December 2009 is Fordham Month On AGS - Fact A Day!

[Mod66]

12/1

Starting in 2009:

Location: .............................. Bronx, NY 10458
Founded: .................................................. ..1841
Enrollment (Undergraduate): ................ 7,994
Home Field/Capacity: ......... Jack Coffey Field (7,000)
Surface: ............................................. FieldTurf
Affiliation: ........................... NCAA Div. I FCS
Conference: ................................ Patriot League
Nickname: .................................. Rams
School Colors: .................... Maroon and White
President: ................. Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
Exe. Dir. of Athletics: ......... Frank McLaughlin
Dir. of Athletic Admin.: ........... Charlie Elwood
Head Coach: ......................... Tom Masella
Alma Mater/Year: ............................... Wagner ‘81
Record at Fordham (yrs): ........................ 16-18 (Three Years)
Overall Record (yrs): ...................... 33-44 (Seven years)
Assistant Coaches:
Bryan Volk (Hope ‘00)/Offensive Coor./Quarterbacks
Patrick Moore (Illinois Wesleyan ‘95)/Defensive Coor./Linebackers
Custavious Patterson (Morgan St. ‘04)/Outside Wide Receivers
Malik Hall (Massachusetts ‘03)/Special Teams Coor./Defensive Line
Eddy Morrissey (Plymouth St. ‘92)/Recruiting Coor./Offensive Line
John Wholley (Connecticut ‘04)/Running Backs/Slot Receivers
Shawn Johnson (Duke ‘03)/Outside Linebackers
Keith Comeforo (Winona State ‘69)/Defensive Backs
2008 Overall Record: ............................... 5-6
2008 Conference Record: ......................... 1-5 (Sixth)
Lettermen Returning/Lost: .................................... 65/23
Offensive Starters Returning/Lost: ................................ 8/3
Defensive Starters Returning/Lost: ...................... 7/4
Kickers Returning/Lost: ............................... 1/1

[Mod66]

12/2

2009 Fordham Football Schedule (5-6, 2-4)

Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result
09/05/09 at Rhode Island Kingston, R.I. L, 41-28
09/19/09 vs. Columbia Bronx, N.Y. L, 40-28
09/26/09 at Colgate * Hamilton, N.Y. L, 20-12
10/03/09 vs. Old Dominion Bronx, N.Y. W, 34-29
10/10/09 vs. Bryant Bronx, N.Y. W, 35-7
10/17/09 at Cornell Ithaca, N.Y. W, 39-27
10/24/09 at Lafayette * Easton, Pa. L, 26-21
10/31/09 vs. Holy Cross * Bronx, N.Y. L, 41-27
11/07/09 vs. Bucknell * Bronx, N.Y. W, 21-7
11/14/09 vs. Lehigh * Bronx, N.Y. L, 35-28
11/21/09 at Georgetown * Washington, D.C. W, 41-14

[Mod66]

12/3

2009 PL HONORS

Eight members of the Fordham University football squad were honored by being named All-Patriot League in voting by the League's seven head coaches. Being placed on the first team were Jason Caldwell, Patrick Murray, Stephen Skelton and Andrew Tyshovnytsky. Receiving second team accolades were John Skelton, Jordan Bledsoe, Kelvin Colbert and Nick Magiera.
http://www.fordhamsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112409aab.html

[Mod66]

12/4

Trio of Rams Lead North to 27-21 Win at East Coast Bowl

While most Fordham football fans were enjoying a long Thanksgiving Weekend, three members of the football program were busy representing the school at the 2009 East Coast Bowl Game in Petersburg, Virginia. Senior linebacker James Crockett, senior wide receiver Asa Lucas and senior defensive lineman Darzell Wright appeared in the annual contest, becoming the first Fordham football players to play in the all-star game.
http://www.fordhamsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/113009aaa.html

[Mod66]

12/5

Take the Fordham quiz!
http://www.quizmoz.com/quizzes/Famous-University-and-College-Quizzes/f/Fordham-University-Facts-Quiz.asp

[Mod66]

12/6

SEVEN BLOCKS OF GRANITE

The Seven Blocks of Granite was a nickname given to the 1936 Fordham University football team's offensive line. The Seven Blocks of Granite were: Leo Paquin, Johnny Druze, Alex Wojciechowicz, Ed Franco, Al Babartsky, Natty Pierce, and Vince Lombardi. The nickname was also commonly used to referred to the Fordham lines of the 1929, 1930, and 1937 teams but it is the 1936 line which is today the best known of these lines.

