Sport: Infantry Tactics

A big Army van rumbled around the rim of the playing field at Philadelphia’s Municipal Stadium. The sign on its side was a proud boast: “Secret Weapon.” Then the tail gate dropped and a pair of girl cheerleaders pranced out. It was a thin gag. The Brave Old Army Team needed more than that to sink Navy. It needed, most, someone like last year’s crack passing quarterback. Pete Vann. Still a student at the Point. Vann marched in the massed, grey Corps of Cadets, but he had used up his athletic eligibility.

For more than 25 minutes of the first half, those energetic cheerleaders seemed the best the Army could produce. Navy’s Quarterback George Welsh, with his deadly pitching arm and his farflung halfbacks, was just too much. With deceptive ease, the Middies caught the opening kick-off and steamed 76 yds. for the first score of the game. It hardly seemed to matter that the extra-point kick was wide. Whenever Welsh dropped back to pass, the Navy line gave him plenty of time. And he was almost always on target. When the Army secondary dropped back to cover. Welsh rolled wide into the option play, sent little Peanuts Gober scampering downfield or handed off to Fullback Dick Guest, who ground out yardage up the middle.

Too Little Time. Twice the Cadets got their hands on the ball, and twice were stopped cold. Quarterback Don Holleder dropped back to fire a left-handed pass and Welsh added insult to injury by intercepting. In the shivering stands, fans warmed up by arguing that Coach Earl Blaik should never have ruined Holleder, an All-America end, by trying to teach him how to run a T-formation offense. In the second quarter. Blaik called Holleder to the bench to give him a last-minute cram course in football strategy.

Then the Navy attack misfired; Fullback Vince Monto fumbled on the Army 13. Holleder was back in the game now.

armed with Colonel Blaik’s reminder that the infantry, after all, are the men who win the battles. Sticking to the ground, he drove the Cadets steadily toward a touchdown. There were only seconds left toward the end of the half. Army was on the Navy n-yd. line when Coach Blaik decided his instruction had been too emphatic ; Holleder seemed to have forgotten that there was such a thing as a pass.

A sub came in with instructions: take to the air. Holleder rolled out—and ran.

Time ran out with him. Army was a scant yard and a half short of its score.

Too Much Power. Things looked just as grey for West Point at the start of the second half. Fullback Pat Uebel, with four touchdowns to his credit from past Army-Navy games, took the Navy kickoff, ran 43 yds. and was knocked loose from the ball. But something had happened to Army. In the locker room. Blaik and his assistants had shuffled defensive assignments. The big Cadet line sliced in to stop the Middies and take the ball back. Holleder tried a third-down pass and missed, but it was his last mistake.

After an exchange of kicks. Holleder gave the game to the foot soldiers for good. Uebel and Pete Lash took turns pushing the Middies back by sheer power.

Then Holleder rolled out nicely to catch the line backers flatfooted. From four yards out. big Fullback Uebel, stepping daintily through a big hole in the Annapolis line, torpedoed Navy for the fifth time in his career and put Army back in the game. End Ralph Chesnauskas. who lost to Yale three weeks ago by missing two extra points, made this one good. It was hard to believe, but the Cadets were in front.

They were in front to stay. Twice Navy got moving and threatened to score; twice aroused Army tacklers belted Middie runners so hard they fumbled. Late in the last quarter, an 80-yd. drive sank the Navy for good. Without even faking a pass.

Holleder led his team downfield. On their own 23, the Middies crammed the center of the line to stop the unstoppable Uebel.

So Pete Lash took a handoff, tore around the right side of the Navy line, away from All-America End Ron Beagle and Tackle John Hopkins, skipped down the sideline and scored. Chesnauskas converted again.

Navy was too badly beaten to dream up excuses for the 14-6 score. “What hurt you most?” someone asked Navy Coach Eddie Erdelatz. “That’s easy,” said Eddie with a sad smile. “Army did.”