I saw it on some scout.com message board.

Probably Jolitn Joe could verify if there was ever any talk of this or just how serious it was.

When the Jets Stadium proposal was still being discussed, both the Daily News and the New York Post ran columns suggesting that the stadium -- in need of other tenants -- could also be used by Fordham as a home for an upgraded BCS-level program. I'm told that the column idea was planted by some members of the Gridiron Club with connections with the local sports media.

Some prominent Fordham graduates, also active as athletic boosters, were quoted in the columns in support of the idea. Fordham administrators quoted in the stories were non-commital.

And that's where it ended.

There are a fair number of athletic boosters who still support this idea. I don't see this getting past the discussion-over-beer level with the current university administration. It's also seems a tough sell to any future administration.

[carney2]

I also think Schiano is ultimately headed to Penn State. How good a foundation he leaves at RU remains to be seen.

Penn State has always been a "family" affair. I know that Schiano is a member of the extended family, but right now he would, most believe, be no better than number two at this table behind current defensive coordinator, Tom Bradley. Schiano could lay claim to the first position in line when/if Bradley gets tired of Paterno's endless "I'm still having fun" game and moves on.

[schmofstra]

I'd be interested to see how well their support holds up if (when?) Schiano finally heads to Penn State and they suffer another losing season or two

If we were having this conversation one year ago, I'd be with you on this. But the word I hear now is that Schiano's and Rutgers' performance in '07 kind of blew his audition.xsmhx

[schmofstra]

If any of you are considering a trip to a Fordham football game, and you are married, and your wife has "veto" power over stuff like this, and she's worried about going to the Bronx, consider this. The New York Botanical Garden is practically across the street from the Fordham campus. That could be enough to push it over the top, especially in September or October with good weather.

[danefan]

If any of you are considering a trip to a Fordham football game, and you are married, and your wife has "veto" power over stuff like this, and she's worried about going to the Bronx, consider this. The New York Botanical Garden is practically across the street from the Fordham campus. That could be enough to push it over the top, especially in September or October with good weather.

Another great Fordham draw-in....when I went to the Albany-Fordham game this year I saw the coolest thing ever......An ice-cream truck converted to a mobile taco stand.

Greatest idea ever!xthumbsupx

[OLPOP]

Re: Selling points for wives. The Bronx Zoo is also literally across the street. If you've never been, it's well worth the side trip.

[Cobblestone]

If any of you are considering a trip to a Fordham football game, and you are married, and your wife has "veto" power over stuff like this, and she's worried about going to the Bronx, consider this. The New York Botanical Garden is practically across the street from the Fordham campus. That could be enough to push it over the top, especially in September or October with good weather.

True. I haven't been to a football game at Fordham (at least not yet) but I've been to a few basketball games at Rose Hill when we make our road trip there. The ride through the Bronx is a little rough but the Fordham campus itself is actually pretty nice. And yes, the New York Botanical Garden location makes it a little more pleasing on the eyes.

[JoltinJoe]

The Gridiron Club has been working on a website to assist game-day visitors in planning a trip to Fordham for a game. Hopefully, it will look more professional come the summer, and the information pertains to last year's home schedule, but nonetheless, here it is:

www.fordhamfootball.com

[Franks Tanks]

If we were having this conversation one year ago, I'd be with you on this. But the word I hear now is that Schiano's and Rutgers' performance in '07 kind of blew his audition.xsmhx

07 wasnt as good as 06, but it was still a great season by Rutgers standards. Also Penn State admin has yet to renew Paterno's contrcat for 2009, they appear to be tiring of the situation, and my not allow him to select a hand picked successor..ie his son who is a terrible coach with the same carisma as a door knob. Bradley is a ok choice.. he is a great defensive coach and recruiter but he is getting old and is not exciting. Penn State needs an infusion of excitment when Joe finally hangs it up.

[Pard4Life]

That wouldn't fly in NYC. Just not an FBS town. May have been at one time, but no longer.

Rutgers, on the other hand, is expanding their on campus stadium to 56,000. Paper tiger? http://www.scarletknights.com/stadium/index.html

Deciding to expand the stadium to 56,000 is a very hasty decision... a joke, and poor move in my mind. The funniest thing of all is that the NJ General Assembly voted to cut six or so sports at Rutgers due to tight budgetary restraints... and then shortly thereafter, voted to expand the football stadium. Then the football program defends the move by saying 'oh well our increased revenues fund all sports and help athletics as a whole'.