In the 1930s, Fordham University was a college football power, as they were consistently a nationally ranked team. In 1936, school publicist Timothy Cohane needed a nickname to spur recognition of his Fordham Rams, who were undefeated halfway through the season and on the verge of possibly their best season ever. The strength of the Fordham team was its offensive line - seven men: center, two guards, two tackles and two ends. In his columns, American sportswriter Grantland Rice had already written "The Fordham Wall Still Stands" in honor of the team and its early season success, but a catchy nickname was still needed — something to rival Notre Dame's famous Four Horsemen. The year before Cohane tried using the "Seven Samsons" to highlight the squad's offensive linemen, but it never caught on. Following on that theme and remembering the caption from a newswire photo he'd seen several years before, Cohane tried the Seven Blocks of Granite.

[Mod66]

12/7

On September 30, 1939, Fordham participated in the world’s first televised football game, defeating Waynesburg College, 34-7.

[Mod66]

12/8

Fordham’s home field is named after its legendary Director of Athletics, Jack Coffey. Coffey began his duties at Rose Hill as baseball coach and graduate manager of athletics in 1909, and remained at Rose Hill in one capacity or another until retiring in 1958. He amassed 817 wins as a baseball coach and became a popular answer to a baseball trivia question, since he is the only player to play with both Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb in the same season (1917 Red Sox and Tigers).

[Mod66]

12/9

Fordham is the only FCS institution to have played in at least two of the four major bowl games (Cotton, Orange, Sugar, Rose), competing in the 1941 Cotton Bowl and the 1942 Sugar Bowl. They are also one of just six FCS schools to have made more than one bowl appearance.

[Mod66]

12/10

Fordham was the first school to have "The Ram" as a mascot. The name was derived from a cheer that the students used at an 1893 game v. Army "One Damn, Two Damn, Three Damn ... Fordham!" that the Jesuits didn't approve of and then was altered by the student body to change "damn" to "Ram".

[Mod66]

12/11

The Fordham Rams were the ninth school in college football history to play 1,000 games.

[Mod66]

12/12

Fordham’s tremendous popularity in the 1930’s inspired National Football League owner Homer Marchman to name his fledging franchise after the “boys from the Bronx”, thus starting the history of the NFL Cleveland Rams. The Rams first moved to Los Angeles and now reside in St. Louis.

[Mod66]

12/13

The Victory Bell

Situated in front of the Rose Hill Gym is the Fordham Victory Bell, which is traditionally rung after every football victory. The bell was presented to the University by Admiral Chester Nimitz and blessed by his Eminence John Cardinal Spellman as a memorial to those who lost their lives during World War II. The bell was taken from the Aircraft Carrier Juyo, which saw action in the battles of Savo New Guinea and The Solomon Islands before being silenced by an aerial bomb at Saipan. It was first rung at Rose Hill by President Harry Truman on May 11, 1946.

[Mod66]

12/14

Former Ram back Warren Mulrey inspired the stiff-arming Heisman Trophy statuette. Mulrey played for Fordham from 1934-36 and served as the model for the famous trophy.

To create this trophy, a well known sculptor and National Academy Prize Winner, Rank Eliscu, was engaged. He set to work at once selecting Ed Smith, a leading player on the 1934 New York University football team, as his model. In due course, Eliscu prepared a rough clay model. It was approved by the DAC Committee and sent uptown to Jim Crowley (one of the legendary Four Horseman of Notre Dame), then Head Football Coach at Fordham, for his inspection. He showed the replica to his players who took various positions on the field to illustrate and verify the side step, the forward drive and the strong arm thrust of the right arm. Sculptor Eliscu closely observed these action sequences and modified his clay prototype to correspond. The result was a truly lifelike simulation of player action.

