Cards for 1977 Army:
Cards for 1977 Navy:
Strat-O-Matic College Football Posts on this Blog:
(Another great effort from Big Stew, Chris Stewart, West Point Class of 1990. To him and all of you who serve or have served, have a Blessed Veterans Day. Thank You for your service.)
War Games
Army and Navy have been battling on the field since 1930. Through the 2024 meeting, Navy leads the series 63-54-7. The game has been primarily played in Philadelphia, but the game has also been held in the New York area, Baltimore, Washington DC, Chicago, Pasadena, and Boston. These teams were once national powers and the game would have National Championship implications. But since 1963 only the 1996, 2010, 2016, 2017, and 2024 games have seen both teams enter with winning records. But the game remains a College Football institution. Played now on the second Saturday in December, it is the last scheduled football game of the Division 1-A regular season. Tradition has kept it on the radio since 1930 and on TV since 1945. It has remained over the air even in the 21st Century, in the new era of cable, satellite and streaming.
The Ball from the 1974 Game
The November 27, 1926 Army-Navy Game was used for the dedication of Soldier Field as a monument to American servicemen who had fought in World War 1. The two teams tied 21-21, resulting in Navy being awarded a ahare of the National Title.
Navy won the 2002 Army Navy game at Giants Stadium by a score of 58-12.
In both the 1944 and 1945 contests, Army and Navy entered the game #1 and #2, respectively. Army won the game in 1944 24-7, and the rematch in 1945 was labeled The Game of The Century before it was even played. 9-0 Army defeated 7-0-1 Navy 32-13.
Navy had a high point in the series in 2011, winning their tenth in a row 27-21.
Rollie Stichweh
Believe it or not, Army had one of the country’s best passers in the mid-1970s. QB Leamon Hall was the point man for Head Coach Homer Smith’s pass-happy offense from 1975-1977. Hall. threw for 2174 yards in 1976, a total that’s still good for 2nd all-time in Army’s single-season rankings. He also entered his senior year as Army’s all-time leading passer. The national media regarded Leamon Hall so highly that Sports Illustrated wrote an article showcasing him in 1976, even with Army mired in a 5-6 season.
1977 was Hall and Army’s breakout year. Army entered their yearly clash with Navy with a 6-4 record with wins over UMass, VMI, Villanova, Lafayette, Holy Cross, and Air Force. The Cadets’ only losses came to Boston College, defending Big Eight champion Colorado, Notre Dame, and defending national champion Pitt, who played in the Gator Bowl in 1977. Leamon Hall threw for over 1900 yards, while tight end Clennie Brundidge had over 800 receiving yards to lead one of the East’s top offenses.
There are some great players on these teams that hopefully a few people will remember.
- Army
- QB Leamon Hall had a great year (55% and 18 TDs) throwing to All-American TE Clennie Brudidge (52 catches for 16.5 average and 4 TDs).
- On defense, DE Chuck Schott was selected as an All-American
- Navy
- TB Joe Gattuso ran for 1,292 yards and 6 TDs (his dad was actually a really good RB for Navy as well)
- Phil McConkey (yes, the WR for the Giants championship team) had a nice year (34 catches for 596 and 4 TDs)
- On defense, CB John Sturges was selected as an All-American
In the 1977 Army-Navy football game, Army defeated Navy 17-14 in a cold, snowy game at Philadelphia's John F. Kennedy Stadium.
The game was played in near-zero temperatures and a large crowd of over 81,000 spectators. The victory capped a successful 7-4 season for Army, which was their best since 1968. The Army defense tallied two first-quarter interceptions, and Navy missed a game-tying opportunity late in the fourth quarter.
The Independence Bowl was in its second year of operation. The bowl accommodated the Southland Conference champion in the aftermath of Arkansas State’s 1975 11-0 season that ended without a bowl. Unfortunately, the Independence Bowl struggled to find an opposing team in its first year. Teams quietly exited the running, while Rutgers bluntly declined an invitation from the Independence Bowl despite it being their first bowl appearance. The Independence Bowl ultimately settled for 7-3-1 Tulsa, champion of the five-team Missouri Valley Conference.
A solid Army team presented an opportunity for the bowl. A November 18, 1977 report from the Hattiesburg American documented Army made “indirect contact” with the bowl. The Independence Bowl also had 10-0 Colgate, 8-3 East Carolina, and 6-3-1 Louisville in its pool of prospective opponents for the Southland champion after their first choice Maryland opted for the Hall of Fame Classic in Birmingham.
Ultimately, this trip to Shreveport never came to fruition. Army beat Navy in its final game but did not attend its first bowl until 1984, when they played in the Cherry Bowl. The Independence instead opted for Army’s future Conference USA and AAC cohort, East Carolina. Still, this Independence Bowl scenario leaves room for fun thought experiments involving the 1977 team.
Nineteen years after Army’s triumphant 1977 campaign, the Black Knights finally made it to Shreveport to cap a 10-1 regular season. This year’s Black Knights continues an intriguing history of close calls and near-participation in the Independence Bowl. This month’s Independence Bowl is another step in a nearly five-decade odyssey to the Independence Bowl.
*For more on the 1977 Army Team, read Operation Black September by Mike Belter, the definitive retrospective on the 1977 Cadets
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