Wikipedia

1951 Army Cadets football team

The 1951 Army Cadets football team represented the United States Military Academy in the 1951 college football season. Led by head coach Earl Blaik, the team finished with a record of 2–7. The Cadets offense scored 116 points, while the defense allowed 183 points.

1951 Army Cadets football
ConferenceIndependent
Record2–7
Head coach
CaptainGame captains
Home stadiumMichie Stadium
Seasons
← 1950
1952 →
1951 Eastern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Bucknell   –   9 – 0 – 0
No. 6 Princeton   –   9 – 0 – 0
Susquehanna   –   6 – 0 – 0
Trenton State   –   6 – 0 – 0
Northeastern   –   6 – 0 – 1
No. 19 Holy Cross   –   8 – 2 – 0
Carnegie Tech   –   6 – 2 – 0
Hofstra   –   6 – 2 – 1
Cornell   –   6 – 3 – 0
No. 16 Boston University   –   6 – 4 – 0
Temple   –   6 – 4 – 0
Columbia   –   5 – 3 – 0
Villanova   –   5 – 3 – 0
Fordham   –   5 – 4 – 0
Franklin & Marshall   –   5 – 4 – 0
Penn   –   5 – 4 – 0
Penn State   –   5 – 4 – 0
Syracuse   –   5 – 4 – 0
Buffalo   –   4 – 4 – 0
Colgate   –   4 – 5 – 0
Dartmouth   –   4 – 5 – 0
Drexel   –   3 – 4 – 0
Harvard   –   3 – 5 – 1
Boston College   –   3 – 6 – 0
Yale   –   2 – 5 – 2
Pittsburgh   –   3 – 7 – 0
Geneva   –   2 – 5 – 0
Army   –   2 – 7 – 0
Brown   –   2 – 7 – 0
NYU   –   1 – 7 – 0
Tufts   –   0 – 7 – 2
Rankings from AP Poll

Army was ranked at No. 89 in the 1951 Litkenhous Ratings.[1]

Offseason

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In the offseason, Blaik was still agitated by the loss Army suffered to Navy in 1950. In addition, he was upset over the dismissal of General Douglas MacArthur. Sam Galiffa, who was part of the 1949 team, was now a decorated aide to General Matthew Ridgway. Galiffa arranged for members of the Army coaching staff to come to Japan and visit the troops.[2] Vince Lombardi and Doug Kenna first visited Tokyo and conducted several football clinics for the troops stationed there. Although defensive coordinator Murray Warmath helped the discharged players relocate to other schools, it was his last year at Army. He left at the end of the season to become the head coach for Mississippi State.[3]

Honor code violation

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A massive honor code academic violation was revealed in the spring of 1951. There were accusations that football players were distributing unauthorized academic information.[4] This was reported to Colonel Paul Harkins on April 2. It was later revealed that Red Blaik's son, Bob, was part of the honor code violation.[5] On August 3, the violations were announced and several athletes were implicated in the scandal.[6]

Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. spoke to assistant coach Doug Kenna and he helped pay the way for several discharged players to attend the University of Notre Dame.[3] Bob Blaik left Army for Colorado College.[3] Of the players that were discharged, three went on to careers in the National Football League: Al Pollard, Gene Filipski and Ray Malavasi. Malavasi also became head coach of the Los Angeles Rams.[7]

The event was dramatized in the 2005 ESPN film Code Breakers.

Regular season

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The makeshift team that was assembled had no involvement in the honor violation, but they were still a reminder of it. After losing several games to Ivy League schools, Army defeated Columbia for its first win. The team received a congratulatory note from General Douglas MacArthur.[8]

In sixth week of the season, the Cadets played Frank Gifford and his USC Trojans squad at Yankee Stadium.[8] Before the Army–Navy Game, the Cadets had a record of 2–6. This was Blaik's only losing season at Army.[9] In the Army–Navy game, Navy scored two touchdowns before Army even ran an offensive series.

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 29Villanova
L 7–21
October 6at Northwestern
L 14–20
October 13Dartmouth
  • Michie Stadium
  • West Point, NY
L 14–2820,242[10]
October 20at Harvard
L 21–2214,000[11]
October 27Columbia
  • Michie Stadium
  • West Point, NY
W 14–920,349[12]
November 3vs. No. 7 USC
L 6–2816,508[13]
November 10The Citadel
  • Michie Stadium
  • West Point, NY
W 27–628,183[14]
November 17at Penn
L 6–740,000[15]
December 1vs. Navy
L 7–42
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

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1951 Army Black Knights football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
HB Tommy Bell Fr
G Leroy Lunn So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Vols Top Final 1951 Litkenhous Ratings". The Nashville Banner. December 14, 1951. p. 49 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p.118, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  3. ^ a b c When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p.131, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  4. ^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p.120, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  5. ^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p.123, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  6. ^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p.130, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  7. ^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p.132, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  8. ^ a b When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p.138, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  9. ^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p.139, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  10. ^ Effrat, Louis (October 14, 1951). "Dartmouth Whips West Point, 28-14". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  11. ^ Effrat, Louis (October 21, 1951). "Harvard Tops Army; Cadets Upset, 22-21". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  12. ^ Sheehan, Joseph M. (October 28, 1951). "Army Upsets Columbia, 14-9; Cadets Hold Fast". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  13. ^ "Trojans Overpower Green Army Eleven at Yankee Stadium, 28-6". Asbury Park Press. Asbury Park, New Jersey. Associated Press. November 4, 1951. p. 13. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com  .
  14. ^ "Army defeats Citadel, 27–6". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 11, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Effrat, Louis (November 18, 1951). "Sempier's Kick Tops Cadets After Ruling Aids Quakers". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
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