Friday, November 21, 2014

Lycoming Football - Needhammer named to D3football.com Team of the Week

Sr RB Craig Needhammer (Image: John Green)
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – With the final rush of his career, senior Craig Needhammer (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) cemented his legacy in the Lycoming College football team’s record book and it also helped him earn his first career D3football.com Team of the Week award, the website announced late Thursday, Nov. 20.

Needhammer finished his career with a school-record 42 touchdowns, 39 rushing touchdowns and 5,291 all-purpose yards

Needhammer, who was also named the USA College Football Running Back of the Week, turned the corner on a 50-yard touchdown run with 2:47 in the 45-27 win over FDU-Florham on Friday, Nov. 14, helping him break the school’s single-game and career rushing records on the same carry.

Needhammer finished with299 yards rushing against the Devils, helping him level a bevy of records in his final collegiate game. 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.

Needhammer is the fourth Warrior to earn D3football.com Team of the Week honors this season, joining Brian Campbell(Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area), who had 11 tackles, 2.5 for loss against Lebanon Valley on Nov. 8, Cole Welham (Lewistown, Pa./Lewistown Area), who had three sacks against King's on Sept. 21, and Mike Gentile (Havertown, Pa./Haverford), who had two interceptions against Albright on Sept. 13. He is the first running back to earn the award for the Warriors since Kleinfelter in 2010.

The Warriors finished 8-2 and in third place in the Middle Atlantic Conference under seventh-year head coach Mike Clark.