When the 49ers selected a relatively unknown offensive lineman from Fordham late in the NFL draft this weekend, it stirred a reflection on some ancient NorCal college football history. Fordham hasn't been a big-time gridiron standout for many decades. But there was a time when the Rams were a stellar attraction on the East Coast. And one Bay Area school, St. Mary's, made it a point to challenge the Rams on their own turf in the Big Apple during the Depression. Under the wildly innovative tutelage of coach/promoter/ring master Slip Madigan, the Gaels became a powerhouse in the 1930s. Their annual raucous, boozy week-long rail trip to New York City for their confrontation with Fordham became the stuff of legend. Madigan and his Gaels didn't disappoint. They were successful more often than not. Both schools were great examples of small-enrollment Catholic colleges who could compete on the big stage during that era before the rise of the NFL, TV, Twitter and Instagram. All of that was pretty much over early in the 1950s. The financial landscape had changed. Schools like Fordham, St. Mary's and others (Santa Clara, USF, Gonzaga, Loyola, Marquette, etc.) all ended their big-time football efforts in one way or another. Their budgets could not compete with larger schools. Packed crowds at old Kezar Stadium for Sunday afternoon contests involving Bay Area Catholic schools disappeared as the 49ers took over that weekend venue. It was a much different time. The last great team from that genre was USF's unbeaten, untied and uninvited 1951 outfit. The Dons dropped the sport after that campaign. It was the final nail in the Catholic football coffin.
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