Army Black Knights football

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Army Black Knights football
2018 Army Black Knights football team
Army West Point logo.svg
First season1890
Athletic directorBoo Corrigan
Head coachJeff Monken
5th season, 33–28 (.541)
Other staffBrent Davis (OC)
Jay Bateman (DC)
StadiumMichie Stadium
(Capacity: 38,000)
Year built1924
Field surfaceFieldTurf
LocationWest Point, New York
NCAA divisionDivision I FBS
ConferenceIndependent
All-time record690–518–51 (.568)
Bowl record5–2 (.714)
Claimed nat'l titles3 (1944, 1945, 1946)
Unclaimed nat'l titles2 (1914, 1916)
RivalriesAir Force (CiCT)
Navy (rivalry, CiCT)
Notre Dame (rivalry)
Heisman winners3
Consensus All-Americans37
Current uniform
Independent-Uniform-Army.png
ColorsBlack, Gold, and Gray[1]
              
Fight songOn, Brave Old Army Team
MascotArmy Mules
Marching bandUnited States Military Academy Band
OutfitterNike
WebsiteGoArmyWestPoint.com

The Army Black Knights football team, previously known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. Army is currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member of the NCAA. The Black Knights currently play home games in Michie Stadium with a capacity of 38,000 at West Point, New York. The Black Knights are coached by Jeff Monken who is in his 5th season as head coach. Army is a three-time national champion, winning the title in 1944, 1945, and 1946.

With the exception of seven seasons (1998–2004) where the team was a member of Conference USA, Army has competed as an independent, meaning that they have no affiliation with any conference. Currently, Army is one of six FBS schools whose football teams do not belong to any conference; the others being BYU, Liberty, New Mexico State, Notre Dame, and UMass. However, all of these schools belong to conferences for all other sports. Army is primarily a member of the Patriot League, BYU is primarily a member of the West Coast Conference, Liberty is in the ASUN Conference, New Mexico State is in the Western Athletic Conference, Notre Dame is part of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and UMass belongs to the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Three players from Army have won the Heisman Trophy: Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946), and Pete Dawkins (1958).[2]

History[edit]

See also: List of Army Black Knights football seasons and 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame football game

Army's football program began on November 29, 1890, when Navy challenged the cadets to a game of the relatively new sport. Navy defeated Army at West Point that year, but Army avenged the loss in Annapolis the following year.[3] The academies still clash every December in what is traditionally the last regular-season Division I college-football game. The 2016 Army–Navy Game marked Army's first recent win after fourteen consecutive losses to Navy. From 1944 to 1950, the Cadets had 57 wins, 3 losses and 4 ties. During this time span, Army won three national championships.[4]

Army's football team reached its pinnacle of success during the Second World War under coach Earl Blaik when Army won three consecutive national championships in 1944, 1945 and 1946, and produced three Heisman trophy winners: Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946) and Pete Dawkins (1958).[5] Past NFL coaches Vince Lombardi[6] and Bill Parcells[7] were Army assistant coaches early in their careers.

The football team plays its home games at Michie Stadium, where the playing field is named after Earl Blaik. Cadets attendance is mandatory at football games and the Corps stands for the duration of the game. At all home games, one of the four regiments marches onto the field in formation before the team takes the field and leads the crowd in traditional Army cheers.[8]

For many years, Army teams were known as the "Cadets." In the 1940s, several papers called the football team "the Black Knights of the Hudson." From then on, "Cadets" and "Black Knights" were used interchangeably until 1999, when the team was officially nicknamed the Black Knights.

Between the 1998 and 2004 seasons, Army's football program was a member of Conference USA, but starting with the 2005 season Army reverted to its former independent status.[9] Army competes with Navy and Air Force for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.

National championships[edit]

Army has won five national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors.[10]:108–115 Army claims the 1944, 1945, and 1946 titles.[11]

Year Coach Selectors Record
1914 Charles Dudley Daly Helms, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation, Parke Davis[10]:111 9–0
1916 Charles Dudley Daly Parke Davis[10]:111 9–0
1944 Earl Blaik AP, Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling, Sagarin, Williamson[10]:111 9–0
1945 Earl Blaik AP, Berryman, Billingsley MOV, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELOChess), Williamson[10]:112 9–0
1946 Earl Blaik Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, Poling[10]:112 9–0–1

Bowl games[edit]

Army has played in seven bowl games. They have a record of 5–2.

