2003 Fordham Rams football team

2003 Fordham Rams football
Conference	Patriot League
Record	9–3 (4–3 Patriot)
Head coach	Dave Clawson (5th season)
Captains	Kevin Eakin Colby Khuns Dan McGrath Kirwin Watson
Home stadium	Coffey Field
Seasons ←  2002 2004  →

2003 Patriot League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 2 Colgate $^		7	–	0					15	–	1
No. 23 Lehigh		6	–	1					8	–	3
Fordham		4	–	3					9	–	3
Bucknell		4	–	3					6	–	6
Towson		3	–	4					6	–	6
Lafayette		2	–	5					5	–	6
Georgetown		1	–	6					4	–	8
Holy Cross		1	–	6					1	–	11
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2003 Fordham Rams football team was an American football team that represented Fordham University during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. A year after winning the conference championship, Fordham tied for third in the Patriot League.

In their fifth and final year under head coach Dave Clawson, the Rams compiled a 9–3 record. Kevin Eakin, Colby Khuns, Dan McGrath and Kirwin Watson were the team captains. ^[1]

The Rams outscored opponents 386 to 251. Their 4–3 conference record tied for third out of eight in the Patriot League standings. ^[2]

The Rams were ranked No. 13 in the preseason Division I-AA national poll, and moved up and down in the rankings during the year, reaching as high as No. 9 and dropping to No. 25 on two occasions, including the final week of the season. After that last game, Fordham dropped farther and finished the year unranked.

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

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	C.W. Post *	No. 13	Coffey Field Bronx, NY	W 42–7	4,160	[3]
September 6	at Rhode Island *	No. 13	Meade Stadium Kingston, RI	W 63–28	4,311	[4]
September 13	at Lehigh	No. 9	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	L 16–23	7,401	[5]
September 20	Columbia *	No. 18	Coffey Field Bronx, NY (Liberty Cup)	W 37–30	6,895	[6]
October 4	Bucknell	No. 14	Coffey Field Bronx, NY	L 10–31	5,814	[7]
October 11	at Brown *	No. 25	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	W 24–21	4,516	[8]
October 18	New Haven *	No. 24	Coffey Field Bronx, NY	W 41–7	2,922	[9]
October 25	at Lafayette	No. 24	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 32–30		[1]
November 1	Georgetown	No. 22	Coffey Field Bronx, NY	W 34–10	4,522	[10]
November 8	Holy Cross	No. 19	Coffey Field Bronx, NY (rivalry)	W 49–28	5,277	[11]
November 15	at No. 7 Colgate	No. 19	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY	L 3–14	4,673	[12]
November 22	at Towson	No. 25	Johnny Unitas Stadium Towson, MD	W 35–22	2,258	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

^{[14] [15]}

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. 9. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
3. Suwan, Paul (August 31, 2003). "Fordham Picks Up Where It Left Off by Routing C.W. Post". The Journal News . White Plains, N.Y. p. 13C – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Fordham 63, Rhode Island 28". The Post-Star . Glens Falls, N.Y. Associated Press. September 7, 2003. p. D3 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Atlantic 10 Summaries". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. September 7, 2003. p. C17.
5. "LU Rides Running of Pugh to Victory". The Morning Call . Allentown, Pa. September 14, 2003. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Brennan, Sean (September 21, 2003). "Lions Make Rams Sweat". Daily News . New York, N.Y. p. 69 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Boell, John (October 5, 2003). "Ground Up, Spit Out: Fordham Can't Stop Run in Loss to Bucknell". Newsday (Queens ed.). Melville, N.Y. p. B41 – via ProQuest.
8. "Fordham Rally Breaks Brown". Daily News . New York, N.Y. Associated Press. October 12, 2003. p. 75 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Ivy League Standings, Summaries". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. October 12, 2003. p. C15.
9. "Fordham Hammers New Haven". Daily News . New York, N.Y. Associated Press. October 12, 2003. pp. 69, 88 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Boell, John (November 2, 2003). "Watson's 5 TDs Help Fordham Come Up Big". Newsday (Queens ed.). Melville, N.Y. p. B10 – via ProQuest.
11. Brennan, Sean (November 9, 2003). "Rams Roll, Turn Focus to Colgate". Daily News . New York, N.Y. p. 68 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "New England Summaries". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. November 9, 2003. p. C17.
12. Brennan, Sean (November 16, 2003). "Rams' Playoff Bid Ends". Daily News . New York, N.Y. pp. 60, 79 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Papuchis, Matt (November 23, 2003). "Towson Falls in Patriot League Finale, 35-22". The Baltimore Sun . Baltimore, Md. p. 6E – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Fordham Rams Schedule 2003". ESPN . Retrieved August 14, 2023.
15. "2003 Football Schedule". Fordham University Athletics. Retrieved August 14, 2023.