2002 Fordham Rams football team

The 2002 Fordham Rams football team was an American football team that represented Fordham University during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Fordham tied for first in the Patriot League before losing in the second round of the national playoffs.

2002 Fordham Rams football
Patriot League co-champion
ConferencePatriot League
Record10–3 (6–1 Patriot)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorEd Foley (4th season)
Captains
  • Rhamel Brown
  • Chris Rhodes
  • John San Marco
Home stadiumCoffey Field
Seasons
← 2001
2003 →
2002 Patriot League football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 12 Fordham +^   6 1     10 3  
No. 25 Colgate +   6 1     9 3  
Lafayette   5 2     7 5  
Lehigh   4 3     8 4  
Towson   3 4     6 5  
Georgetown   2 5     5 6  
Holy Cross   2 5     4 8  
Bucknell   0 7     2 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

In their fourth year under head coach Dave Clawson, the Rams compiled a 10–3 record. Rhamel Brown, Chris Rhodes and John San Marco were the team captains.[1]

The Rams outscored opponents 407 to 201. Their 6–1 conference record earned the co-championship of the eight-team Patriot League. Fordham was selected, rather than co-champion Colgate, to receive the Patriot League's automatic berth in the national Division I-AA playoffs.[2]

Unranked at the start of the year, Fordham entered the national Division I-AA top 25 in mid-November, initially at No. 25 and rising to No. 12 by season's end. As a playoff team, the Rams played away games against higher-ranked teams in the first and second rounds.

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

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 7 Saint Peter's* W 43–0 3,114 [3]
September 14 Colgate
  • Coffey Field
  • Bronx, NY
W 40–31 7,142 [4]
September 21 at Columbia* L 11–13 3,865 [5]
September 28 at Fairfield*
W 51–6 2,170 [6]
October 5 at Georgetown W 41–10 1,175 [7]
October 12 Brown*
  • Coffey Field
  • Bronx, NY
W 24–17 1,294 [8]
October 26 Lafayette 
  • Coffey Field
  • Bronx, NY
W 33–26 4,800 [9]
November 2 No. 16 Lehigh
  • Coffey Field
  • Bronx, NY
L 23–26 OT 5,728 [10]
November 9 at Holy Cross W 37–27 6,583 [11]
November 16 Towson No. 25
  • Coffey Field
  • Bronx, NY
W 42–14 2,464 [12]
November 23 at Bucknell No. 21 W 34–7 2,012 [13]
November 30 at No. 11 Northeastern* No. 12 W 29–24 6,848 [14]
December 7 at No. 4 Villanova* No. 12
L 10–24 4,351 [15]

[16]

References

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  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. ^ "Fordham's Eakin Gets Off to Good Start". The Journal News. White Plains, N.Y. September 8, 2002. pp. 12C, 10C – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Brennan, Sean (September 15, 2002). "Key Win Turns Fordham into Contender". Daily News. New York, N.Y. p. 69 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Summaries, Scores". The Journal News. White Plains, N.Y. September 15, 2002. p. 10C.
  5. ^ "Rudd, Columbia Boot Fordham". Daily News. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. September 22, 2002. p. 60 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Ivy League Summaries". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. September 22, 2002. p. C17.
  6. ^ "Fordham Gets 51 Points, Highest Output Since '90". The Journal News. White Plains, N.Y. Associated Press. September 29, 2002. p. 11C, 10C – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Fordham Romps to 700th Victory". Daily News. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. October 6, 2002. p. 94 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Summaries". The Journal News. White Plains, N.Y. October 6, 2002. p. 6C.
  8. ^ "Fordham Gets Past Brown". The Journal News. White Plains, N.Y. Associated Press. October 13, 2002. pp. 8C, 6C – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Remsnyder, Rick (October 27, 2002). "Fordham Outscores Lafayette". The Journal News. White Plains, N.Y. p. 15C, 14C – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Brennan, Sean (November 3, 2002). "Lehigh Leaves Rams Kicking". Daily News. New York, N.Y. pp. 60, 76 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Toland, Jennifer (November 10, 2002). "On Crusade: Fordham's Special Teams Step Up". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. D18 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Papuchis, Matt (November 17, 2002). "Fordham Flattens Towson, 42-14". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Md. p. 8D – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Housenick, Tom (November 24, 2002). "Rams Win Patriot League Title". The Daily Item. Sunbury, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Burris, Joe (December 1, 2002). "Off Their Game: Huskies Bow Out as Defense Struggles". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. E1 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Not Quite a Finished Product" on page E14.
  15. ^ Juliano, Joe (December 8, 2002). "Cats Manage Win Despite Injured QB". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. D5 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "2003 Football Schedule". Fordham University Athletics. Retrieved August 14, 2023.