Fordham Rams’ Seniors Hope to Turn Historical Season into One Last Title Run

Fordham Athletics

NEW YORK — The turf field at Jack Coffey Field in the Bronx sits as a 92-year-old historical landmark serving as a home to the Fordham Rams. From Vince Lombardi to Ed Franco, Coffey Field has been the stomping ground for some of football’s earliest pioneers. 

These days Coffey Ffield has been nothing more than a memorial of the days when the Fordham Rams stood tall as college football titans. Simply a piece of history. Despite the recent lean years, this year's class of players is looking to make a statement in the Rams’ record books, breaking career records in the midst of a playoff push.

The Rams’ last stretch of winning seasons spanned a 5-year period under the head coaching regime of Joe Moorhead. This season marks the start of an eight year period since Fordham has been last crowned conference champions; seven since they played in an FCS playoff game. Things haven’t quite been the same since the Moorhead-era Rams were kicking around. 

“Quite honestly, it’s been tough,” said longtime Rams fan Allen Wang.

In the shadow of a prior regime, expectations are mounting against senior quarterback Tim DeMorat and his cast of players, as many of the team’s returning faces are entering their final year of collegiate play. Hoping to finish their careers off strong, the Fordham Rams have built up a real opportunity at returning the program back to its former glory . 

For Coach Joe Conlin, this is the very shot he has been lining up for years. 

Welcome, Joe Conlin

“We are very pleased to welcome Joe Conlin and his family to the Fordham University family," said Fordham President Joseph McShane announced back in 2018. The hiring of Conlin pushed in the start of a new era for the Rams. Sure, there were still players left from the last regime, but the fresh-faced coach had different plans for its players.

"We are looking to be the best program in the Patriot League," said Conlin. "Not the best team, but the best program. I want the student-athletes to be better, both on and off the field, because of the program and the program's four goals. I will coach them hard and love them hard."

Conlin’s hiring was hardly a surprise, as ties to the university ran through his blood—the coach is a distant relative of Fordham basketball’s all-time leading scorer Ed Conlin. More importantly, his coaching resume was astute, headlined by two Ivy League titles  as an assistant coach with Harvard and Yale. 

“The thing that stuck out to me the most when I first met Joe Conlin was his professionalism,” said Fordham’s athletic director, Ed Kull. “He’s a brilliant football mind and I think you’re really seeing that start to come to fruition this fall.”

DeMorat shared his first year at Fordham alongside Conlin and quickly gained the trust of his new head coach.  In 2018, Conlin started DeMorat in eight games—the first true freshman quarterback to ever start for the Rams—despite the presence of two senior quarterbacks on the roster. DeMorat and many other young players won starting jobs quickly.

“We were a young team and just thrown into the fire. It took time for us all to grow and develop a scheme that worked,” said DeMorat. 

Conlin swiftly proved his ability to evaluate the talent on his roster. DeMorat collected his first set of accolades by the end of the season—earning several Patriot League Rookie of the Week nods and setting a few school passing records. Despite the team’s poor 2-9 record, Fordham had found their quarterback. The future of the program now rested in DeMorat’s hands.

The 2019 season saw the acquisition of a few new weapons for the developing signal caller to play with. Conlin’s recruiting of freshman receiver Dequece Carter and Northern Illinois transfer Fotis Kokosioulis gave the team’s receiver room a much-needed lift. Carter ended the season as the Patriot League’s Rookie of the Year and Kokosioulis earned a First Team All-Patriot League pick.

“Tim was great, I remember coming here in the summer and we started working together right away,” said Kokosioulis.

Despite the development of its players, Fordham still had a lot more to prove. They finished the 2019 season with only four wins, but it was safe to say Conlin finally had his team.

A Lost Season

Not a single cleat graced the turf of Coffey field in 2020. The anticipation of a turnaround season for the Rams was crushed by the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. A year of work, a year of development, a year of built momentum, all thrown out the window by an opponent they couldn’t even see. Now juniors, DeMorat and Kokosioulis feared they’d lost a valuable season of their collegiate careers.

