1947 Fordham Rams football team
American college football season
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The 1947 Fordham Rams football team was an American football team that represented Fordham University as an independent during the 1947 college football season. In its second season under head coach Ed Danowski, the team compiled a 1–6–1 record and was outscored opponents by a total of 245 to Rams offense scored 44.[1]
| 1947 Fordham Rams football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 1–6–1 |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive scheme | T formation |
| Home stadium | Polo Grounds |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Penn State | – | 9 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 Army | – | 5 | – | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Villanova | – | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston University | – | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | – | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Holy Cross | – | 4 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | – | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Temple | – | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NYU | – | 2 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colgate | – | 1 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duquesne | – | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fordham | – | 1 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Merchant Marine | – | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | – | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After a winless 1946 season, Fordham boosters raised money for 30 new scholarships. In addition, the school made several additions to its coaching staff, including the hiring of Vince Lombardi.[2] Lombardi was responsible for coaching the freshman team. In addition, he helped the varsity team implement the T-Formation on offense. Lombardi did this for a salary of $3,500 a year.[2] Athletic director Jack Coffey stated that he thought Lombardi would one day become head coach of the varsity team.[2]
In the final Litkenhous Ratings released in mid-December, Fordham was ranked at No. 318 out of 500 college football teams.[3]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 3 | at Georgetown | L 7–40 | 12,500 | [4] | |
| October 11 | No. 12 Penn State | L 0–75 | 12,000 | [5] | |
| October 18 | at Rutgers | L 6-36 | 10,000 | [6] | |
| October 25 | at Merchant Marine |
| W 12–0 | 9,000 | [7] |
| November 1 | at Boston University | L 6–26 | 2,703 | [8] | |
| November 15 | at Lafayette |
| L 0–7 | 5,900 | [9] |
| November 22 | at Holy Cross | L 0–48 | 7,000 | [10] | |
| November 29 | vs. NYU |
| T 13–13 | 27,000 | [11] |
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Freshman team
The freshman team was Vince Lombardi's first experience as a head coach above the high school level. Many of the freshmen on the team were in their twenties. Three of the freshmen were players that Lombardi had coached in high school: Dick Doheny, Billy White and Larry Higgins.[2] Twenty-three-year-old freshman Herb Seidell was elected as captain of the freshman team. He had served in the Navy with Leo Paquin, who was one of Lombardi's teammates on Fordham's Seven Blocks of Granite. Dick Doheny was the starting quarterback. One of the highlights for the team was defeating Rutgers freshman team by a score of 12–0. The Rams held the Scarlet Knights to negative yards, while the Rams gained 400 yards on the ground.[12] After a 33–0 defeat of New York University's freshman team, the New York Herald Tribune stated that Lombardi should feel proud for a job well done.[12] Other members in the media were very optimistic about Lombardi because the varsity team finished the season with a record of 1–6–1.
