(April 29, 2005) ?C Herb Seidell, a 1950 Fordham College graduate and former football Ram, and Nick Baldino, a 1948 Fordham College graduate and staunch supporter of Fordham Athletics, were honored with the Mara Family Award and the Walsh Award, respectively, at the annual Fordham Gridiron Club Dinner held at the New York Athletic Club. Seidell, a 1993 inductee into the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame, was presented the Mara Family Award by Wellington Mara, a 1937 Fordham College graduate and co-owner of the New York Football Giants. He was a member of the 1948 and 1949 football teams, playing under legendary head coach Ed Danowski. He served as a captain as a senior, leading the 1949 Rams to a 5-3 record and has remained loyal to the program with his generous support. Baldino, a 2001 inductee into the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame, was presented the Walsh Award by William D. Walsh, a 1951 graduate of Fordham College. He played baseball for the Rams in the 1940??s and was a college roommate of former Fordham head men??s basketball Coach, John Bach, the school??s all-time winningest basketball coach. Baldino has remained active at his alma mater, donating both time and resources to the athletic program. The Fordham Senior Awards were also announced at the dinner with Micah Clukey winning the Macken Award, NaQuinton Gainous receiving the Danowski Award, Jared Amatuzzo being named recipient of the Lansing Trophy, Steve Porco earning the Bill Tierney Award and Tad Kornegay being named the Team??s Most Valuable Player. Clukey was a First Team All-Patriot League pick in 2004 for the second straight season. The 2003 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, connected on ten of his 12 field goal attempts in 2004, including a season-best 44-yarder against Brown on October 9th. He also was successful on 34 of his 35 PATs. The ten field goals on the year led the league while his scoring average of 5.8 points per game led the kickers and was sixth overall. In just two years at Fordham, Clukey has moved into third place on the Fordham career field goal list with 21. The Macken award was established in memory of Rams?? special assistant coach Bob Macken, who passed away suddenly in June of 1992. Coach Macken was a key part of the Fordham staff for seven seasons, always handling the ??little things?? that are so vital to keeping a program going. He took special pride in working with the special teams, and his ??Macken Pizza Party?? for the top special teams plays of the year were a source of great pride for the team. Gainous, a 2004 team captain, was named First Team All-Patriot League this year after earning Second Team All-League honors in 2002 and 2003. He led the league in tackles with an average of 10.8 tackles per game, totaling 119 tackles, 64 solo. Included in the 119 tackles were a team-high 14.5 for a loss of 44 yards and two sacks. He also forced three fumbles and recovered two, one of which he returned eight yards for a touchdown in the season-opener against Rhode Island. He was ranked sixth in the Patriot League in fumbles recovered and eighth in tackles for a loss per game. The Danowski Award is given annually to the senior football player who through his leadership, sacrifice, and commitment to excellence upon the field of play and within the University community exemplifies the character of Danowski, a former Fordham player and head coach. Amatuzzo, a 2004 team captain and First Team All-Patriot League selection, was a mainstay on the Fordham offensive line, a line that allowed the Rams to average over 300 yards of offense per game. The offensive line allowed just 24 sacks on the year, third best in the league, while averaging 26.2 points per game. The Lansing Trophy is named for Jim Lansing, a former player and coach who was a consensus All-American, in 1941. That was the same season that Fordham downed Missouri 2-0 to capture the 1942 Sugar Bowl. As a coach, Lansing won national club championships in 1965 and 1968, and became the school??s first varsity coach since 1954 when the program was elevated to Division III in 1970. In five club seasons and two varsity campaigns, Lansing posted a 29-20-3 record. Porco, who started all eleven games and was named Second Team All-Patriot League this past fall, led all Fordham receivers with 33 catches for 472 yards and eight touchdowns. He was sixth in the conference with an average of 3.00 receptions/game and was seventh in receiving yards per game (42.9). The 33 receptions brought his career total to 133, fourth best in school history, while his 472 yards raised his career total to 1,866 yards, also fourth best in school history. The eight scoring receptions tied for fourth best in Fordham history, and brought his career total to 17, also fourth best on the career list at Fordham. The Bill Tierney Spirit Award is presented annually to the Fordham varsity player who in the estimate of his teammates, represents the spirit that Bill so unselfishly exemplified. A special Ram award was commissioned by Ernest H. Hammer, FCO ??55, and created by David Hacker (a New York artist and a former formidable football player at California). The award is presented annually to the winner of the Bill Tierney Award. Tierney suffered a cardiac arrest brought on by viral myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, on October 12, 1996 while warming up for the Homecoming football game. Kornegay, a team captain this past fall, was named consensus First Team All-America this past fall, earning the honor from five different organizations. The 2004 Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, he was named First Team All-Patriot League for the second straight season in 2004. This fall, he led the league in interceptions with eight, twice setting a school varsity record with three interceptions in a game. He first accomplished the feat against Duquesne on September 25th and then repeated it on October 9th versus Brown. The eight interceptions this year, third best in Fordham single season history, brought Kornegay??s career total to 14, tied for second best in Fordham history. Kornegay also broke up a team-high eight passes, second best in the conference, while recording 61 total tackles, 48 solo, good for third best on the squad.