WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – He saved the best for last. In the final game of his collegiate career, senior running back Craig Needhammer (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) posted a school-record 299 rushing yards to lead the Lycoming College football team to a 45-27 win over FDU-Florham on Friday, Nov. 14, and earn himself his fourth career Middle Atlantic Conference Offensive Player of the Week award.
Needhammer’s 299 yards helped him level a bevy of records in his final collegiate game, smashing the school's career record for rushing yards with his last run, a 50-yard touchdown with 2:47 left to seal the win over the Devils. Needhammer smashed the school record for rushing yards in a game of 253 set by Tim Deasey in 2001, doing it on 30 carries. He also broke Josh Kleinfelter's record of 3,664 career rushing yards, finishing with 3,713 yards in his career with that rush.
In the end, Needhammer finished his career with a school-record 42 touchdowns, 39 rushing touchdowns and 5,291 all-purpose yards. He set single-season records for rushing touchdowns (13), all-purpose yards (1,867) and kick return yards (482). He also set the single-game all-purpose yardage record of 339 yards.
The award is the fourth in Needhammer’s career, as he also earned it on Nov. 2, 2014 after posting a then-record 305 all-purpose yards against Misericordia, on Oct. 6, 2013 after a 144-yard game against 16th-ranked Delaware Valley and on Nov. 4, 2012 after rushing for 127 yards against Stevenson.
Needhammer is the fourth Warrior to earn the conference’s offensive player of the week award this year, winning it on Nov. 2 and Nov. 16 and joining senior quarterback Tyler Jenny (Glasgow, Pa./Glendale), who picked it up after the team’s 26-0 win over Albright and after the 30-29 overtime win against Lebanon Valley.
The Warriors finished 8-2 and in third place in the Middle Atlantic Conference under seventh-year head coach Mike Clark.
