Bronx, N.Y. (December 9, 2014) – Fordham University senior placekicker
Michael Marando was named one of ten finalists for the 2014 Fred Mitchell Award it was announced today. He is looking to become the second Ram to win the prestigious award, joining 2012 recipient Patrick Murray.
The Fred Mitchell Award is provided to the Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III, NAIA or NJCAA place-kicker that excels on the football field and in the community. The place-kicker chosen for this Award will be announced on December 18, and he will be honored on February 16, 2015 at the National Football Foundation Chicago Chapter Awards Ceremony at Halas Hall in suburban Chicago. Details about the Award and the Blue-Ribbon Selection Committee are provided at
www.fredmitchellaward.com.
There were 38 place-kickers nominated for this Award. The breakdown of the 10 finalists is as follows:
- Collegiate Division – 5 FCS, 4 Division II, 0 Division III, 1 NAIA, 0 NJCAA
- State – the place-kickers play at schools located in 9 different states
- Year – 5 Seniors, 2 Juniors, 2 Sophomores, 1 Freshman
Marando just completed a record-breaking career for the Rams this fall. A First Team All-Patriot League pick the past two seasons, he connected on 21 of 27 field goal attempts and 64 of 66 PATs. He led the Patriot League and is sixth in the NCAA FCS in field goals/game (1.50) while placing second in the league and 12
th in the NCAA FCS in scoring, averaging 9.1 ppg. Among kickers, Marando led the Patriot League and is third in the nation in scoring.
Over his Fordham career, Marando connected on a school-record 47 field goals, surpassing the previous Fordham mark of 41 set by Brian Colsant from 1998-2001. He also set a Patriot League career mark, bettering the former record of 43 set by Lafayette's David Rodriguez from 2007-10. Marando set the League record for career points by a kicker with 269, also a school record. He also established a new school and Patriot League record for most PATs with 142, surpassing the old Fordham record of 114 set by Micah Clukey (2003-06) and the old league record of 136 set by Colgate Lane Schwarzberg (2001-04).
The #9/12 Rams closed out the 2014 season with an 11-3 record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA FCS Championship for the second straight year.
