The Fordham football program had not seen a running back the likes of Kirwin Watson before he arrived at Rose Hill and they haven't seen another like him since he left.
 
A finalist for the 2002 and 2003 Walter Payton Award as the top NCAA FCS (formerly I-AA) offensive player in the nation, Watson was a Second Team All-America as a senior in 2003 as well as being named the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year that fall. He is the first Fordham player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season on the FCS level, doing so as both a junior and a senior.
 
As a junior, Watson finished tenth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award, setting school records for rushing yards in a season when he gained 1,467 yards on 285 carries. The 1,467 yards was the fourth best total in Patriot League history and he ranked ninth in the NCAA I-AA in rushing yards/game and points/game.
 
In 2003, Watson earned his third straight First Team All-Patriot League honor and finished 13th in the Walter Payton Award voting. He rushed 311 times for 1,477 yards and 20 touchdowns. He set the school single season records for most rushing yards, most rushing touchdowns and most carries, breaking the record of 285 carries for 1,467 yards and 18 touchdowns which he set in 2002. Watson was 13th in the NCAA I-AA in rushing (123.1) and fourth in scoring (10.50 points/game). In the Patriot League, Watson ranked second in both rushing yards per game and scoring.
 
The 2002 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, Watson holds Fordham career records for rushing yards (4,617), rushing attempts (942) and rushing touchdowns (48) as well as single season records for rushing yards (1,477 set in 2003), rushing attempts (311 set in 2003) and rushing touchdowns (20 set in 2003). He was named Third Team All-America by The Sports Network, the Associated Press, and the Football Gazette.
 
Watson finished his career as the third all-time leading rusher in Patriot League history while breaking the league's record for most career rushing touchdowns, surpassing the old record of 40 set by Lehigh's Erick Torain from 1987-90. He also finished second on the Patriot League all-time scoring list and fifth on the all-purpose yards list.