Army Week
From USAFA Folklore
(Original photo from C.Springs Gazette Telegraph)
Army Week is the week prior to the annual football game between Air Force and Army. The fourth class cadets will normally change their greeting to "Beat Army" or something similar. There may be a wing spirit dinner, and Spirit missions and nukings are often conducted on the Army exchange cadets, who in turn conduct their own spirit missions. Air Officers Commanding and faculty members who graduated from Hudson High are not necessarily immune.
[edit] The first Air Force-Army game: An account by Hector Negroni, Class of 1961
The first Army-Air Force Football Game took place in Yankee Stadium on Saturday, October 31, 1959 and the final score was 13-13. Around 67,000 fans saw the game, including about 400 upperclass cadets who flew to the game in a combination of Air Force planes and commercial charters. I can’t remember where we landed but I do remember that the old Bendix Corporation (today part of Honeywell), located in Teterboro, NJ provided the cadets with a superb meal prior to the game and a place to make phone calls to set up after-game "activities."
We drove to the stadium in a long bus convoy. The Air Force Cadet Wing marched into Yankee Stadium and was followed by the Army Cadet Corps. One of the Air Force Cadets managed to sneak into the Army march-on formation wearing an Army uniform. While the Army cadets were standing at attention, our Air Force cadet broke ranks and ran to the Air Force stands while removing his Army overcoat and displaying an Air Force cadet uniform. Naturally, the Air Force fans were delighted and the Army cadets were not pleased.
According to the article about the game written by Allison Danzig in the New York Times and featured in the first page of the Sports Section, “The West Point cadets were a bit lucky to come off with a draw in this first meeting between the cadets from the Military Academy on the Hudson and the Air Force installation in the Colorado Rockies.”
The game was a hard-fought struggle in the mud and drizzle. Air Force played better defensively than offensively by forcing Army to fumble four times. Mike Rawlins (Class of 1961 and today a corporate pilot) recovered the first Army fumble in the Army 25-yard line. The Air Force’s drive stalled at the Army’s 8-yard line and the field goal try was no good. In the next series, Army fumbled again and Air Force’s Neal Rountree (Class of 1961 and today a distinguished attorney) recovered at the Army’s 30. Richie Mayo (Class of 1961 and today a renowned Psychiatrist) passed to Mike Quinlan (Class of 1961 and today an executive for USAA) for 7 yards. In the next play Air Force was penalized but Richie Mayo came back with a pass to Bob Brickey (Class of 1961, an All-American, and today a retired Airline Pilot) for 17 yards. Monte Moorberg (Class of 1961, KIA in Vietnam and awarded the Air Force Cross) carried for 8 yards and scored in the next play. Air Force missed the PAT and the score was AF:6-A: 0.
Army came back with a sustained drive and scored on a run by Bob Anderson. The PAT was good and the score was A: 7-AF: 6. Army got a second touchdown when they blocked Richie Mayo’s punt and recovered it at the Air Force 6-yard line. After three tries Army’s Bob Anderson scored form a yard out but the PAT failed. The score was now A:13-AF:6.
In the fourth quarter, Air Force was trailing 13-6 and Army fumbled again. John Baucom (Class of 1962 and today a Historian) recovered for Air Force on the Army 14-yard line. Monte Moorberg carried to the 8-yard line and Mike Quinlan took it to the end run. The PAT was good and the score was now tied at 13.
In the final minutes of the game, Air Force was on the march from its 38-yard line and reached the Army’s 14-yard line with a 21-yard pass from Richie Mayo to Mike Quinlan on a fourth down fake field goal attempt. With less than two minutes to play remaining and the stadium in a bedlam, the Falcons could gain only one yard in three tries. Then, with 41 seconds left Air Force lined up for a field goal. I remember Richie Mayo kneeling into the mud for the snap from center and George Pupich (Class of 1960 and today a retired Airline Pilot) setting himself to attempt a 31 yard field goal. With the huge crowd waiting tensely, George Pupich kicked the ball but the kick was wide and Army was saved.
In 1959 Air Force finished with a 5-4-1 record while Army finished 4-4-1. We have come a long way since then and we have a proud legacy to inspire us. It is also interesting to note that many of our players played both on offense and defense. In 1959 our offensive/defensive line probably averaged 180 lbs. and that included Randy Cubero (Class of 1961 and former USAFA Dean of Faculty) weighing in at 155 lbs!
Go Air Force, Beat Army..........
