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Army Black Knights football

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Army Black Knights football
2024 Army Black Knights football team
First season1890; 134 years ago
Athletic directorMike Buddie
Head coachJeff Monken
11th season, 81–57 (.587)
StadiumMichie Stadium
(capacity: 36,000)
Year built1924
Field surfaceFieldTurf
LocationWest Point, New York
NCAA divisionDivision I FBS
ConferenceThe American
Past conferencesIndependent
(1890–1997, 2005–2023)
Conference USA (1998−2004)
All-time record738–547–51 (.571)
Bowl record7–3 (.700)
Claimed national titles5 (1914, 1916, 1944, 1945, 1946)[1]
Conference titles1 (2024)
RivalriesAir Force (CiCT)
Navy (rivalry, CiCT)
Notre Dame (rivalry)
Heisman winnersDoc Blanchard – 1945
Glenn Davis – 1946
Pete Dawkins – 1958
Consensus All-Americans37
Current uniform
ColorsBlack, gold, and gray[2]
     
Fight songOn, Brave Old Army Team
MascotArmy Mules
Marching bandUnited States Military Academy Band
OutfitterNike
WebsiteGoArmyWestPoint.com

The Army Black Knights football team, historically known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. The Black Knights team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Black Knights play home games in Michie Stadium with a capacity of 36,000 at West Point, New York. The Black Knights are coached by Jeff Monken, who has held the position since 2014.

Army claims five national championships, including two AP Trophies in 1944 and 1945.[1] Army has produced 24 players and four coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame, 37 consensus All-Americans, and three Heisman Trophy winners: Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946), and Pete Dawkins (1958).[3]

With the exception of seven seasons (1998–2004) when the team was a member of Conference USA, Army competed as an independent, meaning that they had no affiliation with any conference. They started to compete in the American Athletic Conference as a football-only member in 2024. For all other sports Army is primarily a member of the Patriot League.

Army competes with their historic rivals Navy in the Army–Navy Game, traditionally the final game of the college football regular season. The three major service academies—Army, Navy, and Air Force—compete for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy; Army has won the award ten times, most recently in 2023.

History

[edit]

Army's football program began on November 29, 1890, when Navy challenged the cadets to a game of the relatively new sport. Navy defeated Army at West Point that year, but Army avenged the loss in Annapolis the following year.[4] The academies still clash every December in what is traditionally the last regular-season Division I college-football game.

Army's football team reached its pinnacle of success during the Second World War under coach Earl Blaik when Army won three consecutive national championships in 1944, 1945 and 1946, and produced two Heisman trophy winners: Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946). From 1944 to 1950, the Cadets had 57 wins, 3 losses and 4 ties. During this time span, Army won three national championships.[5] Army produced a third Heisman trophy winner in 1958 when Pete Dawkins took the honors.[6]

Past NFL coaches Vince Lombardi[7] and Bill Parcells[8] were Army assistant coaches early in their careers.

The football team plays its home games at Michie Stadium, where the playing field is named after Earl Blaik. Cadets' attendance is mandatory at football games and the Corps stands for the duration of the game. At all home games, one of the four regiments marches onto the field in formation before the team takes the field and leads the crowd in traditional Army cheers. Two of the regiments are tasked with performing the morning parade while the last regiment is tasked with ancillary stadium duties.[9]

For many years, Army teams were known as the "Cadets." In the 1940s, several papers called the football team "the Black Knights of the Hudson." From then on, "Cadets" and "Black Knights" were used interchangeably until 1999, when the team was officially nicknamed the Black Knights. Individual cadets as well as groups of cadets to include the entire team are still often referred to as "Cadet" or "The Cadets" with regard to athletic events.

Between the 1998 and 2004 seasons, Army's football program was a member of Conference USA, but starting with the 2005 season Army reverted to its former independent status.[10] Army competes with Navy and Air Force for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. In 2024, Army began competing in the American Athletic Conference. While Air Force competes in a separate conference, Navy also competes in the AAC. The regular season matchup between Army and Navy is competed as a non-conference matchup after the conference championship game and therefore does not affect conference standings.

