Fordham University football standout Al Bart, a member of Fordham’s legendary Seven Blocks of Granite, was a three-year letterman at Fordham from 1935-37, earning All-America honors as a senior in 1937. He was one of the Seven Blocks of Granite, a group that was considered one of the greatest offensive units in college football history.

The 1936 and 1937 version of the Seven Blocks of Granite was comprised of Bart, John Druze, Vince Lombardi, Alex Wojciechowicz, Nat Pierce, Ed Franco, and Leo Paquin. Bart played at Fordham by the name of Al Babartsky but shortened the last name to Bart since everyone misspelled Babartsky.

Over his three years at Fordham, the Rams went 18-2-5, including a 7-0-1 season as a senior in 1937 with the tie being a 0-0 deadlock with Pittsburgh, the third straight scoreless tie between the Rams and the Panthers. The Rams finished the 1937 season ranked third in the country.

Following graduation, the Chicago Cardinals drafted Bart and he played for seven years in the National Football League, the last three years for George Halas’ Chicago Bears. He led the Bears to the 1943 NFL Championship. Bart returned to Chicago in 1966 to be honored as one of the greatest Bears of all time. He was inducted into the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974.