1978 Navy Midshipmen football team

External videos
External videos
	Game broadcast (part 1)
	Game broadcast (part 2)
	Game broadcast (part 3)
	Game broadcast (part 4)

1978 Navy Midshipmen football
1978 Navy Midshipmen football
Holiday Bowl champion
Holiday Bowl, W 23–16 vs. BYU
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 17
Record	9–3
Head coach	George Welsh (6th season);
Captain	Nick Mygas, Phil McConkey
Home stadium	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
	Seasons ← 1977 1979 →

1978 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 4 Penn State		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
North Texas State		–		–		9	–	2	–	0
East Carolina		–		–		9	–	3	–	0
Navy		–		–		9	–	3	–	0
No. 7 Notre Dame		–		–		9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–		9	–	3	–	0
Florida State		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Temple		–		–		7	–	3	–	1
Pittsburgh		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
UNLV		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–		6	–	4	–	1
Georgia Tech		–		–		7	–	5	–	0
Hawaii		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
South Carolina		–		–		5	–	5	–	1
William & Mary		–		–		5	–	5	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Army		–		–		4	–	6	–	1
Memphis State		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Tulane		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Air Force		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Colgate		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Illinois State		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
West Virginia		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
Boston College		–		–		0	–	11	–	0

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1978 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach George Welsh.^[1]^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	at Virginia		Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 32–0	28,472	^[3]
September 23	at Connecticut		Memorial Stadium Storrs, CT	W 30–0	6,804	^[4]
September 30	at Boston College		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	W 19–8	24,082	^[5]
October 7	at Air Force		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)	W 37–8	30,482	^[6]
October 14	Duke		Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	W 31–8	21,431	^[7]
October 21	William & Mary	No. 17	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	W 9–0	20,193	^[8]
October 28	Pittsburgh	No. 18	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	W 21–11	32,909	^[9]
November 4	vs. No. 15 Notre Dame	No. 11	Municipal Stadium Cleveland, OH (rivalry)	L 7–27	63,780	^[10]
November 11	at Syracuse	No. 18	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	L 17–20	26,429	^[11]
November 18	at Florida State		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	L 6–38	45,795	^[12]
December 2	vs. Army		John F. Kennedy Stadium Philadelphia, PA (Army–Navy Game)	W 28–0	79,026	^[13]
December 22	vs. BYU		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl)	W 23–16	52,500	^[14]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[15]

Game summaries

At Virginia

At Connecticut

At Boston College

At Air Force

	1	2	3	4	Total
Navy (3–0)	10	13	7	7	37
Air Force (2–2)	0	0	0	8	8

Attendance: 30,482
Navy scored on six of its first seven possessions, gained over 400 yards of total offense and held Air Force to 75 yards through three quarters
Navy's best start since 1960
NAVY: Tata 47 FG
NAVY: McConkey 19 run (Tata kick)
NAVY: Tata 39 FG
NAVY: McConkey 36 pass from Leszczynski (Tata kick)
NAVY: Tata 43 FG
NAVY: Gainer 17 run (Tata kick)
AFA: Fortson 11 run (pass good)
NAVY: Callahan 39 run (Tata kick)

^[16]

Duke

William & Mary

Pittsburgh

vs Notre Dame

At Syracuse

At Florida State

Navy Midshipmen (7–2) at Florida State Seminoles (6–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Navy	3	3	0	0	6
Florida St	0	7	17	14	38

at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

Date: November 18, 1978
Game time: 12:50 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Partly cloudy, 76 °F (24 °C)
Game attendance: 45,795
Referee: W.T. Miller
TV: ABC
Box Score

Navy accepted bid to Holiday Bowl

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Navy	Passing	Bob Leszczynski	10/20, 188 Yds, INT
	Rushing	Kevin Tolbert	5 Rush, 27 Yds
	Receiving	Sandy Jones	2 Rec, 51 Yds
Florida St	Passing	Jimmy Jordan	15/27, 280 Yds, 4 TD
	Rushing	Greg Ramsey	5 Rush, 51 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Sam Platt	6 Rec, 145 Yds, 3 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	NAVY	FSU
1	0:48	4	35		Navy	43-yard field goal by Bob Tata	3	0
2	4:10	3	60		Florida St	Greg Ramsey 12-yard touchdown run, Dave Cappelen kick good	3	7
2	2:28	6	77		Navy	46-yard field goal by Bob Tata	6	7
3	11:58	4	28		Florida St	38-yard field goal by Dave Cappelen	6	10
3	9:38	3	11		Florida St	Sam Platt 4-yard touchdown reception from Jimmy Jordan, Dave Cappelen kick good	6	17
3	6:55	4	56		Florida St	Sam Platt 36-yard touchdown reception from Jimmy Jordan, Dave Cappelen kick good	6	24
4	13:50	5	90		Florida St	Sam Platt 51-yard touchdown reception from Jimmy Jordan, Dave Cappelen kick good	6	31
4	9:00	7	53		Florida St	Grady King 23-yard touchdown reception from Jimmy Jordan, Dave Cappelen kick good	6	38
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							6	38

vs Army

Army Cadets vs. Navy Midshipmen

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Army	0	0	0	0	0
Navy	14	7	7	0	28

at JFK Stadium • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Date: December 2
Game attendance: 79,026
^[17]