Schiano has established nothing aside from emotional buzz. That program has ZERO marquee wins aside from beating Louisville last year (a home game). And please don't say that beating a very highly overrated South Florida team is a marquee win. The whole Rutgers thing has brought out the biggest number of front-runners I have ever seen (aside from the Giants winning the Super Bowl). So much Rutgers merchandise has sold it's ridiculous. Once they started losing this year, sales started declining. Their preseason schedules are soft. They have some 'highly' rated players. Most of them are young, and they made no difference at all this year. Schiano has been there since 2002 and they have achieved still not much. The one thing that does bother me is he is not jumping ship when he has the chance.. turning down Michigan and Miami.

Frankly, they should divert all the money from Rutgers football to fixing the NJ transportation infrastructure problem... it will do us all much more good.

I guarantee you that if Rutgers has another year like this year... attendance will fall to 30,000 per game in 2009 and the expansion will look like a joke. Rutgers is also a model of how to turn yourself into an Ivy/Patriot caliber school into a behemoth, knucklehhead U state university.

[Go...gate]

whats with the tiny basketball gym?

Rose Hill Gym, like the Palestra, is a classic basketball venue.

Author Mary Higgins Clark is a Fordham Grad.

[Cobblestone]

The Gridiron Club has been working on a website to assist game-day visitors in planning a trip to Fordham for a game. Hopefully, it will look more professional come the summer, and the information pertains to last year's home schedule, but nonetheless, here it is:

www.fordhamfootball.com

That's good marketing. Perhaps a weekend trip to Fordham with the family this season might be in order. A football game between the two Rams and a plate of eggplant parm w/ziti at Roberto's sounds like a great day. A night at the Met Opera would be great as well but I don't think Cobblepebble would go for that.

Anyway, I think this is a good site to entice visiting team fans to come to Fordham to follow their team on the road. Maybe I need to mark Sept. 6th on my calendar.

[JoltinJoe]

That's good marketing. Perhaps a weekend trip to Fordham with the family this season might be in order. A football game between the two Rams and a plate of eggplant parm w/ziti at Roberto's sounds like a great day. A night at the Met Opera would be great as well but I don't think Cobblepebble would go for that.

Anyway, I think this is a good site to entice visiting team fans to come to Fordham to follow their team on the road. Maybe I need to mark Sept. 6th on my calendar.

CS:

If your football group needs some info about how to plan a visit, "Fordham" & I can help you guys out. Where to stay over at a reasonable price, etc.

As for the night at the Met, why not? Stay over on Friday. You're in New York. When else can you see the Met?

Downside: The Met season doesn't usually start until later September.

[schmofstra]

Will the Web site include the brewpubs? Lemme get your research started here:

Chelsea Brewing, at Chelsea Piers, west side of Manhattan. In the same building, you can also go bowling, hit golf balls and use the batting cage. Call ahead and they'll schedule a private brewery tour for you and your friends.

Heartland Brewery, several locations now throughout Manhattan, including Times Square, Union Square and South Street Seaport.

Brooklyn Brewery, across the Brooklyn Bridge. But their pub is only open on Friday nights, I believe.

Myxtwocentsx : Beerwise, Chelsea is the best of the three. But the Heartland locations are a quicker visit because they are closer to the subway lines.

xbeerchugx xprost2x xbeerchugx xprost2x xbeerchugx

[JoltinJoe]

Will the Web site include the brewpubs? Lemme get your research started here:

Chelsea Brewing, at Chelsea Piers, west side of Manhattan. In the same building, you can also go bowling, hit golf balls and use the batting cage. Call ahead and they'll schedule a private brewery tour for you and your friends.

Heartland Brewery, several locations now throughout Manhattan, including Times Square, Union Square and South Street Seaport.

Brooklyn Brewery, across the Brooklyn Bridge. But their pub is only open on Friday nights, I believe.

Myxtwocentsx : Beerwise, Chelsea is the best of the three. But the Heartland locations are a quicker visit because they are closer to the subway lines.

xbeerchugx xprost2x xbeerchugx xprost2x xbeerchugx

I guess we'll outsource providing that info to our friends at Hofstra.xlolx

[schmofstra]

I guess we'll outsource providing that info to our friends at Hofstra.xlolx

Yes, that would fill us over here with, well, you know ... PRIDE!:D

[Cobblestone]

CS:

If your football group needs some info about how to plan a visit, "Fordham" & I can help you guys out. Where to stay over at a reasonable price, etc.

As for the night at the Met, why not? Stay over on Friday. You're in New York. When else can you see the Met?

Downside: The Met season doesn't usually start until later September.

Thanks. I'll mention this to our 5th Qtr Club and keep you in mind.