Season Coach Bowl Date Opponent Result
1984 Jim Young Cherry Bowl December 22, 1984 Michigan State W 10–6
1985 Jim Young Peach Bowl December 31, 1985 Illinois W 31–29
1988 Jim Young Sun Bowl December 24, 1988 Alabama L 28–29
1996 Bob Sutton Independence Bowl December 31, 1996 Auburn L 29–32
2010 Rich Ellerson Armed Forces Bowl December 30, 2010 SMU W 16–14
2016 Jeff Monken Heart of Dallas Bowl December 27, 2016 North Texas W 38–31 OT
2017 Jeff Monken 2017 Armed Forces Bowl December 23, 2017 San Diego State W 42–35

Head coaches[edit]

Coach Seasons Games Wins Losses Ties Percentage
Hugh Mitchell (1918) 1 1 1 0 0 1.000
Geoffrey Keyes (1917) 1 8 7 1 0 .875
Ralph Sasse (1930–32) 3 32 25 5 2 .813
Joseph Beacham (1911) 1 8 6 1 1 .813
Dennis E. Nolan (1902) 1 8 6 1 1 .813
Charles Dudley Daly1 (1913–22) 8 74 58 13 3 .804
Henry L. Williams (1891) 1 7 5 1 1 .786
Biff Jones (1926–29) 4 40 30 8 2 .775
Earl Blaik (1941–58) 18 164 121 33 10 .768
Garrison H. Davidson (1933–37) 5 47 35 11 1 .755
John McEwan (1923–25) 3 26 18 5 3 .750
Henry Smither (1906–07) 2 10 7 2 1 .750
Leon Kromer (1901) 1 8 5 1 2 .750
Harry Nelly (1908–10) 3 22 15 5 2 .727
Edward Leonard King (1903) 1 9 6 2 1 .722
Harmon S. Graves (1894–95) 2 14 10 4 0 .714
Robert Boyers (1904–05) 2 18 11 6 1 .639
Herman Koehler (1897-1900) 4 33 19 11 3 .621
Dale Hall (1959–61) 3 29 16 11 2 .586
George P. Dyer (1896) 1 6 3 2 1 .583
Dennis Michie2 (1890–92) 1 6 3 2 1 .583
Jim Young (1983–90) 8 91 51 39 1 .566
Jeff Monken (2014–present)3 4* 61 33 28 0 .541
Paul Dietzel (1962–65) 4 40 21 18 1 .538
Tom Cahill (1966–73) 8 81 40 39 2 .506
William H. Wood (1938–40) 3 28 12 13 1 .481
Ernest Graves, Sr.4 (1906–12) 2 16 7 8 1 .469
Bob Sutton (1991–99) 9 100 44 55 1 .445
Laurie Bliss (1893) 1 9 4 5 0 .444
Homer Smith (1974–78) 5 55 21 33 1 .391
Ed Cavanaugh (1980–82) 3 33 10 21 2 .333
Rich Ellerson (2009–13) 5 61 20 41 0 .328
Bobby Ross (2004–06) 3 34 9 25 0 .265
Stan Brock (2007–08) 2 24 6 18 0 .250
Lou Saban (1979) 1 11 2 8 1 .227
Todd Berry (2000–03) 4 41 5 36 0 .122
John Mumford (2003) 1 6 0 6 0 .000
  1. Charles Dudley Daly coached did not coach the 1917–1918 seasons.
  2. Dennis Michie coached 1 game in 1890, and then coached a full season in 1892.
  3. Jeff Monken's record as of eleven games into his fifth season (2018).
  4. Ernest Graves, Sr. coached the 1906 & 1912 seasons.

