(August 18, 2003) – Fordham University’s Kirwin Watson (Sunrise, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas), Dan McGrath (Webster, NY/Webster) and Javarus Dudley (Miramar, FL/American Heritage) were named Preseason I-AA All-Americans by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette. Watson was named a Second Team running back and McGrath a Second team return specialist while Dudley was named a Third Team wide receiver. Watson, the 2003 Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and 2002 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, finished tenth in the voting last year for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the top I-AA Offensive Player. He was also named Third Team All-America by The Sports Network, the Associated Press, and the Football Gazette last fall. A First Team All-Patriot League selection the past two seasons, Watson is the most prolific running back in Fordham football history. Last year, he set 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 currently sits in eighth place on the league’s all-time rushing list with 3,140 yards. The 2003 team captain is also just 107 yards shy of becoming Fordham’s all-time leading rusher. McGrath, a First Team All-Patriot League selection at defensive back in 2002, was second on the team with 81 total tackles, 56 solo, while adding two interceptions and one fumble recovery. He also returned 48 punts for 662 yards and two touchdowns on the season. The 2003 team captain shattered the Fordham records of 37 returns and 371 punt return yards in a season, both set by set by Brad Jordan in 1991. McGrath also became Fordham’s all-time leading punt returner, amassing 88 returns for 999 career yards, surpassing the 81 returns for 692 yards Brad Jordan acquired from 1989-92. McGrath, who was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in the Patriot League by Street & Smith’s, was second in the Patriot League in punt return average (13.8 yards/return) and 12th in the NCAA I-AA. McGrath was one of only three players in the NCAA I-AA to return two punts for touchdowns last season. Dudley, who was named Third Team All-America by The Sports Network and the Football Gazette last fall, was named 2003 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the Patriot League by Street & Smith’s. He also earned First Team All-Patriot League honors the past two years. Last year, Dudley caught 77 passes for 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns. The 1,106 receiving yards broke the record of 1,061 yards that Dudley set in 2001 while the 77 catches tied Gerry McDermott’s 1999 school record. Over his career, Dudley has 194 receptions for 2,758 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is Fordham’s career leader with the 194 receptions and 2,758 yards while the 20 touchdowns is third best all-time for the Rams. Dudley is also the Patriot League’s all-time leader in kickoff returns, returning 91 kickoffs for 2,172 yards over the past three years. Those numbers are also tops on the Fordham all-time list. Last year, Dudley returned 35 kickoffs for a school and Patriot League-record 840 yards. Fordham is coming off its most successful season on the I-AA level as they finished the 2002 season with a 10-3 overall record, 6-1 in the Patriot League. They tied with Colgate for the Patriot League championship and received the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA I-AA playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, the Rams defeated Northeastern, the Atlantic 10 champion, before falling to Villanova in the quarterfinals. Fordham finished the 2002 season ranked 12th in the final Sports Network poll and 15th in the final ESPN/Sportsticker poll. Head coach Dave Clawson, who was named the 2002 Schutt Sports I-AA National Coach of the Year, returns eight starters on offense and seven more on defense, including eight All-Patriot League selections. The Rams open the 2003 season on Saturday, August 30th, when they host C.W. Post College on Jack Coffey Field at 1:00 PM.