National championships

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Army has won five national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors, including twice (1944, 1945) from the AP Poll.[11]: 108–115 [1]

Year Coach Selectors Record Final AP Final Coaches
1914 Charles Daly Helms, Parke Davis, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation[11]: 111  9–0
1916 Parke Davis[11]: 111  9–0
1944 Earl Blaik AP, Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling, Sagarin, Williamson[11]: 111  9–0 No. 1
1945 AP, Berryman, Billingsley MOV, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELOChess), Williamson[11]: 112  9–0
1946 Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, Poling[11]: 112  9–0–1 No. 2

Conference championships

[edit]
Season Conference Coach Conference record Overall record
2024 American Athletic Conference Jeff Monken 8–0 11–2

Lambert Trophy

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The Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy (known as the Lambert Trophy), established in 1936, is an annual award given to the best team in the East in Division I FBS (formerly I-A) college football and is presented by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers. Army has won the Lambert Trophy nine times; seven times under head coach Earl "Red" Blaik in the 1940s and 1950s, and twice under head coach Jeff Monken in 2018 and 2020.[12][13]

Year Coach Record Final AP rank
1944 Earl Blaik 9–0 #1
1945 Earl Blaik 9–0 #1
1946 Earl Blaik 9–0–1 #2
1948 Earl Blaik 8–0–1 #6
1949 Earl Blaik 9–0 #4
1953 Earl Blaik 7–1–1 #14
1958 Earl Blaik 8–0–1 #3
2018 Jeff Monken 11–2 #19
2020 Jeff Monken 9–3 NR

Bowl games

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Army has played in ten bowl games. They have a record of 7–3.

Season Coach Bowl Date Opponent Result
1984 Jim Young Cherry Bowl December 22, 1984 Michigan State W 10–6
1985 Peach Bowl December 31, 1985 Illinois W 31–29
1988 Sun Bowl December 24, 1988 Alabama L 28–29
1996 Bob Sutton Independence Bowl December 31, 1996 Auburn L 29–32
2010 Rich Ellerson Armed Forces Bowl December 30, 2010 SMU W 16–14
2016 Jeff Monken Heart of Dallas Bowl December 27, 2016 North Texas W 38–31 OT
2017 Armed Forces Bowl December 23, 2017 San Diego State W 42–35
2018 Armed Forces Bowl December 22, 2018 Houston W 70–14
2020 Liberty Bowl December 31, 2020 West Virginia L 21–24
2021 Armed Forces Bowl December 22, 2021 Missouri W 24–22
2024 Independence Bowl December 28, 2024 Louisiana Tech TBD

Future bowl tie-ins

[edit]

The NCAA's football oversight committee determined the number of primary bowl tie-ins for each FBS conference and FBS independent for the 2020–2025 bowl cycle using eligibility data from the 2014–2017 seasons.[14] The Black Knights received one guaranteed tie-in per year. On October 24, 2019, the West Point Athletic Department announced that they had agreed to a contract that placed their team, if eligible, in the Independence Bowl for three of the six years, with the remaining years being contracted to an ESPN Events-owned bowl.[15][16]

The contract includes a clause that allows Army the ability to accept a bid from a different bowl game once during the three-year agreement with the Independence Bowl and once during the three-year agreement with ESPN Events. Aligning with this, on November 5 Army announced that it had agreed to a secondary contractual tie-in with the Duke's Mayo Bowl.[17] It agreed that it would serve as the primary backup for the bowl and would have the opportunity to accept an invitation to the game twice during the six-year cycle. The Duke's Mayo Bowl's primary tie-ins for the 2020–2025 cycle are the ACC (all years), the SEC (odd years), and the Big Ten (even years); if any of those conferences were unable to place a team into the bowl during any of those years, Army would be extended an invitation to fill their place. The opponent conferences for the Independence Bowl were announced to be the Pac-12 and the American on January 30, 2020.[18][19]

Season Bowl Opponent
2020 Independence Bowl Pac-12
2021 ESPN Owned and Operated Bowl
2022 Independence Bowl American
2023 ESPN Owned and Operated Bowl
2024 Independence Bowl Pac-12
2025 ESPN Owned and Operated Bowl

The Duke's Mayo Bowl can extend an invitation to Army once during the even years (2020, 2022, 2026) and once during the odd years (2021, 2023, 2025) to fill a vacancy as part of a secondary tie-in.

