Nov. 4, 2010
2010 CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District Football Teams
Bronx, N.Y. -
Fordham University senior defensive back Jamal Haruna (Grand Prairie, Tex./South Grand Prairie) and sophomore punter/place kicker Patrick Murray (Ramsey, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) were named First Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District for football in a voting among the district's Sports Information Directors it was announced today. They will now be placed on the national ballot for Academic All-American® consideration.
To be eligible for CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution.
Haruna, a starter at cornerback, is second on the 2010 squad with 64 total tackles, including a team-high 50 solo, and he has 4.5 tackles for loss and three pass deflections. He has started every game this year with the exception of last week's game against Georgetown which he missed due to injury. Haruna is sixth in the NCAA FCS in solo tackles per game (6.3), tied for eighth in the Patriot League in tackles/game (8.0) and is 17th in the league in tackles for loss/game (0.56).
Over his career, Haruna has made 152 tackles, 110 solo, in 40 games, with five tackles for loss and eight pass deflections.
Murray, who handles all the kicking chores for the Rams, has punted 37 times for 1,506 yards, an average of 40.7 yards/punt, tops in the Patriot League and 27th in the NCAA FSC. He has landed 16 of his 37 punts inside the opponent's 20 and had nine kicks of 50 yards or better.
As a placekicker, Murray has converted 12 of his 19 field goal attempts, including a 48-yarder at Bryant, the third longest field goal in Fordham history. He is second in the Patriot League and tied for 20th in the NCAA FCS in field goals/game (1.33). Murray also has made good on 19 of his 20 PATs.
Against Assumption earlier this year, Murray connected on a 46-yard field goal the second longest of his career, while at Columbia, Murray excelled at both duties, kicking three field goals (24, 22 and 21 yards) and punting six times for 232 yards (38.7) with all six of his punts being downed inside the Columbia 20, five of them inside the ten.
The Rams will continue their 2010 Patriot League season this Saturday, November 6th, as they travel to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, to face the Bucknell University Bison at 1:00 p.m.
