2009 ARMY FOOTBALL ARMY FOOTBALL A to Z FORWARD PASS
HOFFMAN PRESS BOX
Notre Dame quarterback Gus Dorais and end Knute Rockne used the forward pass to help the Fighting Irish upset a heavily favored Army team in 1913. The game helped popularize the forward pass and showed how it could be integrated with rushing into a complete offense.
Construction on the $7 million, 12,000-square foot, two-story press box for Michie Stadium was completed in the spring of 2003. Funding for the project was provided as part of the Association of Graduates’ Bicentennial Campaign Plan. Mark B. Hoffman (USMA ‘69), lead donor for the undertaking, pledged $5 million toward construction of the stateof-the-art media facility, which officially opened when Army hosted Connecticut on Sept. 6, 2003.
FRIDAY NIGHT Army is scheduled to play the fifth Friday night game in its history this season when the Black Knights host Rutgers on Oct. 23. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. It will mark only the sixth weeknight game at West Point.
“Real time” statistics for all of the Black Knights’ home football games are available on the Army Athletics Web site at www.goARMYsports.com via Jump TV’s interactive GameWatcher feature.
In a desperate move to find a quarterback in 1955, Army head coach Earl “Red” Blaik deftly slid AllAmerica end Don Holleder to signal caller. Despite heavy criticism, Blaik stuck with Holleder through early season struggles. Holleder rewarded Blaik’s courage with a 6-3 record and a 14-6 season-ending win over arch-rival Navy. Holleder would be killed in action during the Vietnam conflict. The building that houses both Army’s intercollegiate basketball and hockey arenas is named in his honor.
GIVEAWAYS
HUNDREDTH GAME
G•G•G•G•G•G GAMEWATCHER
RICH ELLERSON
E•E•E•E•E•E EISENHOWER, GEN. DWIGHT D. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower lettered on the gridiron for Army in 1912 before graduating in 1915 as a member of the “Class the Stars Fell Upon.” Following a distinguished military career, Eisenhower was elected President of the United States in 1952 and served two terms.
ELLERSON, RICH Rich Ellerson was named the 36th head football coach in West Point history on Dec. 26, 2008. A noted triple-option expert and the architect of the Univeristy of Arizona’s “Desert Swarm” defense in the 1990s, Ellerson took the reins of the Army program after eight highly-successful seasons as the head coach at Cal Poly that included two NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoff berths and at least seven victories in each of his final six seasons. His father and two brothers are West Point graduates, including his oldest brother, John, who served as a team captain on the 1962 Army grid squad.
F•F•F•F•F•F FACEBOOK Continuing its effort to keep Army fans up-to-date, the Army Athletic Association launched a page on Facebook last fall. The page can be found by going to www.facebook.com and searching for Army Black Knights. Members of the Athletic Association’s marketing staff provide regular updates about Army athletics.
FIELDTURF The Army Athletic Association installed a new FieldTurf playing surface at Michie Stadium in the summer of 2008, replacing the AstroPlay surface that had been in place since 2001.
FOLEY ATHLETIC CENTER The massive 77,000-square-foot Foley Athletic Center opened in 2007 and provides Army’s football team with a state-of-the-art indoor practice facility, a place where the Black Knights can train in a climatecontrolled environment during the winter months and inclement weather days throughout the year.
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HOLLEDER, DON
As part of an aggressive game day promotional program, the Army Athletic Association has scheduled special fan giveaways for all six home games this fall.
GROUND FORCES Army ranked no lower than seventh nationally in rushing during the time it featured the wishbone offense from 1984 through 1999. During that span, the Black Knights copped four national rushing titles. After an eight-year hiatus from the top 10, Army returned to the option and finished the 2008 campaign as the nation’s ninth-ranked rushing team.
H•H•H•H•H•H HALL, DALE The impossible task of replacing legendary Earl “Red” Blaik at the Army helm fell on the shoulders of Dale Hall. Hall served as the Black Knights’ mentor from 1959 through 1961.
HALL, LEAMON A strong-armed right-hander, Leamon Hall established virtually all of Army’s passing records on game, season and career levels before graduating in 1978. He passed for 5,502 yards during his West Point career on 426 completions, 38 of which went for touchdowns.
HALL OF FAME Twenty-seven players and coaches from the storied West Point gridiron program have been elected to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame, located in South Bend, Ind. Many others with West Point ties have also been enshrined. Arnold Tucker became Army’s latest representative in the shrine when he was elected in 2008.
HEISMAN TROPHY Since the inception of the Heisman Trophy in 1935, three Army players have garnered the award. Only four other schools — Notre Dame (7), Ohio State (7), Southern California (7) and Oklahoma (5) — have had more winners.
2009 ARMY FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
Arch rivals Army and Navy collided for the 100th time on Dec. 4, 1999, in Philadelphia, Pa. It marked the 12th NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision series to reach the elite club.
I•I•I•I•I•I INDEPENDENCE BOWL Army capped a record-setting 1996 campaign with a December trip to the Poulan/Weed Eater Independence Bowl. After establishing a school record witth 10 victories, the Black Knights’ furious fourthquarter rally fell just short, losing to heavily favored Auburn 32-29 when a potential game-tying 27-yard field goal sailed wide right in the final minute.
INDEPENDENT For its first 108 years, Army’s football program battled as an Independent, winning three national championships and forging one of the richest football traditions in the land. The Black Knights initiated a new chapter in their vast football lore in 1998 when they embarked upon their first campaign as members of Conference USA. Army’s brief, sevenyear foray into conference life ended in 2005 as the Black Knights returned to Independent status.
INSTANT REPLAY In the fourth quarter of Army’s 21-15 loss to Navy in 1963, CBS utilized the first television “instant replay” on a touchdown run by quarterback Rollie Stichweh. Hall of Fame broadcaster Lindsay Nelson made the call for CBS.
INTERVIEWS Beyond his regular Tuesday press conference, head coach Rich Ellerson is available for interviews by appointment only. Please direct all interview requests to Senior Associate Athletic Director Bob Beretta at (845) 938-3303. Ellerson will schedule interviews based on availability on Mondays and between noon and 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. Also, please make arrangements for all player interviews through the Army’s Office of Athletic Communications.