ESPN Events operates the following 16 bowls that Army could be invited to during odd years of the cycle:

Head coaches

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Coach Years Seasons Games Record Pct. Bowl Games
Dennis Michie 1890, 1892 1 6 3–2–1 .583
Henry L. Williams 1891 1 7 5–1–1 .786
Laurie Bliss 1893 1 9 4–5 .444
Harmon S. Graves 1894–1895 2 14 10–4 .714
George P. Dyer 1896 1 6 3–2–1 .583
Herman Koehler 1897–1900 4 33 19–11–3 .621
Leon Kromer 1901 1 8 5–1–2 .750
Dennis E. Nolan 1902 1 8 6–1–1 .813
Edward Leonard King 1903 1 9 6–2–1 .722
Robert Boyers 1904–1905 2 18 11–6–1 .639
Henry Smither 1906–1907 2 10 7–2–1 .750
Ernest Graves, Sr. 1906, 1912 2 16 7–8–1 .469
Harry Nelly 1908–1910 3 22 15–5–2 .727
Joseph Beacham 1911 1 8 6–1–1 .813
Charles Dudley Daly 1913–1916, 1919–1922 8 74 58–13–3 .804
Geoffrey Keyes 1917 1 8 7–1 .875
Hugh Mitchell 1918 1 1 1–0 1.000
John McEwan 1923–1925 3 26 18–5–3 .750
Biff Jones 1926–1929 4 40 30–8–2 .775
Ralph Sasse 1930–1932 3 32 25–5–2 .813
Garrison H. Davidson 1933–1937 5 47 35–11–1 .755
William H. Wood 1938–1940 3 28 12–13–1 .481
Earl Blaik 1941–1958 18 164 121–33–10 .768
Dale Hall 1959–1961 3 29 16–11–2 .586
Paul Dietzel 1962–1965 4 40 21–18–1 .538
Tom Cahill 1966–1973 8 81 40–39–2 .506
Homer Smith 1974–1978 5 55 21–33–1 .391
Lou Saban 1979 1 11 2–8–1 .227
Ed Cavanaugh 1980–1982 3 33 10–21–2 .333
Jim Young 1983–1990 8 91 51–39–1 .566 3
Bob Sutton 1991–1999 9 100 44–55–1 .445 1
Todd Berry 2000–2003 4 41 5–36 .122
John Mumford 2003 1 6 0–6 .000
Bobby Ross 2004–2006 3 34 9–25 .265
Stan Brock 2007–2008 2 24 6–18 .250
Rich Ellerson 2009–2013 5 61 20–41 .328 1
Jeff Monken 2014–present 11 138 81–57 .587 5

† Dennis Michie coached 1 game in 1890, and then coached a full season in 1892.

Rivalries

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Commander-in-Chief's Trophy

[edit]

Air Force, Army, and Navy have played each other every year since 1972 for the Commander-in Chief's Trophy. Air Force leads the FBS service academies with 21 victories, Navy has 16 victories, and Army has 10 victories, with the trophy being shared 5 times. Army is the current holder of the trophy.

Air Force

[edit]

Air Force and Army meet annually and vie for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Air Force leads Army 38–19–1 through the 2023 season.[20] In a shocking upset Army defeated Air Force on November 4, 2023, in Denver at Empower Field. Air Force was nationally ranked and undefeated going into the game. Army prevailed 23–3.[21]

After the Navy–Notre Dame game was canceled in 2020, the Army–Air Force game became the longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalry in college football.

[edit]

Army and Navy play each other annually in the Army–Navy game, which is also a part of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. This series is one of the oldest and traditional rivalries in the NCAA. They first met in 1890, and have played each other annually since 1930. The games are generally played at a neutral site. Navy leads the series 63–55–7 through the 2024 season.[22]

Notre Dame

[edit]

Notre Dame is a rivalry which some feel [according to whom?] has fallen into obscurity. In much of the early 20th century, Army and Notre Dame were considered football powerhouses, and met 34 times between 1913 and 1947. Though the rivalry has slowed down, they last met in 2024, with Notre Dame winning 49-14. Many media members considered the 1946 contest to be the "Game of the Century".[23] Notre Dame leads the series 39–8–4 through the 2018 season.[24]

Michie Stadium

[edit]

Michie Stadium, which opened in 1924, is the home stadium of the Army Black Knights in West Point, New York. The stadium is named after the first Army football head coach, Dennis Michie. In 1999, the field was renamed Blaik Field at Michie Stadium in honor of former coach Earl Blaik.

In 1999, Sports Illustrated ranked Michie Stadium the third-best sports venue of the 20th century.[25]

Traditions

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Songs

Alma Mater is the Army's school song. Army's fight song is "On, Brave Old Army Team". Army also plays other organized cheers; Army Rocket Yell, Black, Gold, and Gray, and USMA Cheer.[26]

Mascot

Army's mascots are the Army Mules. While dating back to 1899, they were officially adopted as mascots by USMA in 1936.[27]

College Football Hall of Fame

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The following 4 individuals have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as coaches.

