West Point Society of Texoma

Information of interest to Society members

Monday, October 13, 2003

Army Football Coach Todd Berry Is Fired


WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army coach Todd Berry was fired Monday with the team 5-35 in his four seasons and mired in an eight-game losing streak.

"The Corps of Cadets and the fans of Army football deserve a competitive program that is representative of this great institution," said Lt. Gen. William Lennox Jr., superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy.

Army (0-6) has just one win in its last 17 games. The Black Knights are averaging 63.8 yards rushing to rank last in the nation and are the only team averaging under 2 yards per carry.

South Florida, playing its inaugural Conference USA game last month, shut out Army 28-0 at Michie Stadium, marking the first time the Black Knights had been blanked at home since 1981.

John Mumford, who served as defensive line coach the past four seasons, was made interim coach.

"We have a commitment to restore the competitive vitality to the program," athletic director Rick Greenspan said.

A search will be under way in the next few weeks for a successor, Lennox said.

"I hate losing and the players hate it," said Greenspan, who hired Berry. "It bothers them significantly. You can certainly sense their frustration. They're bitterly disappointed because they're representing a historic program."

Army is 7-31 in the Conference USA, which it joined in 1998. Citing schedule constraints, Lennox announced in July that Army would leave the conference after the 2004 season to become an independent again.

Greenspan said he had heard a "good amount" of dissatisfaction from alumni. The precipitous fall for a team that won a school-record 10 games in 1996 under former coach Bob Sutton and also went to the Independence Bowl that year was especially disconcerting to former players.

"I think the fact they're not competitive and have had a tough time has been difficult to accept," Doc Blanchard said in a phone interview from his Texas home.

Blanchard, "Mr. Inside" and the 1945 Heisman Trophy winner, and Glenn Davis, "Mr. Outside" and the Heisman winner the next year, led Army to national championships in 1944 and 1945.



posted by ortizmro  # 6:16 PM
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