In 1902, Fordham University formed its first football team. The team played a schedule of six games that season, with their first game taking place on October 11th against St. Francis Xavier College. The game ended in a scoreless tie.

Fordham’s team consisted of 15 players, with the team’s captain being James F. Smith. The team played their home games on a field in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, which would serve as the team’s home for the next several years.

The team had a difficult first season, finishing with a record of 1-4-1. The team’s lone victory came against a team from St. John’s College, which they defeated by a score of 11-5.

Despite the team’s struggles, football quickly became a popular sport at Fordham, and the university continued to field a team in the following years. In 1929, the Fordham Rams football team would achieve national recognition as the “Seven Blocks of Granite” and finish the season with a perfect 9-0-0 record.