2001 Fordham Rams football team

2001 Fordham Rams football
Conference	Patriot League
Record	7–4 (5–2 Patriot)
Head coach	Dave Clawson (3rd season)
Captains	Chris Breen Maurice Briscoe Tony Downs Mark Manno Joe Wyda
Home stadium	Coffey Field
Seasons ←  2000 2002  →

2001 Patriot League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Lehigh $^		7	–	0					11	–	1
Colgate		5	–	1					7	–	3
Fordham		5	–	2					7	–	4
Bucknell		4	–	3					6	–	4
Holy Cross		3	–	4					4	–	6
Towson		2	–	5					3	–	7
Lafayette		1	–	6					2	–	8
Georgetown		0	–	6					3	–	7
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2001 Fordham Rams football team was an American football team that represented Fordham University during the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Fordham finished third in the Patriot League.

In their third year under head coach Dave Clawson, the Rams compiled a 7–4 record. Chris Breen, Maurice Briscoe, Tony Downs, Mark Manno and Joe Wyda were the team captains. ^[1] This was Fordham's first season with an overall winning record since joining the Patriot League in 1990.

The Rams outscored opponents 329 to 243. Their 5–2 conference record placed third in the Patriot League standings, half a game behind second place. ^[2] The 5–1 Colgate Raiders played fewer league games because they did not match up against the newest member of the conference, Georgetown, while Fordham did.

When the September 11 attacks disrupted the following weekend's college football games, Fordham was the last Patriot League member to cancel its scheduled game, making the announcement on Friday afternoon just 24 hours before kickoff. The Rams and crosstown rival Columbia Lions had initially hoped to play the game as a sign of New York City resiliency. ^[3]

Unlike the other Patriot League teams, which played a 10-game schedule in 2001, Fordham chose to reschedule and play the Columbia matchup at the end of the year, on Thursday, November 22. This was the first time since the "Seven Blocks of Granite" era that Fordham had played a game on Thanksgiving Day; that 1936 season-ender was also against a local opponent, New York University.

Fordham played its home games at Jack Coffey Field on the university campus in The Bronx, in New York City.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	at Fairfield	Alumni Stadium Fairfield, CT	W 46–14	1,776	[4]
September 15	Columbia *	Coffey Field Bronx, NY (rivalry)	Postponed		[3]
September 22	at Colgate	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY	L 9–21	7,028	[5]
September 29	Georgetown	Coffey Field Bronx, NY	W 48–13	6,425	[6]
October 6	at Brown *	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	L 23–40	4,441	[7]
October 13	at Yale *	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	L 27–36	18,580	[8]
October 20	No. 7 Lehigh	Coffey Field Bronx, NY	L 21–31		[1]
October 27	Bucknell	Coffey Field Bronx, NY	W 17–12		[1]
November 3	at Lafayette	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 45–24	3,981	[9]
November 10	at Towson	Minnegan Stadium Towson, MD	W 28–23	3,568	[10]
November 17	Holy Cross	Coffey Field Bronx, NY (rivalry)	W 24–21	6,537	[11]
November 22	Columbia *	Coffey Field Bronx, NY (rivalry)	W 41–10	3,715	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

^[13]

References

1. "Year-by-Year". Fordham 2019 Football Media Guide (PDF). Bronx, N.Y.: Fordham University. p. 162. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
2. "Football All-Time Year-by-Year Results". Patriot League Football Record Book (PDF). Center Valley, Pa.: Patriot League. 2020. p. 8. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
3. Mattura, Greg (September 15, 2001). "Columbia, Fordham Finally Give In". The Record . Hackensack, N.J. p. S-3 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Remsnyder, Rick (September 9, 2001). "Carney Doesn't Miss a Beat for Fordham". The Journal News . White Plains, N.Y. pp. 15C, 14C – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Colgate 21, Fordham 9". The Journal News . White Plains, N.Y. Associated Press. September 23, 2001. pp. 7C, 6C – via Newspapers.com.
6. Hickling, Dan (September 30, 2001). "Hoyas Are Smashed by Rams' Broken Record". The Washington Post . Washington, D.C. p. D10 – via ProQuest. Attendance figure in "Saturday's Summaries". Daily Press . Newport News, Va. September 30, 2001. p. C9.
7. "Malan's 5 TDs Pace Brown". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. Associated Press. October 7, 2001. p. C21 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Hine, Tommy (October 14, 2001). "Big Day for the New-Name Offense". Hartford Courant . Hartford, Conn. pp. E10 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Meixell, Ted (November 4, 2001). "Leopards Follow Custom as Rams Pull Away, 45-24". The Morning Call . Allentown, Pa. p. C5 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Fordham 45,Lafayette 24". The Journal News . White Plains, N.Y. November 4, 2001. p. 9C.
10. Reisinger, Adam S. (November 11, 2001). "Towson Chases, Can't Catch Fordham, 28-23". The Baltimore Sun . Baltimore, Md. p. 9D – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Watson Leads Fordham to First Winning Season in I-AA". The Journal News . White Plains, N.Y. November 18, 2001. p. 11C – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "New England Summaries". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. November 18, 2001. p. D17.
12. "Carney Helps Fordham Rout Columbia, 41-10". The Journal News . White Plains, N.Y. Associated Press. November 23, 2001. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
13. "2001 Football Schedule". Fordham University Athletics. Retrieved August 14, 2023.