Rivalries[edit]

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy[edit]

Main article: Commander-in-Chief's Trophy

Air Force, Army, and Navy have played each other every year since 1972 for the Commander-in Chief's Trophy. Air Force leads the FBS service academies with 20 victories, Navy has 15 victories, Army has 7 victories, and the trophy has been shared 4 times.[citation needed][when?]

Air Force[edit]

Air Force and Army meet annually and vie for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Air Force leads Army 36–16–1 through the 2018 season.,[12] and 32–12 in the Trophy series.[citation needed][when?]

Navy[edit]

Main article: Army–Navy Game

Army and Navy play each other annually in the Army–Navy game, which is also a part of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. This series is one of the oldest and traditional rivalries in the NCAA. They first met in 1890, and have played each other annually since 1930. The games are generally played at a neutral site. Navy leads the series 60–51–7 through the 2017 season.[13]

Notre Dame[edit]

Main article: Army-Notre Dame football rivalry
See also: 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame football game

Notre Dame is a rivalry which some feel has fallen into obscurity. In much of the early 20th century, Army and Notre Dame were considered football powerhouses, and met 34 times between 1913 and 1947. Though the rivalry has slowed down, they last met in 2016. Many media members considered the 1946 contest to be the "Game of the Century".[14] Notre Dame leads the series 39–8–4 through the 2017 season.[15]

Michie Stadium[edit]

Main article: Michie Stadium

Michie Stadium is the home stadium of the Army Black Knights in West Point, New York, which was opened in 1924. The stadium is named after the first Army football head coach, Dennis Michie. In 1999 the field was renamed Blaik Field at Michie Stadium in honor of Former Coach Earl Blaik.

Traditions[edit]

Songs
Alma Mater is the Army's school song. Army's fight song is On, Brave Old Army Team. Army also plays other organized cheers; Army Rocket Yell, Black, Gold, and Gray, and USMA Cheer.[16]

Mascot
Army's mascot is Army Mules. The Army Mules date back to 1899, being officially adopted by Army in 1936.[17]

Current coaching staff[edit]

[when?]

Name Position First Year Position First Year Army Alma Mater
Jeff Monken Head Coach 2014 2014 Millikin
Jay Bateman Defensive Coordinator 2014 2014 Randolph-Macon
Brent Davis Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line 2014 2014 Georgia
Todd Spencer Offensive Line 2013 2013 Pacific Lutheran University
Josh Christian-Young Cornerbacks 2017 2015 University of Central Missouri, Central Missouri State
Kevin Corless Inside Linebackers 2014 2014 Northwest Missouri State
Daryl Dixon Outside Linebackers 2016 2016 Florida
David Corley Wide Receivers 2017 2017 College of William and Mary
John Loose Safeties 2014 19921 Ithaca College
Sean Saturnio Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator 2016 2014 Hawaii
Mike Viti Fullbacks 2016 2016 Army
Mitch Ware Quarterbacks 2014 2014 Southwest Missouri State
Tucker Waugh Running Backs 2014 20072 DePauw
Chad Wilt Defensive Line 2016 2016 Taylor
Brian Hess Head Football Strength & Conditioning 2017 2016 Springfield College (Mass)
Aairon Savage Defensive Quality Control 2017 2017 Auburn University
Conor Hughes Assistant Football Strength & Conditioning 2017 2017 Springfield College (Massachusetts)
Danny Payne Director of Scouting 2017 2017 Kennesaw State University
Justin Weaver Director of On Campus Recruiting 2017 2017 Lehigh University
Jansen Petagna Director of Player Personnel 2017 2016 LSU
Maurice Sims Assistant Football Strength & Conditioning 2017 2017 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Dan McCarthy Director of Football Operations 2017 2017 United States Military Academy
Jack O'Reilly Director of Football Video Operations 2018 2018 Clemson University
Michael Zeoli Assistant Director of Football Video Operations 2017 2017 William Paterson University
Scott Swanson Director of Strength & Conditioning 1999 1997 Wake Forest
Pat Tresey Offensive Quality Control 2016 2016 Mount St. Joseph
Brett Moore Director of High School Relations 2017 2017 Georgia Southern University
  1. John Loose was the linebackers coach at Army from 1992 to 1998
  2. Tucker Waugh was the wide receivers coach at Army from 2000 to 2004.

