1936 Fordham Rams football team (original) (raw)

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American college football season

1936 Fordham Rams football
Conference Independent
Ranking
AP No. 15
Record 5–1–2
Head coach Jim Crowley (4th season)
Home stadium Polo Grounds
Seasons← 19351937 →

1936 Eastern college football independents records | vte | Conf | Overall | | | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | ------- | - | | - | - | - | - | - | - | | Team | W | | L | | T | W | | L | | T | | Saint Anselm | | | – | | | 6 | – | 0 | – | 1 | | No. 3 Pittsburgh | | | – | | | 8 | – | 1 | – | 1 | | No. 10 Penn | | | – | | | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | | No. 12 Yale | | | – | | | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | | No. 13 Dartmouth | | | – | | | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | | Franklin & Marshall | | | – | | | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | | No. 14 Duquesne | | | – | | | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | | Boston College | | | – | | | 6 | – | 1 | – | 2 | | Boston University | | | – | | | 5 | – | 1 | – | 2 | | No. 15 Fordham | | | – | | | 5 | – | 1 | – | 2 | | Holy Cross | | | – | | | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | | Villanova | | | – | | | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | | Army | | | – | | | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | | Colgate | | | – | | | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | | Drexel | | | – | | | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | | Temple | | | – | | | 6 | – | 3 | – | 2 | | La Salle | | | – | | | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | | Buffalo | | | – | | | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | | Columbia | | | – | | | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | | Princeton | | | – | | | 4 | – | 2 | – | 2 | | Saint Vincent | | | – | | | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | | NYU | | | – | | | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | | Manhattan | | | – | | | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | | Northeastern | | | – | | | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | | Bucknell | | | – | | | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | | CCNY | | | – | | | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | | Tufts | | | – | | | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | | Harvard | | | – | | | 3 | – | 4 | – | 1 | | Cornell | | | – | | | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | | Penn State | | | – | | | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | | Westminster (PA) | | | – | | | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | | Brown | | | – | | | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | | Carnegie Tech | | | – | | | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | | Massachusetts State | | | – | | | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | | Providence | | | – | | | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | | Syracuse | | | – | | | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | | Vermont | | | – | | | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rankings from AP Poll | | | | | | | | | | |

The 1936 Fordham Rams football team represented Fordham University during the 1936 college football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Jim Crowley, the Rams' offense scored 128 over eight games, while the defense allowed no more than seven points in any game, and shut out three teams, including second-ranked Pittsburgh.[1]

This team is best remembered for its offensive line, the Seven Blocks of Granite,[2] which included future National Football League (NFL) head coach Vince Lombardi. The line coach was Frank Leahy.[3]

By mid-November, the Rams were 5–0–1 and ranked third with two games to play, and the leading candidate for a Rose Bowl invitation, but a tie with Georgia at the Polo Grounds dropped them to eighth.[2][4] Five days later at Yankee Stadium on Thanksgiving, the NYU Violets handed the Rams a 7–6 defeat.[5][6] Right guard Lombardi called it "the most devastating loss of my life," dashing the hopes of a bowl game. (The previous year, Fordham had spoiled NYU's undefeated season and bowl hopes with a 21–0 shutout.)[7][8]

Fordham ended up 15th in the final AP rankings in the first year for the poll.

Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source
October 3 Franklin & Marshall Randall's Island StadiumNew York, NY W 66–7 12,000 [9]
October 10 SMU Polo GroundsNew York, NY W 7–0 30,000
October 17 Waynesburg Randall's Island StadiumNew York, NY W 20–6 3,000 [10]
October 24 No. 12 Saint Mary's No. 16 Polo GroundsNew York, NY W 7–6 50,000 [11]
October 31 No. 2 Pittsburgh No. 5 Polo GroundsNew York, NY T 0–0 57,000 [1]
November 7 Purdue No. 3 Polo GroundsNew York, NY W 15–0 40,000
November 21 Georgia No. 3 Polo GroundsNew York, NY T 7–7 35,000 [2][4]
November 26 vs. NYU No. 8 Yankee StadiumBronx, NY L 6–7 50,000 [5][6][12]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[13]

Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes

Week
Poll 1 2 3 4 5 6 Final
AP 16 5 3 (2) 3 (3) 3 (4) 8 15
  1. ^ a b Smith, Chester L. (November 1, 1936). "Pitt, Fordham battle to scoreless tie". Pittsburgh Press. p. 1, sports.
  2. ^ a b c "Georgia ties Fordham, 7-7". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. November 22, 1936. p. 6.
  3. ^ "Captain of Fordham's 'Seven Blocks of Granite' dies". ESPN. Associated Press. December 29, 2005. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Gannon, Pat (November 22, 1936). "It's no bowl of roses for Fordham, either". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1, part sports.
  5. ^ a b "New York beats Fordham in upset, 7-6". Milwaukee Journal. November 27, 1936. p. 6, part 2.
  6. ^ a b "Fordham bows in big upset". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 27, 1936. p. 12.
  7. ^ "New York bows out of picture". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 29, 1935. p. 10.
  8. ^ "Fists fly as New York U bows to Fordham, 21-0". Milwaukee Journal. United Press. November 29, 1935. p. 6, part 2.
  9. ^ Deegan, Thomas J. (October 4, 1936). "Fordham Conquers F. and M. by 66-7". New York Times. p. S1.
  10. ^ Deegan, Thomas J. (October 18, 1936). "Mautte, Mulrey and Druze Tally for Fordham in Victory Over Waynesburg". New York Times. p. S4.
  11. ^ Jack Smith (October 25, 1936). "Rams Whip Gaels, 7-6". Daily News. pp. 94, 100 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "New York University Wrecks Rams by 7 to 6". Daily Boston Globe. November 27, 1936. p. 21.
  13. ^ Luchter, P.S. "List of all Amateur Football games played at The Polo Grounds, New York". luckyshow.org.