Their next chance to play came in the spring of 2021. They were slated to play only three games that month, but the extended time spent away from competitive football proved to be a point of maturity for the student-athletes.

It was nearly impossible not to hark upon the realization that their times as collegiate football players were coming to an end sooner rather than later. 

“It was tough. We had to go through some really tough seasons to get where we are now,” said Kokosioulis.

The Rams won two of the three games in the shortened season, ready to ride into the 2021 season with momentum. DeMorat was named the Patriot League’s Offensive Player of the Year. Kokosioulis earned his second First Team All-Patriot League nod.

“That really sparked confidence in us going into the 2021 season,” said DeMorat.

Despite the rejuvenation, the team still finished 6-5. After a slow start to the season, the Rams had an impressive stretch of six wins, which DeMorat claims is still the team’s most impressive offensive performance to date. 

The quarterback had his most impressive year, once again winning Offensive player of the year and obtaining multiple player of the week nods. Kokosioulis also impressed, leading all-league receivers in touchdowns, points, and all-purpose yards. All these individual accolades, but still no team accolades to show for it.

A Second Chance

Luckily for the duo, the pair was able to return for a final season in 2022 as a result of losing their previous to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a blink of an eye, the Rams’ developing quarterback and wide receiver were now playing in their final season of their collegiate careers.

“I think we’re ready. It’s been a long grind with a lot of the seniors on this team and we’ve definitely worked through some tough seasons to get to where we are now,” said Kokosioulis. “It’s my last year so of course I’d love to go out on top.”

The Rams, currently three-quarters of the way through the season, sit at 6-1, the best start the team has experienced since Moorhead’s title run in 2015. 

The team’s season has been nothing short of historical, especially so for DeMorat and Kokosioulis. Even in their lone loss against the Ohio Bobcats, there were reasons to stay optimistic. During their trip to Peden Stadium, DeMorat became Fordham’s all-time leader in passing yards and completions, while Kokosioulis posted single game receiving records for both the school and league.

The team is hoping to ride out this year’s energy and momentum into breaking league-wide expectations.

“We knew we had almost everyone coming back, so it was just a matter of working hard together and getting better at what we do. We all knew it could be a special season,” said the wide receiver.

The individual performances by both DeMorat and Kokosioulis have been strong indicators of a potential career path for both players beyond their collegiate years. As for Kull, there is no person he believes is more fitting to take the next step than DeMorat.

“Tim’s not only an immensely talented quarterback, but a terrific young man. His accomplishments on the field are awe-inspiring, but he hasn’t let that success affect his character in any way. He’s a consummate leader.”

Another Rebuild?

With Fordham’s eyes set on a potential championship run, it may be hard to remember that a final season for the duo will mean a new set of players that will take the reins next year.

After five years of DeMorat under the helm, Conlin is ready to hand over signal-caller opportunities to the junior beneath him on the bench. The quarterback surrendered a few snaps to backup quarterback Grant Wilson amidst a blowout win against Stony Brook. Wilson went perfect in the afternoon and even threw a touchdown pass to senior MJ Wright. 

Kokosioulis raved about the quarterback, “He’s been learning so much behind the team and he’s got all the tools to be a great quarterback to dominate the league and lead this team next year.”

Even with the inevitable departure of many of the cornerstone players of the current team, there is a strong confidence within the program that the team is in safe hands.

“It can’t be overstated how much Fordham Football means to the athletic department and the university as a whole,” said Kull. “I firmly believe that Coach Conlin and his staff have laid a solid foundation for future success that will not fade with one graduating class.”

With Conlin likely back for the following season, Fordham holds steady for the next stage of the coach’s football sovereignty. But for now, with a 6-1 record and a veteran lineup riding with a full head of steam, DeMorat and the Rams seem as ready as ever to bring their program back to title contention.