College Football Hall of Fame[edit]

Main article: College Football Hall of Fame
Name Position Years at Army Inducted
Bob Anderson HB 2004
Doc Blanchard FB 1944–46 1964
Paul Bunker HB/OT 1901–02 1969
Chris Cagle HB 1926–29 1954
Bill Carpenter TE 1957–59 1982
Charlie Daly QB 1901–02 1951
Glenn Davis HB 1943–46 1961
Pete Dawkins HB 1956–58 1975
Arnold Galiffa QB 1983
Ed Garbisch C/OG 1921–24 1954
John Green OG 1943–45 1989
Don Holleder 1985
Harvey Jablonsky OG 1931–33 1978
Doug Kenna QB 1942–44 1984
John McEwan C 1913–16 1962
Frank Merritt OT 1942–43 1996
Robin Olds 1985
Elmer Oliphant FB 1916–17 1955
Barney Poole TE/DE 1974
Bud Sprague OT 1926–27 1979
Joe Steffy OG 1945–47 1987
Alex Weyand OT 1914–15 1974
Harry Wilson HB 1924 1973
Arnold Tucker QB 2008

Other notable players[edit]

Main article: Army Black Knights football statistical leaders

President of the United States and General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and General of the Army Omar Bradley were on the 1912 Army football team. Eisenhower was injured and his football career was over by 1913, when the two future generals were juniors. Bradley, a star of the Army baseball team for four years, was on the field in 1913 when Notre Dame upset Army in a historic college football game in which the forward pass was used for the first time. Bradley played end opposite the legendary Knute Rockne, the Notre Dame end who later coached the Irish to national championships before dying in a plane crash near Bazaar, Kansas, on Easter Friday in 1931.

Retired Numbers[edit]

No. Player Position Career Date of Retirement
24[18] Pete Dawkins HB 1956–58
35 Doc Blanchard FB 1944–46
41 Glenn Davis HB 1943–46
61 Joe Steffy OG 1945–47

Award winners[edit]

Doc Blanchard – 1945
Glenn Davis – 1946
Pete Dawkins – 1958
Earl Blaik – 1946
Tom Cahill – 1966
Tom Cahill – 1966
Bob Sutton – 1996
Glenn Davis – 1944
Doc Blanchard – 1945
Pete Dawkins – 1958
Joe Steffy – 1947
Andrew Rodriguez – 2011
Andrew Rodriguez – 2011
Andrew King – 2016

Radio[edit]

Radio rights are held by the Army Sports Network.

Current broadcast team[edit]

Army Sports Network
  • Rich DeMarco (play-by-play)
  • Dean Darling (color analyst)
  • Tony Morino (sideline reporter)
  • Joe Beckerle (pre and post-game)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "USMA Publication Standards Manual Style Guide" (PDF). United States Military Academy–West Point. October 2, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  2. ^ "Heisman Winners". The Heisman Trophy. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  3. ^ Ambrose (1966), pp. 305–06.
  4. ^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p. 135, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, NY, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  5. ^ "Trophy Winners". The Heisman Trophy. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
  6. ^ "Biography". Official Website of Vince Lombardi. Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
  7. ^ Biggane, Brian (15 November 2008). "Bill Parcells is Dolphins' Godfather". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  8. ^ Palka (2008), p. 197.
  9. ^ "Army Football to Leave Conference USA After 2004 Season". The Official Website of Conference USA. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
  10. ^ a b c d e f 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). The National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  11. ^ "2018 Army West Point Football Media Guide" (PDF). Army Athletics. pp. 73–75. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  12. ^ http://www.winsipedia.com/army/vs/air-force
  13. ^ http://www.winsipedia.com/army/vs/navy
  14. ^ Boston College Even with Irish in Yardage, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 13, 1946.
  15. ^ http://www.winsipedia.com/army/vs/notre-dame
  16. ^ "> Alma Mater & Fight Songs". Army West Point website.
  17. ^ "> Army Mules". Army West Point website.
  18. ^ "Army Retired Jerseys". Army. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

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