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	ARMY	NAVY
1					Navy	Bob Leszczynski 3-yard touchdown run, Bob Tata kick good	0	7
1					Navy	Steve Callahan 1-yard touchdown run, Bob Tata kick good	0	14
2					Navy	Bob Leszczynski 1-yard touchdown run, Bob Tata kick good	0	21
3					Navy	Steve Callahan 18-yard touchdown reception from Bob Leszczynski, Bob Tata kick good	0	28
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							0	28

Holiday Bowl (vs BYU)

Personnel

1978 Navy Midshipmen football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
OL		Rick Bott
RB		Steve Callahan
WR		Mike Chapon
RB		Dwayne Dennis
OL		Tom Feldman
RB		Duane Flowers
TE		Curt Gainer
TE		Carl Hendershot
WR		Sandy Jones
FB	`33`	Larry Klawinski	Jr
RB		Chris Klein
OL		Steve Kremer
QB	`15`	Bob Leszczynski	Sr
OL		Frank McCallister
WR		Phil McConkey (C)
TE		Matt McLaughlin
QB		Kevin McTavish
RB		Eddie Meyers
TE		Greg Papajohn
QB		Bob Powers
RB	`23`	Mike Sherlock	So
OL		John Taylor
RB		Kevin Tolbert
RB		Dave Walker

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DL		Steve Chambers
DL		John Merrill
LB		Gregg Milo
LB		Nick Mygas (C)
LB		Tom Paulk
DB		Fred Reitzel
DL		Mark Stephens
DL		Charlie Thornton
DB		Bob Wilson
DB		Chuck Zingler

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P		Lex Lauletta
P		Art Ohanian
K		Bob Tata

Head coach

George Welsh

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

References

^ "Football History" (PDF). United States Naval Academy. p. 194. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
^ "Navy Yearly Results (1975-1979)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
^ "Navy torpedoes UVa, Cavaliers yet to score". The Danville Register. September 17, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Navy, 30–0". The Tampa Tribune-Times. September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Defense lifts Navy past B.C." The Baltimore Sun. October 1, 1978. p. C1, C15 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Middies remain perfect". The Pensacola News-Journal. October 8, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Unbeaten Navy drops Duke, 31–8". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 15, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Navy escapes upset bid, 9–0". The Miami Herald. October 22, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Navy impressive in defeating Pitt, 21–11". The Hartford Courant. October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Notre Dame sinks Navy, 27–7". The Plain Dealer. November 5, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Searing, Robert (November 12, 2021). "SU football fans rush the field at the last game ever played at Archbold Stadium". The Post-Standard. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
^ "FSU rolls but Navy bowls". The Orlando Sentinel Star. November 19, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Leszcznski leads attack as Navy scuttles Army 28–0". The Sacramento Bee. December 3, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Navy rallies to down Cougars, 23 to 16". The Baltimore Sun. December 23, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1978 Navy Midshipmen Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
^ Palm Beach Post. 1978 Oct 08.
^ Eugene Register-Guard. 1978 Dec 03. Retrieved 2019-Jan-21.

This college football 1970s season article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article related to sports in Annapolis, Maryland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[FH-1] "Football History" (PDF). United States Naval Academy. p. 194. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2015.

[CFDW-2] "Navy Yearly Results (1975-1979)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.

[3] "Navy torpedoes UVa, Cavaliers yet to score". The Danville Register. September 17, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Navy, 30–0". The Tampa Tribune-Times. September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Defense lifts Navy past B.C." The Baltimore Sun. October 1, 1978. p. C1, C15 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Middies remain perfect". The Pensacola News-Journal. October 8, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "Unbeaten Navy drops Duke, 31–8". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 15, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "Navy escapes upset bid, 9–0". The Miami Herald. October 22, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] "Navy impressive in defeating Pitt, 21–11". The Hartford Courant. October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] "Notre Dame sinks Navy, 27–7". The Plain Dealer. November 5, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[11] Searing, Robert (November 12, 2021). "SU football fans rush the field at the last game ever played at Archbold Stadium". The Post-Standard. Retrieved November 25, 2021.

[12] "FSU rolls but Navy bowls". The Orlando Sentinel Star. November 19, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[13] "Leszcznski leads attack as Navy scuttles Army 28–0". The Sacramento Bee. December 3, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[14] "Navy rallies to down Cougars, 23 to 16". The Baltimore Sun. December 23, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[15] "1978 Navy Midshipmen Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2024.

[16] Palm Beach Post. 1978 Oct 08.

[17] Eugene Register-Guard. 1978 Dec 03. Retrieved 2019-Jan-21.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

v t e Navy Midshipmen football
Venues	Worden Field (1890–1923) Thompson Stadium (1924–1958) Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (1959–present) Memorial Stadium (alternate)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Army: Army–Navy Game (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Air Force: Commander-in-Chief's Trophy Johns Hopkins Maryland: Crab Bowl Classic Notre Dame SMU: Gansz Trophy
Culture & lore	Bill the Goat "Anchors Aweigh" "I believe that we will win!" Marching band "Navy ends the drought" 2007 North Texas game Salute That Navy Spirit Navy Blue and Gold
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees
Seasons	1879 1880–1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold