European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 03, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse / Page 36 the stars and stripes sports saturday december 3,1994 l went 16 seer to jct by John Steadman the Baltimore Sun football or even All of sports never had an event to equal the circumstances that existed in Baltimore exactly 50 years ago. It was the Only time army played Navy when each was ranked the n6 1 and no. 2 teams in the country plus the fact you had to first buy a War bold before becoming eligible to Purchase a ticket. Furthermore because of Railroad travel restrictions the corps and brigade of the academies came to the game by ship. The entire Mission was guarded by world War ii censorship rules had known of the trip Down the Hudson River. And then hugging the coast line of new Jersey they May have attempted to torpedo the . Uruguay and wipe out the 2,400 future officers it was transporting. There was a Convoy of Protection six destroy ers which surrounded the troop Carrier against such an attack. Meanwhile naval Academy undergraduates merely sailed up Chesapeake Bay from Annapolis to Baltimore and then marched to then municipal stadium built on the same site As present memorial stadium. Rat was t until after the War that the binding details of How the cadets and midshipmen made it to Baltimore for the 1944 Kickoff were revealed by Harold Roser Ithal sports fief of the 14ew York Herald Tribune. What happened was never talked about or discussed and known Only to military person Nel before Rosenthal related the secret scenario that unfolded. /. War ii was at its height. Railroads were mov ing supplies and men. It would have been a violation of National policy to utilize trains to carry the cadets and midshipmen to Baltimore. " thus the precarious nautical Man Euver an approach by sea was implemented army coach Earl red Blaik great As a Man land football strategist later said know there must be a moment in every coach s career which surpasses All the others. .1 believe the no. 1 moment for me came in that Victory of army s greatest Over Navy greatest in " to see the game a fan was compelled to firs buy a War Bond to qualify As a ticket Holder. A crowd of 66,658 was present including Gen. George Marshall army chief of staff am William p. Leahy Navy chief of staff Ernest King chief of naval operations and Gen. . Hap Arnold chief of the air forces. _ a seat on the 50-Yard line meant a million Dollar War Bond had to be purchased. _ a. Fifteen boxes bought by corporations and industries were sold for that figure. Overall the total War Bond Doc Blanchard Glenn Davis Sale represented the most Money accrued during world War ii from any single event an astronomical$58,637,000. It was the Treasury department that came up wit the idea of staging the War Bond Bonanza succeeding in a Brief 15-Day period with congressional pressure to move the game site from modest Thompson stadium at the naval Academy to Baltimore where the capacity was three times the size As could have been accommodated Iii Annapolis. As for the game it was an epic even though army won by a deceptive score of 23-7. Two future Heisman trophy winners Felix Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis were in the West Point Backfield. Blan Chard in a momentous twist of irony had tried to enlist in the Navy after his freshman year at North Carolina but was turned Down because doctors found he was col or Blind. Imagine if Blanchard had gone in the Navy and played there. History would Limaye offered a diverse v Davis in reflecting on the game remembers Blaik telling the team in the locker room How Gen. Robert Eichelberger had wired him to win for All the soldiers fighting for us there was no denying the resolve As the teams took Davis is in agreement with Blaik that the Baltimore performance was historic. It was army s first undefeated season in 30 years. Of the Many thrills i be Hadin my career i guess the army Navy game of dec. 2, 1944 was my greatest he says. We at West Point considered that Victory the High Point of our undefeated i Virv z_7 and on a Distant Battlefront Gen. Douglas Macar thur Learned via armed forces radio what had transpired in Baltimore. He quickly dispatched a Cable to Blaik that qualifies As a vivid example of the flamboyant Macarthur. His message read the greatest of All army teams. Behave stopped the War to celebrate your magnificent Success ". Vit was a momentous College football game Between the academies that featured in addition to Blanchar Dand Davis such outstanding army players As Hank Foldberg Dale Hall John Green Joe Stanowicz bar Ney Poole Dewitt Tex Coulter Doug Kenna Max minor Tom Lombardo Dick Pitzer Herschel us Fuson Al Nemetz Archie Arnold Dick walterhouse Robert Hobbs and Robert St. Onge. Tor Navy Don Whitmire Ben Chase Clyde Smackover sol Leon Bramlett Jim Carrington Gail Gilliam Jack Martin Ben Martin John Hansen Hal Hamberg . Smith Bobby Jenkins Bill Barren Ralph Ellsworth Joe Sullivan Stansfield Turner pick Duden and Jim Pettit were prominent in the cast. Numerous members of the army and Navy squads had transferred to the academies after playing at major col Leges and with a War on wanted to be commissioned officers rather than enlisted personnel when it was time to report for duty. After army s win the cadets hoped to celebrate i downtown Baltimore but had to March four Miles from the stadium to the Baltimore waterfront where they re boarded the troop ship. They looked Forward to a promised Victory dinner but those plans for most of the party went awry a Freak storm close to Hurricane proportions came up Chesapeake Bay creating a chop that was so severe the men Courdin t eat. They crowded the rails because of the sea sickness that beset them. The Only thing they rationalized at that moment was How pleased they hereto be involved in an army career and not aboard ship after graduation. In conversation sonic years ago col. Richard re talked of the trip from West Point to Baltimore the Only time army went to sea to beat the Navy. ". -. -. V -. I remember blackout conditions were in order the entire Way he said that meant no cigarettes radios training films use of elect re razors or open port Hole. Dark blankets covered All it would have been the perfect anniversary setting i the 50th anniversary of the wartime game could have been staged in Baltimore not Philadelphia because of the symbolic significance. College football and the serv ice rivalry never overcame so Many difficulties to play game. _. _ vol i a even the most horrendous War in world did t Stop them. Rods Iri 1944 _ 1 _ c _ Bijj a Cekis West Point to str v both Davis and Blanchard had interceptions in what turned into a 59-0 rout the worst defeat Ever suffered by the fighting Irish. Then came Penn and army suffered no letdown. 62-7. Davis scored three times and Blanchard twice to set up the season finale against second ranked Navy. I . ". through eight games army had out scored the opposition 481-28, an dts firs perfect season since 1916 seemed within reach. Although the middies entered the game with two losses they had beaten army five straight times four of the shutouts. And with five ajl americans on the squad Navy also had rolled Over notre Dame Penn and Duke with quarterback Dick Duden halfback Hal Ham Berg Bob Jenkins and red Barren an fullback Clyde Smackover Scott Lead ing the charge. Army got something of a break when the game originally scheduled for an Napolis was switched to municipal stadium in Baltimore in an Effort to stimulate War Bond sales during world War ii More than 70,000 jammed the old wooden stadium to see the National championship decided for the Only time betwee two service academies. Coach Blaik was so worried he Wase acing up and Down on the sidelines just before the game was to Start said Davis who had been dropped from the facade my As a plebe because of Scholastic Trou ble but had passed a re admission test before the 1944 season. This was not like Blaik who was usually quite -7T?-first Quarter was scoreless. Army Sdale Hall scored on a 23-Yard run in the second Quarter and Joe Stanowicz blocked a kick for a safety and a 9-0 Lead. The middies came right Back going 72yards in 16 plays with Scott smacking Over from the 2. But Davis thwarted a Navy Dave in the fourth Quarter with an interception deep in army territory an returned in to Midfield. Blanchard did the rest carrying seven times for 48 Yards and scoring on a 10 Yard run. Not to be overshadowed Davis score the game s final touchdown on a 52-Yard was the 20th touchdown of the sea son for Davis who led the nation in scor grand averaged an astounding 11.1 Yards per carry. Final army 23, Navy 7
