Army Football: Notable Alumni and Their Impact on the NFL

The US Army Bowl is renowned for showcasing top high school football talent, serving as a launchpad for athletes toward successful college and professional careers. Several US Army Bowl stars have made their mark in the NFL. Let's find out which former US Army Bowl stars still feature on the grandest stage today.

From the Army Bowl to NFL Stardom: A Look at Notable Alumni

Many football players participating in an NCAA football program dream of being drafted by an NFL team. While the chances may seem slim, especially at smaller colleges, the dream remains alive. The Army Black Knights football team represents the United States Military Academy in college football. The Black Knights team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the American Conference.

Odell Beckham Jr.: The Spectacle Receiver

Odell Beckham Jr. is known for spectacular catches and a vibrant personality. As a junior, he completed 59 receptions for 1,152 yards including eight touchdowns, which caught the eye of the New York Giants. Known for his remarkable one-handed catches, Beckham has had a rollercoaster career marked by incredible highs and challenging lows. Despite battling injuries, he has amassed over 7,000 receiving yards and scored more than 50 touchdowns, securing his place as one of the top receivers of his generation. After a successful four years in the Big Apple, the 31-year-old has bounced around numerous teams including the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams - where he played a bit part role in their Super Bowl LV success - and the Baltimore Ravens. He has recently made the move to the Miami Dolphins, and the powers that be at Hard Rock Stadium will be hoping that he can recapture his form of old. If he does, both he and the likes of fellow wide receiver Tyreek Hill and the constantly improving quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could catapult the Dolphins to a deep postseason run next season.

Chase Young: A Defensive Phenom

Chase Young’s trajectory from the US Army Bowl to becoming a defensive force in the NFL exemplifies the term “phenom.” Dominating the line of scrimmage at DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland, Young’s Army Bowl appearance was merely a precursor to his disruptive collegiate career at Ohio State. Drafted second overall by the Washington Football Team (now Commanders) in the 2020 NFL Draft, the 25-year-old immediately made his presence felt, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Despite facing challenges, including injuries, His combination of speed, power, and technique keeps him earmarked as one of the most promising defensive talents in the league. He reached the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers last season however, he has since moved on to the New Orleans Saints, and he will be aiming to restore the 2009 Lombardi winners back to their former glories in the not-so-distant future.

Bryce Young: The Rising Star

Bryce Young is the latest among these illustrious names and has only just begun etching his path in the league. After lighting up the field at Mater Dei High School in California, the talented youngster then won the US Army Bowl MVP award in 2020 before moving on to become a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide. He won the Heisman trophy in his sophomore year, racking up an almighty 4,872 throwing yards and 47 touchdowns in the process. That prompted the Carolina Panthers to make him the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, but his maiden campaign in the big league was somewhat underwhelming. With Young under center, the Charlotte-based side secured just two wins all season, the worst record of any team in the league. To make matters worse, the number one overall pick was resoundingly overshadowed by the number two pick, C.J. Stroud. He had a stellar year with the Houston Texans, leading them all the way to the Divisional Round of the playoffs and securing Rookie of the Year honors in the process. Young will know he has to improve next term if he is to remain the man at Bank of America Stadium and the heir to Cam Newton’s throne.

Read also: Understanding the Army HPSP

Military Academies and the NFL: A Tradition of Service and Football

There are five federal service colleges representing all three military branches, Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Army-Navy game is one of the great American annual events, drawing interest from both within and beyond the normal football fan base. Much like the Kentucky Derby or the New York Marathon, it is seen as a tradition within its own right.

Apart from the explicitly military academies, there are six university programs in the country that are considered “senior military colleges” offering Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs under Title 10 of the United States Code. Three of these six, Texas A&M, Citadel, and Virginia Tech regularly supply players to the NFL, but students at these colleges are by definition destined for the reserve units of the military. West Point and Annapolis are institutions for already-enlisted military personnel, as is the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs as well. Their graduates are required to serve on active duty in their branch when they graduate.

Despite this restriction to a future in the NFL, there has been a long tradition of teams choosing to draft exceptional players which dates back to the early days of the game. In most cases, there is an understanding that if you draft a military player, they will come to your organization once their military service is finished. In recent years, however, there has been more use of the deferment of service option by both the Army and the Navy to allow players the chance to pursue an NFL career directly after college.

