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
Conference	Patriot League
2002 record	10–3 (6–1 Patriot)
Head coach	Dave Clawson (4th season)
Captains	Rhamel Brown Chris Rhodes John San Marco
Home stadium	Coffey Field

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 campus in The Bronx, in New York City.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	Saint Peter's*		Coffey Field Bronx, NY	W 43–0	3,114	[3]
September 14	Colgate		Coffey Field Bronx, NY	W 40–31	7,142	[4]
September 21	at Columbia*		Wien Stadium New York, NY (The Liberty Cup)	L 11–13	3,865	[5]
September 28	at Fairfield*		Alumni Stadium Fairfield, CT	W 51–6	2,170	[6]
October 5	at Georgetown		Harbin Field Washington, DC	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		Fitton Field Worcester, MA (rivalry)	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	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 34–7	2,012	[13]
November 30	at No. 11 Northeastern*	No. 12	Parsons Field Brookline, MA (Division I-AA playoffs)	W 29–24	6,848	[14]
December 7	at No. 4 Villanova*	No. 12	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA (Division I-AA playoffs)	L 10–24	4,351	[15]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

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. "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.