Nov. 21, 2011
Bronx, N.Y. -
Lions Tad Kornegay putting his best foot forward (Calgary Herald)
It was a busy weekend for two former Fordham University football Rams. Tad Kornegay, an All-American defensive back for the Rams, helped his Canadian Football League team advance to the 2011 Grey Cup Championships game while tight end Stephen Skelton was signed to the practice squad of the NFL Arizona Cardinals, joining his brother John, the current starting quarterback for the team.
On Sunday, Kornegay's British Columbia Lions defeated Edmonton, 40-23, to earn win the CFL's West Division title and earn the right to face the Edmonton Eskimos for the CFL championship. The game will be played on British Columbia's BC Field on Sunday, November 27th at 6:30 p.m. (ET)
In the Edmonton game, Kornegay recorded a pair of tackles, bringing his season total to 38 tackles and two interceptions.
Kornegay joined the Lions on July 30th, when British Columbia was struggling with a 1-4 record. After he joined the team, the Lions went 10-3 and took first place in the West Division with an 11-7 record.
After starting his CFL career as a free agent signee with Hamilton in 2005, Kornegay played for the Tigers Cats in 2005 and 2006 before being traded to the Saskatchewan Rough Riders in 2007. He appeared in 15 regular season games his first year in Saskatchewan, starting nine games in the secondary, and dressed as backup a defensive back in West Final and Grey Cup championship as the Rough Riders won the 2007 title. On the year, Kornegay recorded 29 defensive tackles, six special team tackles and five pass knockdowns.
Kornegay was a standout with the Rams from 2001-04, capping his career by winning the 2005 Vincent T. Lombardi Award as Fordham's Male Athlete of the Year.
The Lombardi award was one of a long list of honors for Kornegay, a consensus First Team All-American in 2004. He was named 2004 First Team Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Division I-AA and Sports Network I-AA All-American as well being named one of 40 players named to the I-AA.org All-Star Team. Kornegay was also a finalist for the 2004 Buck Buchanan Award as the NCAA I-AA Defensive Player of the Year as awarded by the Sports Network, finishing 14th in the voting.
In 2004, Kornegay was named First Team All-Patriot League for the second straight season, leading the league in interceptions with eight while 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 also tied for the second best single season performance in the Patriot League, tying Kornegay with Bucknell's Kevin Eiben who had eight picks in 2000. The league record is nine, set by Holy Cross' Dave Murphy in 1987.
The eight interceptions registered by Kornegay that fall tied for second best in the NCAA and was third best in Fordham single season history. For his career, Kornegay recorded 14 interceptions, tied for second best in Fordham history and third best in Patriot League history. Kornegay also broke up a team-high eight passes, second best in the conference, while recording 61 total tackles, 48 solo, third best on the squad, and registered two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Kornegay was inducted into the Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame last February.
Skelton, who was signed by the Cardinals as a free agent this past summer but was cut just before the season started, was signed last Wednesday to the practice roster.
Skelton, who was named the 2010 Elite Tight End Award winner by the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA), completed his senior year at Fordham as one of the most prolific tight ends in school history. He caught 42 passes for 443 yards (10.5 yards/reception) and three touchdowns in 2010, all second best on the team. Skelton tied for eighth in the Patriot League in receptions per game (3.8).
Skelton emerged as a pass-catching tight end in 2009, hauling in 63 passes from his brother John who played for the Arizona Cardinals this year, for 634 yards and six touchdowns. The 63 receptions were the most all-time for a Fordham tight end and the fifth best total in school history. Skelton had two 100-yard receiving games that fall, a ten-reception, career-high 138-yard game against Old Dominion on October 3rd and a career-high 13-catch, 102 yard contest against Holy Cross on October 31st. Skelton ranked fourth in the Patriot League in receptions per game (5.7), 31st in the NCAA FCS, and ninth in the conference in and 81st in the NCAA receiving yards per game (57.6).
Over his career, Skelton recorded 127 receptions for 1,313 yards and ten touchdowns, all career-highs for a Fordham tight end. He is seventh on the school's all-time receptions list and tied for eighth in career touchdown receptions.
The Skelton brothers are joined the in the NFL by Isa Abdul-Quddus, who signed a free agent contract with the New Orleans Saints when the lockout was settled during the summer and made the team out of training camp. He has appeared in all eleven games for the Saints and has five tackles and one forced fumble for the 7-3 Saints, receiving a game ball for his play on special teams after the Saints' win over Houston on September 25th.
