Oct. 22, 2001

EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette freshman tailback Joe McCourt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) earned the Patriot League Rookie of the Week for his efforts in the Leopards' 63-53 loss at Holy Cross this past Saturday.

The 2000 Philadelphia Inquirer Player of the Year and recipient of the prestigious Maxwell Award, McCourt earns the conference's rookie of the week accolade for the first time in his career. He rushed for a career-best 84 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, caught one pass for 12 yards, completed one pass for a five-yard touchdown, and returned four kickoffs for 82 yards. All totaled, he contributed 183 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the shootout at Worcester.

McCourt has started the last five games for Lafayette and leads the Leopards in rushing with an average of 4.0 yards per carry, totaling 257 yards and three touchdowns on 64 carries. He has also caught 12 passes for 79 yards and returned eight kickoffs for 128 yards.

Lafayette hosts Patriot League rival Colgate during the Leopards' Homecoming weekend this Saturday at 1:30 p.m.