Seven Blocks of Granite
Encyclopedia
The Seven Blocks of Granite was a nickname given to the Fordham University
football
team's offensive line under head coach "Sleepy" Jim Crowley
and line coach Frank Leahy
. The most famous Seven Blocks of Granite were: Leo Paquin
, Johnny Druze, Alex Wojciechowicz
, Ed Franco
, Al Babartsky
, Natty Pierce, and Vince Lombardi
. The nickname, however, was also commonly used to referred to the Fordham lines of the 1929, 1930, and 1937 teams but it is the 1936 line which is today the best known of these lines.
In the 1930s, Fordham University was a college football power, as they were consistently a nationally ranked team. In 1936, school publicist Timothy Cohane needed a nickname to spur recognition of his Fordham Rams, who were undefeated halfway through the season and on the verge of possibly their best season ever. The strength of the Fordham team was its offensive line - seven men: center, two guards, two tackles and two ends. In his columns, American sportswriter Grantland Rice
had already written "The Fordham Wall Still Stands" in honor of the team and its early season success, but a catchy nickname was still needed — something to rival Notre Dame
's famous Four Horsemen. The year before Cohane tried using the "Seven Samsons" to highlight the squad's offensive linemen, but it never caught on. Following on that theme and remembering the caption from a newswire photo he'd seen several years before, Cohane tried the "Seven Blocks of Granite".
Ironically, in its final two games the 1936 team was tied by an inferior University of Georgia
team and beaten by a lowly NYU
team - ending their hopes of a Rose Bowl appearance. The line was not as good as some of the previous lines at Fordham or the 1937 team which went 7-0-1. But the 1936 team and the Seven Blocks of Granite became college football immortals.
Associated with the name, the Rotary Club's Lombardi Award
is awarded annual to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The main part of the trophy, awarded to a down lineman on either side of the ball or a linebacker who lines up no further than five yards deep from the ball, is a block of granite
, giving homage to Lombardi's college days as a lineman.
The Rams went 5-0-2 before losing, what Lombardi called; "The most devastating loss of my life," when they lost 7-6 to NYU, and with it, the hopes of playing in the Rose Bowl
. The Rams' were No. 3 going into their final game, but ended up No. 15 in the Final AP National Ranking.
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team's offensive line under head coach "Sleepy" Jim Crowley
Jim Crowley
James Harold "Jim" Crowley was an American football player and coach. He gained fame as one-fourth of the University of Notre Dame's legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield where he played halfback from 1922 to 1924. After a brief career as a professional football player, Crowley turned to coaching...
and line coach Frank Leahy
Frank Leahy
Francis William Leahy was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive...
. The most famous Seven Blocks of Granite were: Leo Paquin
Leo Paquin
Leo Paquin was an American football player. He played end for Fordham University as part of the 1936 line known as the "Seven Blocks of Granite"...
, Johnny Druze, Alex Wojciechowicz
Alex Wojciechowicz
Alexander Francis Wojciechowicz was a professional American football player in the National Football League. He was an NFL Hall of Famer as an offensive lineman and linebacker for the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles....
, Ed Franco
Ed Franco
Edmondo Guido Armando Franco was a professional American football player. He earned fame as one of the legendary Seven Blocks of Granite and played professionally for the Boston Yanks...
, Al Babartsky
Al Babartsky
Albert John Babartsky was a professional American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League for six seasons for the Chicago Cardinals and the Chicago Bears. He was a member of the Seven Blocks of Granite at Fordham University-External links:...
, Natty Pierce, and Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
. The nickname, however, was also commonly used to referred to the Fordham lines of the 1929, 1930, and 1937 teams but it is the 1936 line which is today the best known of these lines.
In the 1930s, Fordham University was a college football power, as they were consistently a nationally ranked team. In 1936, school publicist Timothy Cohane needed a nickname to spur recognition of his Fordham Rams, who were undefeated halfway through the season and on the verge of possibly their best season ever. The strength of the Fordham team was its offensive line - seven men: center, two guards, two tackles and two ends. In his columns, American sportswriter Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
had already written "The Fordham Wall Still Stands" in honor of the team and its early season success, but a catchy nickname was still needed — something to rival Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
's famous Four Horsemen. The year before Cohane tried using the "Seven Samsons" to highlight the squad's offensive linemen, but it never caught on. Following on that theme and remembering the caption from a newswire photo he'd seen several years before, Cohane tried the "Seven Blocks of Granite".
Ironically, in its final two games the 1936 team was tied by an inferior University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
team and beaten by a lowly NYU
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
team - ending their hopes of a Rose Bowl appearance. The line was not as good as some of the previous lines at Fordham or the 1937 team which went 7-0-1. But the 1936 team and the Seven Blocks of Granite became college football immortals.
Associated with the name, the Rotary Club's Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
is awarded annual to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The main part of the trophy, awarded to a down lineman on either side of the ball or a linebacker who lines up no further than five yards deep from the ball, is a block of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, giving homage to Lombardi's college days as a lineman.
1936 Season
The Rams' Offense scored 128 over 8 games, while the Defense held every opponent to no more than 7 points per game, and shut out three teams, including No.3 ranked Pittsburgh.The Rams went 5-0-2 before losing, what Lombardi called; "The most devastating loss of my life," when they lost 7-6 to NYU, and with it, the hopes of playing in the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
. The Rams' were No. 3 going into their final game, but ended up No. 15 in the Final AP National Ranking.
- 10/3/1936 Fordham 66 vs. Franklin & Marshall 7 (moved to Triboro Stadium due to World Series).
- 10/10/1936 Fordham 7 vs. SMU 0 30,000
- 10/17/1936 Fordham 20 vs. Waynesburg, Penn. 6
- 10/24/1936 Fordham 7 vs. St. Mary's (Cal.) 6 50,000
- 10/31/1936 Fordham 0 vs. Pittsburgh (AP Rank No.3) 0 57,000
- 11/7/1936 Fordham 15 vs. Purdue 0 40,000
- 11/21/1936 Fordham 7 vs. Georgia 7 35,000
- 11/28/1936 Fordham 6 vs. New York University 7 (Played in Yankee Stadium)
1937 Season
Once again, the Rams' Offense dominated with over 100 points scored in just the first two games, and the Defense held every opponent to no more than 7 points per game, and shut out five teams, including No.1 ranked Pittsburgh, and No. 19 ranked North Carolina. The Rams' went undefeated with a 7-0-1 record, reaching No.3 in the National AP Rankings, only giving up 16 points all season.- 10/2/1937 Fordham 66 vs. Franklin & Marshall 0
- 10/9/1937 Fordham 48 at Waynesburg, Penn. 0
- 10/16/1937 Fordham 0 vs. Pittsburgh 0 (AP Rank No.1) 53,000
- 10/23/1937 Fordham 7 vs. Texas Christian U. 6 25,000
- 10/30/1937 Fordham 14 at North Carolina (AP Rank No.19) 0
- 11/6/1937 Fordham 21 vs. Purdue 3 40,000
- 11/20/1937 Fordham 6 vs. St. Mary's (Cal.) 0 35,000
- 11/27/1937 Fordham 20 vs. NYU 7 (Played in Yankee Stadium)
Further reading
- When Pride Still Mattered, A Life of Vince Lombardi, by David Maraniss, 1999, (ISBN 0-684-84418-4)