Dec. 8, 2012
2012 BSN NCAA FCS All-America Team
Bronx, N.Y. -
Three members of the Fordham University football squad were recognized by the Beyond Sports Network (BSN) with senior punter Patrick Murray (Mahwah, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) taking home the top honor, being named the Special Teams Player of the Year while also earning First Team All-America honors. Joining Murray in earning All-America accolades were senior offensive lineman Lloyd Morrison (Teaneck, N.J./Bergan Catholic) (First Team) and senior running back Carlton Koonce (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) (Honorable Mention).
All three had previously been named First Team All-Patriot League with Murray also receiving AFCA All-America honors and being named a finalist for the 2012 Fred Mitchell Award, presented to the Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III, NAIA or NJCAA placekicker that excels on the football field and in the community.
Murray just completed the most successful season for a Fordham kicker in school history. leading all of the NCAA in field goals with 25 and leading the Patriot League and ranking second in the NCAA in punting average (46.0). He set a new Fordham and Patriot League record with 25 field goals, shattering the former mark of 18 set by Fordham's Matt Fordyce in 2002. The 25 three-pointers was just one shy of the NCAA FCS record of 26 set by set by Tony Zendejas from Nevada in 1982 and matched by Northern Iowa's Brian Mitchell in 1990.
Murray connected on four field goals of over 50 yards this fall, the most 50-yarders of any NCAA Division I kicker. He booted a school-record 55-yarder at Cincinnati as well as connecting on a 52-yard field goal versus Lock Haven.
On the year, Murray converted 25 of his 30 field goal attempts and 30 of 31 PATs to amass 105 points, ranking third on the school's single season list and becoming the first Fordham kicker to score more than 100 points in a season. He also broke the Patriot League mark of 97 kick scoring points in a season set by Fordyce in 2002.
Over his career, Murray booted 38 field goals, sixth best all-time at Fordham.
As a punter, Murray averaged a school-record 46.0 yards/kick, with 18 of his 52 kicks traveling over 50 yards, including a season-best 65-yarder, while 14 of his punts were downed inside the opponent's 20. He closes out his career with 186 punts for 7,985 yards, an average of 42.9 yards/punt, the second best career punting average in Fordham history.
Morrison is a three-year starter on the Fordham offensive line, starting all eleven games at left guard for the Rams in 2012. He helped the Fordham offense average 435.7 yards/game, second best in the Patriot League and 18th best in the NCAA FCS while the Rams scored 31.2 ppg, second in the league and 32nd in the NCAA FCS. The Rams also had the second ranked passing offense in the Patriot League in 2012, averaging 279.6 yards/game, 18th best in the NCAA FCS.
Koonce, a senior who has been granted a fifth year and will return next season, rushed 300 time for 1,596 yards, breaking the single season school rushing mark of 1,477 yards set by Kirwin Watson in 2003. He also led the Rams with 13 rushing touchdowns and was second on the team with 48 receptions for 313 yards and two scores.
Koonce led the the Patriot League and was fourth in the NCAA FCS in rushing yards/game (145.1) and had two 200-yard games in 2012, including a 250-yard contest at Columbia where he tied a Patriot League record with a 92-yard touchdown run. Koonce also led the Patriot League and was fifth in the NCAA FCS in all-purpose yards/game, averaging 173.6/contest.
The Rams finished the 2012 season under first-year head coach Joe Moorhead with a 6-5 record, a five-win improvement from the 2011 season, tying Fordham for the second best turnaround in the NCAA FCS this fall.