Name Position Years at Army Inducted
Biff Jones HC 1926–1929 1954
Earl "Red" Blaik HC 1941–1958 1964
Jim Young HC 1983–1999 1999
Henry L. Williams HC 1891 1951

The following 24 individuals have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as players. Daly and McEwan also served as Army's head coach.

Name Position Years at Army Inducted
Charlie Daly QB 1901–1902 1951
Chris Cagle HB 1926–1929 1954
Ed Garbisch C/OG 1921–1924 1954
Elmer Oliphant FB 1916–1917 1955
Glenn Davis HB 1943–1946 1961
John McEwan C 1913–1916 1962
Doc Blanchard FB 1944–1946 1964
Paul Bunker HB/OT 1901–1902 1969
Harry Wilson HB 1924 1973
Barney Poole TE/DE 1944–1946 1974
Alex Weyand OT 1914–1915 1974
Pete Dawkins HB 1956–1958 1975
Harvey Jablonsky OG 1931–1933 1978
Bud Sprague OT 1926–1927 1979
Bill Carpenter TE 1957–1959 1982
Arnold Galiffa QB 1947–1949 1983
Doug Kenna QB 1942–1944 1984
Don Holleder End/QB 1953–1955 1985
Robin Olds T 1941–1942 1985
Joe Steffy OG 1945–1947 1987
John Green OG 1943–1945 1989
Frank Merritt OT 1942–1943 1996
Bob Anderson HB 1957–1959 2004
Arnold Tucker QB 1945–1946 2008

Other notable players

[edit]

President of the United States and General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and General of the Army Omar Bradley were on the 1912 Army football team. Eisenhower was injured and his football career was over by 1913, when the two future generals were juniors. Bradley, a star of the Army baseball team for four years, was on the field in 1913 when Notre Dame upset Army in a historic college football game in which the forward pass was used for the first time. Bradley played end opposite the legendary Knute Rockne, the Notre Dame end who later coached the Irish to national championships before dying in a plane crash near Bazaar, Kansas, on Easter Friday in 1931.

Retired numbers

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Pete Dawkins (right) and Doc Blanchard, two of the players who have their numbers retired by Army
Army Black Knights retired numbers
No. Player Pos. Tenure No. ret. Ref.
24 Pete Dawkins HB 1956–1958 2008 [28][29]
35 Doc Blanchard FB 1944–1946 2009 [28][29]
41 Glenn Davis HB 1943–1946 2005 [29][28]
61 Joe Steffy G 1945–1947 2009 [29][28]

Award winners

[edit]
Doc Blanchard – 1945
Glenn Davis – 1946
Pete Dawkins – 1958
Earl Blaik – 1946
Tom Cahill – 1966
Tom Cahill – 1966
Bob Sutton – 1996
Jeff Monken – 2018[30]
  • Vince Lombardi College Football Coach of the Year
Jeff Monken – 2018[31]
Jeff Monken – 2018[32]
  • ECAC Division I FBS Football Coach of the Year
Jeff Monken – 2021[33]
Glenn Davis – 1944
Doc Blanchard – 1945
Pete Dawkins – 1958
Joe Steffy – 1947
Andrew Rodriguez – 2011[34]
Doc Blanchard 1945
Arnold Tucker 1946
Andrew Rodriguez – 2011[35]
Andrew King – 2016[36]
Arik Smith – 2021[37][38]

Future schedules

[edit]

Schedules as of December 18, 2024.[39]

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034
Lehigh Tarleton State (FCS) at Boston College at Old Dominion at Middle Tennessee Old Dominion
Air Force at Kansas State Air Force at Air Force Texas State Cincinnati at UMass at Troy
vs. Notre Dame (Bronx, NY) at Air Force at Wake Forest at UConn Air Force at Air Force Air Force at Air Force Air Force at Air Force Air Force
vs. Navy1 vs. Navy2 vs. Navy3 vs. Navy4 vs. Navy5 vs. Navy5 vs. Navy5 vs. Navy5 vs. Navy5 vs. Navy5 vs. Navy5
  1. At FedExField, Landover, MD
  2. At M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
  3. At MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
  4. At Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
  5. At TBD
  • In 2029 and 2033, Army currently has five non–conference games scheduled, will need to eliminate one more.

