Like 1983 Midshipmen and Cadets Take the Field at the Rose Bowl
Adjust your VCR because Army and Navy are making a rare appearance at the Rose Bowl Saturday
On Saturday, Army and Navy will both have representatives at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Rose Bowl Stadium.
For both programs, it is a small flashback to Black Friday 1983, when America’s Game went west of the Mississippi for the only time ever. The trip to Pasadena was unlike any other. Below, a Washington Post story details some of the frills Los Angeles treated the Corps of Cadets and Brigade of Midshipmen with:
“Never mind that for the first time, the game will be played on the West Coast; that the corps of cadets and brigade of midshipmen will be flown out at a cost of $3.5 million; that they will be wined and dined for three days, including a night with Disneyland all to themselves.”
Reading that makes me wish they played the Army-Navy game in LA when I was a Cadet. Oh well, c’est la vie.
For Navy, it was their first appearance at the Rose Bowl Stadium since they played in the “Grandaddy of Them All” in 1924. The Midshipmen put on an aerial show against Washington, passing for 175 yards in a 14-14 tie.
Unfortunately, their return failed to live up to the excitement of their first appearance, as Navy scored three touchdowns in the first four minutes en route to a 42-13 win over Army. Perhaps, the biggest stat of the game was the combined 13 fumbles between the two teams. Napoleon McCallum’s 182 yards on 30 carries did make up for some of the sloppiness, while Bill Turner made a valiant effort for Army with 173 passing yards.
Sadly, neither school has made it back to the Rose Bowl Stadium as both have not played in the prestigious bowl game since 1983 or played UCLA. It’s quite surprising that two programs as storied and unique as Army and Navy do not have more appearances in college football’s most iconic venue.
(Of course, both service academies have sent one player to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl recently, LB Cole Christiansen for Army (2020) and LS Michael Pifer for Navy (2019), but I was only cognizant enough to write about it now.)
This year, Army sends their ace punter, Zach Harding, and Navy sends their deep threat receiver, Mychal Cooper to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. I have already written about Harding’s stellar career here, but Cooper made quite the name for himself at Annapolis, catching 46 passes for 894 yards and seven touchdowns. His 19.4 yards per catch is fifth in Navy history.
In a game that is little more than a final exhibition or a pro tryout, there are records at stake. For Army, Zach Harding needs to average above 38 yards per punt to outdo Joe Sartiano’s average on six punts that day. Yardage wise, Harding just needs 229 yards to outpunt Sartiano.
With 30 receiving yards, Mychal Cooper can not only break the modern record for most receiving yards by a Navy player in the Rose Bowl, but he can exceed the Midshipmen’s entire passing output in that 1983 game.
With Napoleon McCallum carrying the offense, Rick Williamson only went 3-9 for 29 yards in that 1983 clash. Cooper needs only three catches to break Mark Stevens’ modern record of two catches.*
*Please note that a Navy receiver likely put up better numbers in the 1924 Rose Bowl than Mark Stevens’ two catches for 29 yards, individual stats from that game are unavailable.*
Many regard the service academies as some of college football’s most respected programs due to their mission and tradition. While it is a shame that they never get to play at college football’s most respected venue, sending players to the NFLPA Bowl is a worthy consolation. If you needed more reasons to watch the NFLPA Bowl, Harding and Cooper’s race for random records and the nostalgia of 1983 should be more than enough to draw you.