[Mod66]

12/15

Real estate mogul and TV personality, Donald Trump, was a place kicker for two seasons with the Rams before transferring.

[Mod66]

12/16

Fordham University to Award Football Scholarships
http://www.fordham.edu/Campus_Resources/eNewsroom/archives/archive_1572.asp

Bronx, N.Y. (June 5, 2009) – Fordham University will begin awarding football scholarships beginning in the fall of 2010, announced Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University. This policy marks the first time that Fordham will award football scholarships since 1954.

[Mod66]

12/17

Members of the Fordham University Hall of Fame by sport:

Football
Joseph Andrejco, '47
Albert Bart, '38
Paul Berezney, '39
Joseph Bernard, '38
Mark Blazejewski, '93
James Blumenstock, '42
Lester Borden, '35
Joseph P. Boyle, '68
Edward Brown, '53
Mike Byrnes, '70
John Cannella, '30
Barry Cantrell, '98
Peter Carlesimo, '40
Francis Cavanaugh, Football Coach, "Iron Major"
George Cheverko, '45
John Conroy, '32
Brian Corcoran, '82
James Cowhig, '34
James Crowley, Football Coach
Eric Dadd, '71,
Edward Danowski, '34, Football Coach
Walter Davinis, '34
Pierre Davis, '79,
Louis DeFilippo, '41
John Dell Isola, '34
Dennis DeMeo, '77
Vincent Dennery, '41
Dick Doheny, '51
Aaron Dougherty, '95
John Druze, '38
Adam Elcewicz, '31
Leonard Eshmont, '41
Steve Filipowicz, '43
John Fisher, '32
Francis Foley, '31
Edmund Franco, '38
Roger Franz, '54
Frank Frisch, '20
Frank Gargan, '10, Football Coach
Howard Gargan, '08
Tom Garlick, '93
Earl Graham, '29
B. Thomas Harter, '71
James Hayes, '39
John Healey, '29
Louis Healy, '22, '25
Michael Hearn, '39
Arthur Hickey, '52
Larry Higgins, '51
Robert Hill, '79
Rick Hollawell, '90
Peter Holovak, '40
Stephen Hudacek, '42
Harry Jacunski, '39
John Janis, '32
Joe Jordan, '74
John Keenan, '34
Joseph Kendrick, '19
Michael Kochel, '39
Joseph Kovach, '44
Chip Kron, '87
William Krywicki, '40
John Kuzman, '41
Thomas Langan, '89
James Lansing, '43, Football Coach
Thomas Leary, '26
Vincent Lombardi, '37
Andy Lukac, '51
Joseph Maniaci, '36
Wellington Mara, '37
Tom Mareski, '51
Francis Mautte, '37
Martin Mazzara, '88
Francis McCaffrey, '10
Mike Miskinis, '31
William McMahon, '31
Cornelius Murphy, '32
James Murphy, '32
James Noble, '42
Arthur O'Connor, Sr., '28
Joseph Ososki, '44
Leo Paquin, '37
Andrew Palau, '37
Nathaniel Pierce, '37
Jerry Pepper, '34
Alan Pfeifer, '51
Charles Pieculewicz, '31
Dominic Principe, '40
Stanley Raytinski, '43
Raymond Riddick, '40
Joseph Sabasteanski, '43
Alexander Santilli, '42
Tony Sarausky, '35
Amerino Sarno, '36
Lawrence Sartori, '42
Herb Seidell, '50
Anthony Siano, '31
Peter Signori, '68
Francis Slater, '39
Charles Spinelli, '85
Walter Tracey, '32
Joseph Ungerer, '41
Henry Wisniewski, '31
Alexander Wojciechowicz, '38
Joseph Zapustas, '33