Each branch of the military has their own way of dealing with it, but in all events it is looked at on a case by case basis. The US Army expects that if they allow a player to pursue what they refer to as an Alternative Service Option “cadets will owe two years of active service in the Army, during which time they will be allowed to play their sport in the player-development systems of their respective organizations and be assigned to recruiting stations. If they remain in professional sports following those two years, they will be provided the option of buying out the remaining three years of their active-duty commitment in exchange for six years of reserve time.”

The Secretary of the Navy also has the option of a similar service option, known as a waiver, in which case they would serve as Reservists instead of active duty. There is an argument that the service would benefit more from the publicity of having an NFL academy alumnus than having them serve on active duty, but in times of war or other national need, there tends to be a drop in waivers granted.

Notable NFL Players from Military Academies

In recent years, there have been a few big names that have been drafted by NFL teams, including Bryce Fisher and Chad Hennings from the Air Force, but by far the standout was the Dallas Cowboys picking Roger Staubach from Navy. After serving his four years, including a year in Vietnam, he became the quarterback for the Cowboys and led them to four Super Bowl victories.

Many more players from these schools will finish their service and then enter free agency, however, as was the case with Alejandro Villanueva. At the college level, Staubach starred at Navy, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1963. The Cowboys took him in the 1964 draft, but as a result of his Navy service obligations and a tour of duty in Vietnam, he didn't begin his NFL career until 1969.

Other Notable Army Football Alumni

Alejandro Villanueva: Pro teams: Pittsburgh Steelers (2014-2020), Baltimore Ravens (2021-present). A 2010 West Point graduate, Villanueva had the remarkable distinction of making a position switch from offensive line to wide receiver at the college level. He started at left tackle for the Black Knights as a junior, but led the team in every receiving category (34-522-5) a year later at 6-foot-10, 283 pounds. The Bengals decided not to sign him after trying him out at tight end in 2010, and he then embarked upon a decorated service career that included three tours of duty in Afghanistan and a pair of Bronze Star Medals. As a pro football player, he's developed from a practice squad player to two-time Pro Bowler over the course of six seasons, and started 90 consecutive games for the Steelers dating back to 2015.
Gene J:. The 1946 Heisman Trophy winner was known as "Mr. Outside" at Army, the complement to Doc "Mr. Inside" Blanchard. He was a first-round selection of the Detroit Lions, but three years of Army service delayed his pro football debut until 1950. He also suffered a knee injury during the filming of a movie ("Spirit of West Point") in the summer of 1947, which hindered him once he entered the NFL. It didn't stop him from emerging as an instant success, though, as he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams and earned a Pro Bowl nod in his first season.
Harry "The Horse" Hoernschemeyer: He began his college career at Indiana threw six touchdown passes in a 1943 win over Nebraska. Not bad for a guy who later became one of the NFL's top rushers. In between, he enlisted in the Navy and played for the academy in 1945. After a stint in the All-America Football Conference, he went to two Pro Bowls and won a pair of NFL championships with the Detroit Lions.
Arnold Tucker:
Bill Carpenter:
Glenn Davis:
Doc Blanchard:
Bob Mischak: After earning All-America honors at Army, Mischak was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1954. But due to his three years of Army service, they had to wait until 1957 to get him on the field. Injured his first year, Mischak was traded to the New York Giants and played in the NFL championship game against the Baltimore Colts in 1958. He became one of the AFL's best guards with the New York Titans and Oakland Raiders.
Clyde "Bulldog" Turner:
Henry L.
Joe Steffy:
Ed Sprinkle: A four-time Pro Bowler known as the "meanest man in football," Sprinkle terrorized quarterbacks for 12 seasons with the Bears. According to a New York Times obituary, in the 1946 NFL Championship Game, he sidelined three New York Giants -- a quarterback and two running backs -- with two broken noses and a shoulder separation. Bears owner and coach George Halas honored Sprinkle with the jersey No.
Jack Coulter: Coulter was an All-American performer on a national championship Army team in 1945. He then went on to a strong career playing in both the NFL and the Canadian Football League. Remarkably, he made two Pro Bowls for the Giants in 1951 and '52 after he'd spent 1950 in retirement, during which time he worked for a newspaper as a reporter and cartoonist. After retiring for good, he went from cartoons to paintings -- sports paintings, in particular.
Chad Hennings: Hennings won the Outland Trophy (top interior lineman) at Air Force in 1987 and was an 11th-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys -- his draft stock reportedly slipped due to his pending military service. He served his country for four years as an Air Force pilot, and had four more years waived, which allowed him to embark upon a pro football career. He was already 27 when he began playing for the Cowboys, but managed to win three Super Bowls and notched 27.5 sacks before retiring after the 2000 season.
John McConkey: A receiver and return specialist for the Midshipmen from 1975-78, McConkey served in the Navy for five years after graduation. Bill Parcells signed him to the New York Giants as a 27-year-old rookie after a tip from Steve Belichick, a longtime Navy assistant coach who also happened to be the father of one of Parcells' assistants at the time. McConkey had a six-year NFL career highlighted by the Giants' victory in Super Bowl XXI. He caught a TD pass and broke a 25-yard punt return in the Giants' 39-20 win over the Denver Broncos.
Chris Cagle: Cagle was a three-time All-American at West Point in the late 1920s. In 1929, he was Army's team captain, starting quarterback, top rusher and he served as both punter and kicker. He was dismissed from Army before graduating because it was learned he was secretly married, which was not permitted for cadets. After a brief coaching stint at Mississippi State, he signed with the Giants and played three seasons for Big Blue. He finished his career with the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers, for whom he became part owner in 1933. He later helped found the New York Touchdown Club.
Mike Wahle: Wahle was a three-sport athlete in high school and arrived at the Naval Academy as a wide receiver. Several years later, he had grown into a standout offensive lineman, but he was asked to resign his commission before his senior season at Navy. The Green Bay Packers selected him in the supplemental draft with a second-round selection, and he went on to a 10-year NFL career.

