1939 Fordham Rams football team

1939 Fordham Rams football
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	No. 17
Record	6–2
Head coach	Jim Crowley (7th season)
Home stadium	Polo Grounds
Seasons ←  1938 1940  →

1939 Eastern college football independents records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Cornell			–					8	–	0	–	0
No. 10 Duquesne			–					8	–	0	–	1
Swarthmore			–					6	–	0	–	1
Scranton			–					7	–	0	–	2
Princeton			–					7	–	1	–	0
La Salle			–					6	–	1	–	1
Penn State			–					5	–	1	–	2
No. 11 Boston College			–					9	–	2	–	0
No. 17 Fordham			–					6	–	2	–	0
Villanova			–					6	–	2	–	0
Boston University			–					5	–	3	–	0
Brown			–					5	–	3	–	1
Dartmouth			–					5	–	3	–	1
Hofstra			–					4	–	3	–	0
NYU			–					5	–	4	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					5	–	4	–	0
Harvard			–					4	–	4	–	0
Manhattan			–					4	–	4	–	0
Penn			–					4	–	4	–	0
Syracuse			–					3	–	3	–	2
Vermont			–					3	–	3	–	2
Tufts			–					3	–	4	–	1
Yale			–					3	–	4	–	1
Army			–					3	–	4	–	2
Bucknell			–					3	–	5	–	0
Carnegie Tech			–					3	–	5	–	0
Providence			–					3	–	5	–	0
Columbia			–					2	–	4	–	2
Massachusetts State			–					2	–	5	–	2
Colgate			–					2	–	5	–	1
Temple			–					2	–	7	–	0
CCNY			–					1	–	7	–	0
Buffalo			–					0	–	7	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1939 Fordham Rams football team represented Fordham University as an independent during the 1939 college football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Jim Crowley, the Rams compiled a record of 6–2. The season opener against Waynesburg was the first college football game ever broadcast on television. ^[1] Fordham played home games at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 30	Waynesburg	Randall's Island Stadium New York, NY	NBC	W 34–7	9,000	[2]
October 7	Alabama	Polo Grounds New York, NY		L 6–7	41,454	[3]
October 14	at Tulane	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA		L 0–7	43,000	[4]
October 28	No. 18 Pittsburgh	Polo Grounds New York, NY		W 27–13	36,218	[5]
November 4	Rice	Polo Grounds New York, NY		W 13–7	19,971	[6]
November 11	Indiana	Polo Grounds New York, NY		W 13–0	19,279	[7]
November 18	Saint Mary's	Polo Grounds New York, NY		W 13–0	34,800	[8]
December 2	vs. NYU	Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY		W 18–7	57,000	[9]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[10]

References

1. Vander Voort, Eric (September 29, 2015). "First televised football game featured Fordham, Waynesburg in 1939". NCAA.com.
2. Effrat, Louis (October 1, 1939). "Fordham Checks Waynesburg, 34-7". New York Times. p. 89.
3. "Alabama nips Fordham, 7 to 6". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 8, 1939. Retrieved February 22, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
4. Richardson, William D. (October 15, 1939). "Early Tulane Coup Trips Fordham, 7-0". New York Times. p. 85.
5. Jack Smith (October 29, 1939). "Rams Trample Pitt, 27–13; Dennery Stars". Daily News. New York, New York. p. 84. Retrieved November 18, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Fast start aids Fordham in 13–7 win over Rice". The Springfield Sunday Republican & Union. November 5, 1939. Retrieved March 16, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. Bob Sylvester (November 12, 1939). "Fordham Defeats Indiana, 13 to 0". New York Daily News. p. C34 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Fordham 13, Gaels 0". Daily News (New York). November 19, 1939. p. 40.
9. Cuddy, Jack (December 3, 1939). "Fordham Stampedes NYU: Fordham Rally Bets N.Y.U., 18-7". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 3B.
10. Luchter, P.S. "List of all Amateur Football games played at The Polo Grounds, New York". luckyshow.org.