Fordham University was once a college football power. Prior to
World War II they were consistently a nationally ranked team. In 1936, undefeated halfway through the season and the possibility of their best season ever, school publicist
Timothy Cohane needed a nickname to spur recognition of his Fordham Rams.
The strength of the Fordham team was their offensive line - seven men: center, two guards, two tackles and two ends. 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 -- and a legend in college football history was born.
The Seven Blocks of Granite were: Leo Paquin, Johnny Druze, Alex Wojciechowicz, Ed Franco, Al Babartsky, Natty Pierce, and Vince Lombardi.
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.