Fordham Football is bigger than Fordham Basketball, easily outdraws Fordham Basketball. Fordham Football is the biggest spectator sport at the school. At Fordham, Homecoming includes a Homecoming Football game.
Fordham Football plays on campus at Jack Coffey Field (next to Rose Hill Gym), which in its current setup has bleachers holding 7,500 on only the West side of the field. The team played before several overflow SRO home crowds this season.
This year the team was 10-0, which included a road win over FBS Temple, and ranked as high as 5th in the FCS until the star QB, Mike Nebrich (a FBS UConn transfer) was injured. Fordham finished 12-2, won its first round NCAA Playoff game before losing in Round 2. The team finished ranked 9th and 10th in 2 polls. The past Fordham QB, John Skelton, was drafted by the Football Cardinals and is in his 4th year in the NFL, now with the Tennessee Titans.
Re if Football has helped Fordham's image, one would think that defeating Yale at the Yale Bowl helps with Fordham alumni relations. The school is the 4th highest ranked Catholic University per the US News & World Report College Rankings.
Fordham had a good year in football - helped in large part by being a scholarship team in a non-scholarship league. It remains to be seen if there success will continue - but they definitely not been a football powerhouse in most recent years. Before this year, for example, their record over the previous five years was 22-33.
As for fan support, over the past decade they have claimed an average "official" attendance of about 4000 - but that includes a number of no-show alums who buy season tickets but often don't go to games. (Full season tickets only cost $50.) Prior to this year, you would find very few Fordham alums or students who view football ahead of basketball - even with Fordham having endured decades of futility in hoops. Also prior to this year, their best "official" attendance for any football season over the past 30+ years was less than 4800.
Football is a huge money loser for Fordham and virtually every FCS team, including everyone in the Patriot League. After calculating the cost of 60 scholarships, 10 coaches, huge travel expenses, etc, you then have to factor in the cost of another 60 women's scholarships.
Bring football back to SLU
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Fordham had a good year in football - helped in large part by being a scholarship team in a non-scholarship league. It remains to be seen if there success will continue - but they definitely not been a football powerhouse in most recent years. Before this year, for example, their record over the previous five years was 22-33.
As for fan support, over the past decade they have claimed an average "official" attendance of about 4000 - but that includes a number of no-show alums who buy season tickets but often don't go to games. (Full season tickets only cost $50.) Prior to this year, you would find very few Fordham alums or students who view football ahead of basketball - even with Fordham having endured decades of futility in hoops. Also prior to this year, their best "official" attendance for any football season over the past 30+ years was less than 4800.
Football is a huge money loser for Fordham and virtually every FCS team, including everyone in the Patriot League. After calculating the cost of 60 scholarships, 10 coaches, huge travel expenses, etc, you then have to factor in the cost of another 60 women's scholarships.