Radio

[edit]

Radio rights are held by Learfield through Army West Point Sports Properties, a joint venture with the USMA, and are branded on-air as the "Army Sports Network from Learfield". Pamal Broadcasting-owned WGHQ in Kingston, New York serves as the network's flagship station.

Former affiliates (1 station)

[edit]

Current broadcast team

[edit]
Army Sports Network
  • Rich DeMarco (play-by-play)
  • Dean Darling (color analyst)
  • Tony Morino (sideline reporter)
  • Joe Beckerle (pre and post-game)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Szczepinski, Eric (ed.). 2024 Army West Point Football Media Guide (PDF). U.S. Military Academy Office of Athletic Communication. pp. 105–107, 187. Retrieved August 26, 2024. 5 National Championships (1914, 1916, 1944, 1945, & 1946)
  2. ^ Army Brand Guidelines (PDF). April 13, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "Heisman Winners". The Heisman Trophy. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  4. ^ Ambrose (1966), pp. 305–06.
  5. ^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p. 135, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, NY, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  6. ^ "Trophy Winners". The Heisman Trophy. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
  7. ^ "Biography". Official Website of Vince Lombardi. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
  8. ^ Biggane, Brian (November 15, 2008). "Bill Parcells is Dolphins' Godfather". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  9. ^ Palka (2008), p. 197.
  10. ^ "Army Football to Leave Conference USA After 2004 Season". The Official Website of Conference USA. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  11. ^ a b c d e f 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). The National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  12. ^ "ECAC Announces 2018 Football Teams of the Year and Lambert Awards". ECACsports.com. January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  13. ^ "ECAC Announces 2020 and 2019 Lambert Awards". ECACsports.com. June 18, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  14. ^ "SEC, ACC lead NCAA's bowl tie-in list with 11 out of 79 total". ESPN. June 13, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  15. ^ "Army Announces Agreements with ESPN Events and Independence Bowl for Next Bowl Cycle". USMA Athletic Department. October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  16. ^ "Army West Point to be Featured in Independence Bowl's Next Bowl Cycle". Independence Bowl. October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  17. ^ "Army Reaches Deal with Belk Bowl from 2020–25". USMA Athletic Department. November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  18. ^ "Independence Bowl Conference Affiliations Announced". USMA Athletic Department. January 30, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  19. ^ "Independence Bowl Ushers in New Era with 2020–2025 Bowl Agreements". Independence Bowl. January 30, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  20. ^ "Winsipedia – Army Black Knights vs. Air Force Falcons football series history". Winsipedia.
  21. ^ "Army 23-3 Air Force (Nov 4, 2023) Game Recap".
  22. ^ "Winsipedia – Army Black Knights vs. Navy Midshipmen football series history". Winsipedia.
  23. ^ Boston College Even with Irish in Yardage, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 13, 1946.
  24. ^ "Winsipedia – Army Black Knights vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish football series history". Winsipedia.
  25. ^ "Century's Best – SI's Top 20 Venues of the 20th Century". Sports Illustrated. June 7, 1999. Archived from the original on May 12, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  26. ^ "> Alma Mater & Fight Songs". Army West Point website.
  27. ^ "Army Mules". USMA Athletic Department. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  28. ^ a b c d "Retired Jerseys". goarmywestpoint.com. March 6, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  29. ^ a b c d "Uniform numbers have special meaning for Army football players". recordonline.com. October 18, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  30. ^ "Maxwell Football Club Announces Army West Point's Jeff Monken as George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year" (Press release). Maxwell Football Club. January 3, 2019. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  31. ^ "Monken Recognized as the Lombardi Coach of Year". USMA Athletic Department. January 8, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  32. ^ "Army Head Coach Jeff Monken Wins 2018 President's Award". Touchdown Club of Columbus. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  33. ^ "ECAC Announces 2021 Division I FBS Football All-ECAC and Major Awards". ECACsports.com. December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  34. ^ "Rodriguez Wins 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy". USMA Athletic Department. December 6, 2011. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  35. ^ "Andrew Rodriguez Wins Sullivan Award". USMA Athletic Department. March 20, 2012. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  36. ^ "King Honored with Defender of the Nation Award". USMA Athletic Department. November 8, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  37. ^ "Army Linebacker Arik Smith Named as the 2021 Defender of the Nation". USMA Athletic Department. November 4, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  38. ^ "Army West Point's Arik Smith to be honored at December 6th Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet". Charlotte Touchdown Club. November 4, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  39. ^ "Army Black Knights Future Football Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 18, 2024.

Bibliography

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