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1953 Army Cadets football
1953 Army Cadets football
Eastern champion
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 16
AP	No. 14
Record	7–1–1
Head coach	Earl Blaik (13th season);
Offensive scheme	T formation
Captain	LeRoy Lunn
	Seasons ← 1952 1954 →

1953 Eastern college football independents records
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
Westminster (PA)		–		8	–	0	–	0
Juniata		–		7	–	0	–	0
No. 14 Army		–		7	–	1	–	1
Harvard		–		6	–	2	–	0
Franklin & Marshall		–		5	–	2	–	0
Hofstra		–		6	–	3	–	0
Penn State		–		6	–	3	–	0
Yale		–		5	–	2	–	2
Carnegie Tech		–		5	–	3	–	0
Boston College		–		5	–	3	–	1
Boston University		–		5	–	3	–	1
Syracuse		–		5	–	3	–	1
Princeton		–		5	–	4	–	0
Tufts		–		4	–	3	–	0
Cornell		–		4	–	3	–	2
Holy Cross		–		5	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		4	–	4	–	1
Colgate		–		3	–	4	–	2
Columbia		–		4	–	5	–	0
Fordham		–		4	–	5	–	0
Villanova		–		4	–	6	–	0
Drexel		–		2	–	3	–	1
Brown		–		3	–	5	–	1
Penn		–		3	–	5	–	1
Pittsburgh		–		3	–	5	–	1
Dartmouth		–		2	–	7	–	0
Buffalo		–		1	–	5	–	1
Bucknell		–		1	–	8	–	0

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1953 Army Cadets football team represented the United States Military Academy in the 1953 college football season. Led by head coach Earl Blaik, the team finished with a record of 7–1–1. The Cadets won the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy, awarded to the top college team in the East.

The Cadets had lost six players, including Freddie Myers, to academic ineligibility.^[1] The Cadets defeated Furman, 41–0, the team's first shutout since the 1951 scandal.^[1] After a loss to Northwestern, the Cadets were undefeated for the rest of the season. In a scoreless tie against Tulane, future Max McGee starred for the Green Wave.^[1] In the Army–Navy Game, Army's 20–7 victory over Navy was its first since 1949.^[1] The turning point of the season was an October victory over No. 7 Duke. The Blue Devils featured stars such as Red Smith and Worth (A Million) Lutz. Tommy Bell ran up the middle. Quarterback Pete Vann switched the ball to his left hand, and made a southpaw pass. Red Smith was tackled by Bob Mischak in the final minutes of the game. Mischak ran 73 yards to make the tackle catching up eight yards of separation to save a touchdown. Inspired by Mischak, Army held Duke inside the one yard line, took over on downs, and eventually won the game. "When Bob Mischak, who was posthumously enshrined in the Army/West Point Sports Hall of Fame in 2017, made that unlikely play, what Blaik called 'a marvelous display of heart and pursuit', the Army football team regained its soul." Direct quote from Maraness^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26		Furman		Michie Stadium West Point, NY		W 41–0	8,450	^[3]
October 3		at Northwestern		Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL		L 20–33
October 10		Dartmouth		Michie Stadium West Point, NY		W 27–0	17,525	^[4]
October 17		vs. No. 7 Duke		Polo Grounds New York, NY		W 14–13	21,284	^[5]
October 24		Columbia		Michie Stadium West Point, NY		W 40–7	23,520	^[6]
October 31		at Tulane	No. 15	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA		T 0–0	40,000	^[7]
November 7		NC State		Michie Stadium West Point, NY		W 27–7	9,400	^[8]
November 14		at Penn		Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA		W 21–14	47,305	^[9]
November 28	1:15 p.m.	vs. Navy	No. 18	Philadelphia Municipal Stadium Philadelphia, PA (Army–Navy Game)	NBC	W 20–7	102,000	^[10]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Personnel

1953 Army Black Knights football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	Name	Class
HB	Tommy Bell	Jr
G	Ralph Chesnauskas	So
E	Don Holleder	So
FB	Pat Uebel	So
QB	Pete Vann	Jr
G	Leroy Lunn (C)	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class

Head coach

Earl Blaik

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

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

Injured
Redshirt

New York Giants coaching vacancy

Before the end of the 1953 season, the New York Daily News had a headline in their paper that Vince Lombardi was the top candidate to become the Giants new head coach.^[11] Although Giants co-owner Wellington Mara was a classmate of Lombardi at Fordham University, the Giants were actually interested in Army head coach, Colonel Red Blaik. Blaik had declined the job, but recommended Lombardi, who was his offensive co-ordinator at Army.^[12] Despite being Red Blaik's top aide, Vince Lombardi was anxious and frustrated. Three other Army assistants, including Murray Warmath were now head coaches.^[13] In June, Lombardi had turned forty years old. Lombardi would be hired as the offensive co-ordinator for the 1954 season.^[14]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p.147, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p.148, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
^ "Army trounces Furman, 41–0, in opener at West Point". The Baltimore Sun. September 27, 1953. Retrieved September 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Briordy, William J. (October 11, 1953). "Cadets Turn Back Dartmouth, 27 to 0". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
^ "Army upsets Duke Blue Devils 14–13". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. October 18, 1953. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Effrat, Louis (October 25, 1953). "Cadets Roll to Easy Victory Behind Vann's Fine Passing". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
^ "Tulane plays Army to scoreless tie". The Daily Advertiser. November 1, 1953. Retrieved September 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Army crushes N. Carolina St. by 27–7 score". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. November 8, 1953. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Good, Herb (November 15, 1953). "Army Rolls 75 Yds. in 4th Period to Top Penn, 21-14". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. S1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Uebel Score 3 TD's As Cadets Too Tough". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. Associated Press. November 29, 1953. p. 27. Retrieved July 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Giants Among Men, p. 152, Jack Cavanaugh, 2008, Random House, New York, ISBN 978-1-4000-6717-6
^ Giants Among Men, p. 153, Jack Cavanaugh, 2008, Random House, New York, ISBN 978-1-4000-6717-6
^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p.146, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
^ Giants Among Men, p. 154, Jack Cavanaugh, 2008, Random House, New York ISBN 978-1-4000-6717-6