Army Black Knights Football: Tradition and Rivalry

The Black Knights play home games in Michie Stadium with a capacity of 36,000 on the Academy grounds in West Point, New York. The Black Knights are coached by Jeff Monken, who has held the position since 2014. With the exception of seven seasons (1998-2004) when the team was a member of Conference USA, Army competed as an independent, meaning that they had no affiliation with any conference. They started to compete in the American Athletic Conference, now known as the American Conference, as a football-only member in 2024.

Army competes with their historic rivals Navy in the Army-Navy Game, traditionally the final game of the college football regular season. Army's football program began on November 29, 1890, when Navy challenged the cadets to a game of the relatively new sport. Army's football team reached its pinnacle of success during the Second World War under coach Earl Blaik when Army won three consecutive national championships in 1944, 1945 and 1946, and produced two Heisman Trophy winners: Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946). From 1944 to 1950, the Cadets had 57 wins, 3 losses and 4 ties.

Traditions and Symbols

The football team plays its home games at Michie Stadium, where the playing field is named after Earl Blaik. Cadets' attendance is mandatory at football games and the Corps stands for the duration of the game. At all home games, one of the four regiments marches onto the field in formation before the team takes the field and leads the crowd in traditional Army cheers.

Read also: Black Knights Class of 2028

For many years, Army teams were known as the "Cadets." In the 1940s, several papers called the football team "the Black Knights of the Hudson." From then on, "Cadets" and "Black Knights" were used interchangeably until 1999, when the team was officially nicknamed the Black Knights.

Rivalries and Achievements

Army competes with Navy and Air Force for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. In 2024, Army began competing in the American Athletic Conference, renamed in 2025 to American Conference. While Air Force plays in the Mountain West Conference, Navy has been a football member of the American since 2015.

The Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy (known as the Lambert Trophy), established in 1936, is an annual award given to the best team in the East in Division I FBS (formerly I-A) college football and is presented by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers. Army has played in 11 bowl games. The NCAA's football oversight committee determined the number of primary bowl tie-ins for each FBS conference and FBS independent for the 2020-2025 bowl cycle using eligibility data from the 2014-2017 seasons. The Black Knights received one guaranteed tie-in per year.

Air Force, Army, and Navy have played each other every year since 1972 for the Commander-in Chief's Trophy. Air Force leads the FBS service academies with 21 victories, Navy has 16 victories, and Army has 10 victories, with the trophy being shared 5 times. Air Force and Army meet annually and vie for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.

Army and Navy play each other annually in the Army-Navy game, which is also a part of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. This series is one of the NCAA's oldest and most traditional rivalries. They first met in 1890, and have played each other annually since 1930. The games are generally played at a neutral site.

tags: #army #football #notable #alumni