1979 Army Cadets football
Conference	Independent
Record	2–8–1
Head coach	Lou Saban (1st season)
Captain	George Mayes
Home stadium	Michie Stadium
Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 6 Florida State		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
No. 7 Pittsburgh		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
UNLV		–		–		9	–	1	–	2
No. 17 Temple		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
Tulane		–		–		9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
East Carolina		–		–		7	–	3	–	1
No. 20 Penn State		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–		6	–	4	–	1
Syracuse		–		–		7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–		5	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Memphis State		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
North Texas State		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–		4	–	6	–	1
Louisville		–		–		4	–	6	–	1
William & Mary		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Army		–		–		2	–	8	–	1
Air Force		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
Richmond		–		–		0	–	11	–	0

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Army Cadets football team represented the United States Military Academy during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Lou Saban in his first and only season as head coach, Army finished the season with a record of 2–8–1.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15		Connecticut	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	W 26–10
September 22		at Stanford	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 17–13	43,345
September 29		North Carolina	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 3–41
October 6		Duke	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	T 17–17	33,874	^[1]
October 13		at Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 3–24	77,157
October 20		Baylor	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 0–55	32,591
October 27		Boston College	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 16–29	40,162	^[2]
November 3		at Air Force	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)	L 7–28	30,334
November 10		vs. Rutgers	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	L 0–20
November 17	1:30 p.m.	No. 11 Pittsburgh	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 0–40	31,689
December 1		vs. Navy	John F. Kennedy Stadium Philadelphia, PA (Army–Navy Game)	L 7–31
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

At Penn State

Army Cadets (2–1–1) at Penn State Nittany Lions (2–2)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Army	0	0	3	0	3
Penn State	7	10	0	7	24

at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania

Date: October 13
Game attendance: 77,157
^[3]

Game information

First quarter

PSU – Booker Moore 1-yard run (Herb Menhardt kick). Penn State 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 38 yards.

Second quarter

PSU – Matt Suhey 17-yard run (Herb Menhardt kick), 7:06. Penn State 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 57 yards.
PSU – Herb Menhardt 24-yard field goal, 2:36. Penn State 17–0. Drive:

Third quarter

ARMY – Dave Aucoin 44-yard field goal. Penn State 17–3. Drive:

Fourth quarter

PSU – Matt Suhey 61-yard run (Herb Menhardt kick). Penn State 24–3. Drive:

Top passers

ARMY – Jerryl Bennett – 7/26, 120 yards, INT
PSU – Dayle Tate – 6/14, 51 yards, 3 INT

Top rushers

ARMY – Jimmy Hill – 23 rushes, 43 yards
PSU – Matt Suhey – 23 carries, 225 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

ARMY – Kevin Kullander – 3 receptions, 89 yards
PSU – Booker Moore – 3 receptions, 28 yards

Vs. Navy

Army Cadets (2–7–1) vs. Navy Midshipmen (6–4)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Navy	10	7	7	7	31
Army	0	7	0	0	7

at John F. Kennedy Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Date: December 1
Game attendance: 77,052
TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson
^[4]

Game information

First quarter

NAVY – Steve Fehr 36-yard field goal. Navy 3–0. Drive:
NAVY – Troy Mitchell 12-yard pass from Bob Powers (Steve Fehr kick). Navy 10–0. Drive:

Second quarter

NAVY – Eddie Meyers 1-yard run (Steve Fehr kick). Navy 17–0. Drive:
ARMY – Bobby Crumpton 8-yard run (Dave Aucoin kick). Navy 17–7. Drive:

Third quarter

NAVY – Eddie Meyers 5-yard run (Steve Fehr kick). Navy 24–7. Drive:

Fourth quarter

NAVY – Eddie Meyers 31-yard run (Steve Fehr kick). Navy 31–7. Drive:

Top passers

NAVY – Bob Powers – 6/15, 85 yards, TD
ARMY – T.D. Decker – 2/5, 15 yards, INT

Top rushers

NAVY – Eddie Meyers – 43 rushes, 279 yards, 3 TD
ARMY – Bobby Vicci – 12 rushes, 66 yards

Top receivers

NAVY – Steve Callahan – 3 receptions, 40 yards
ARMY – Bill Skoda – 1 reception, 13 yards

External videos
Full game
Game highlights

Personnel

1979 Army Black Knights football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB		Rob Bauder
QB		Jerryl Bennett
RB		mike Bristol
OL		Chuck Boucher
OL		Steve Carter
RB		Bobby Crumpton
QB		T.D. Decker
WR		Mike Fahnstock
RB		Robbie Hall
RB		Dino Harris
RB		Rob Heather
OL		Matt Herholtz
RB		Jimmy Hill
WR		Glenn Hoy
OL		Mike Bristol
TE		Kevin Kullander
RB		Doug Lenhoff
TE		Mark McKearn
QB		Earle Mulrane
OL		Ed Perkins
WR		Larry Pruitt
QB		Bob Ryan
OL		Jim Sharman
RB		Bobby Shields
TE		Gene Skinner
WR		Bill Skoda
OL		Cliff Triplett
RB		Bobby Vicci
RB		Gerald Walker
OL		Bill Wilhelm
WR		Chris Zawie

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB		Dave Charest
DL		Kevin Dodson
DB		Bruce Elliott
LB		John Garrison
DB		Jon Hallingstad
LB		John Hilliard
DB		Dale Love
DL		Stan March
DL		George Mayes
LB		Willie Nattiel
LB		Len Sbrocco
DL		Kevin Streets
LB		Larry Trumbore
DB		Dan Webb

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P		Charlie Adams
K		Dave Aucoin

Head coach

Lou Saban

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

References

^ "Army, Duke tie". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 7, 1979. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Boston College 29, Army 16". The Tampa Tribune-Times. October 28, 1979. p. 5D – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Penn State unleashes infantry on Army." Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 Oct 14. Pg. 8B. Retrieved 2020-Dec-15.
^ "Middies even series on Meyers' running." Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 Dec 02. Pg. 7E. Retrieved 2020-Dec-11.

v t e Army Black Knights football
Venues	The Plain (1890–1923) Michie Stadium (1924–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Air Force (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Navy: Army–Navy Game (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Notre Dame
Culture & lore	Army Mules Black Death Award "On, Brave Old Army Team" "The Army Goes Rolling Along" 1946 "Game of the Century" West Point Salute Touchdown, Army Code Breakers
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees
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National championship seasons in bold