We’ve shown you some great players, with plenty more to come before the 2012 college football season kicks off, but here’s a quick break for a rare spotlight on an assistant coach made good. Vince Lombardi coached under Red Blaik at Army from 1949 to 1953, helping West Point to one unbeaten season and two one-loss campaigns. After Army, he spent a few years as offensive coordinator with the New York Giants, patrolling the sidelines with defensive coordinator Tom Landry — not a bad coaching staff, if you can get it. In 1959, he left New York for Green Bay,…
Browsing: Army
As part of an ongoing project about military sponsorship in professional sports, I’m in Daytona covering the #88 National Guard race team. Here are a few shots from today’s qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway. Stay tuned for more photos following Saturday night’s race.
A former soldier’s quest that started with a YouTube workout video ended Friday, as the NCAA granted Daniel Rodriguez permission to join the Clemson football team for the upcoming season. Rodriguez earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart in Afghanistan in October 2009, and also served in Iraq, according to The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier report announcing his eligibility. He left the Army as a sergeant and posted a workout video that caught the attention of many, including our workout folks at the PT365 blog and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. Rodriguez enrolled at Clemson and will use his…
Another one for the “too good to be true” file — recent reports suggesting the Army football team was on track to play Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium in 2013 have been shot down by a Notre Dame spokesman, who told ESPN.com blogger Matt Fortuna that the Irish won’t play the Black Knights in 2013. Fortuna had picked up the initial report from the Times-Herald Record on Friday. The Record cited an unnamed source who claimed the deal for a 2013 game at Yankee Stadium was already done. According to an Army news release from 2011, the Black Knights are…
A brief recap: Eugene Ely piloted his Curtiss Hudson Flier off the scout cruiser Birmingham on Nov. 14, 1910, to usher in the era of naval aviation. Then, for a century, important stuff happened. It’s all here, if you’re curious. After 100 years or so, things got a little dull. It was time to use the embodiment of American force projection, the aircraft carrier, for something a little less important. Something that put form over function. Something ridiculous on its face, but good for morale — think golfing on the moon, but with a sponsor. The Quicken Loans Carrier Classic…
From leaving the Navy to being honored by the Army to the never-ending offseason soap opera that is the Big East Conference, here’s some quick football hits while you pick your favorite “Anchorman” clip — sequel trailer or Tim Kennedy experience: 1. Kettani’s quest. The Boston Herald gives an extensive look at Naval Academy grad Lt. j.g. Eric Kettani’s struggle to secure an early release from service to play football for the New England Patriots, a release he was granted late last month. Kettani must pay back about $60,000 for his education and will continue to serve in the Navy…
Three quick hits for a Monday afternoon: 1. Clark’s dad: He didn’t know. The news broke Friday and The Associated Press picked it up Saturday: Senior Air Force running back Asher Clark, second on the Falcons’ all-time rushing list, is no longer at the school, reportedly after being part of an academy investigation into illegal drug use. Sunday, Frank Schwab at The (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Gazette gave the Clark family’s side of the story via Asher’s father, Mark, who said his son thought he was smoking tobacco at a March 2011 party when in fact he’d been given a pipe…
The Sporting News just released its ranking of all 124 college football coaches. It gives new meaning to the word “complete.” Also, possibly new meaning to the word “long.” We’ll simplify for you service academy football fans: Air Force gets bragging rights, with head coach Troy Calhoun checking in at No. 29. Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo checks in at No. 35, while Army’s Rich Ellerson rounds out the academy pack at 79. The SN folks don’t spell out their methodology, but if you went by traditional metrics — you know, like their records from last year — you’d have the same…
I spent the weekend at Richmond International Raceway to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run the Army car during Saturday’s Capital City 400 at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia. Driven by Ryan Newman, the Army-sponsored Chevrolet finished the night in 15th place. In addition to the action on the track, I spent some time at the Army’s ‘Strength in Action Zone’ on the midway at the RIR complex. Besides an appearance by Newman and the presence of the Army #39 show car, the zone featured interactive displays and a helicopter flight simulator. While the rainy weather…
