My Champions

The NCAA football season is creeping up on us and everyone is ready to root for their favorite team. My team is the Black Knights of Army. I've heard the smirks and comments before, but it doesn't bother me one bit. Unlike most Division I schools, the Academy has very little chance to compete for major Bowl games and National Championships anymore. Yes, I say, anymore because for those of you who don't know it, Army used to be a powerhouse football program. Army won the National Championship first in 1914 behind Greene County's own Elmer Oliphant. Two more championships came in 1945 and 1946 behind the running of Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard. From 1944-1946, under the leadership of legendary head coach Red Blaik, the Cadets rolled to a 27-0-1 record. That one tie was a 0-0 masterpiece between Army and Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium in 1946. Coach Blaik posted a 121-33-10 record at the Academy during his tenure. During another 3 year stretch from 1948 through 1950, his team posted a 25-1-1 record and in his final year the Cadets were 8-0-1. He coached three Heisman winners, Davis, Blanchard and in 1958, Pete Dawkins. But in the words of Coach Blaik, "...the greatest player I ever coached was Don Holleder."

When I was at the Academy, we had a decent football squad the first two years and had winning records. We even beat Navy both years which was essential for a winning season. However, Navy brought in a guy by the name of George Welsh as their coach and he beat us my last two years. George Welsh turned the Navy program around and then went to Virginia and did the same thing there. George was the last Naval Academy graduate to coach the Midshipmen.

In the late 1950's, the National Football League's average salary was less than $6000. During that time, an officer in the Army could plan on a much longer and productive career than a football player. In 1970 the NFL Player's Association agreed with the owners for a minimum rookie salary of $9000, while the minimum for the veterans was just $10,000. But things were changing rapidly and drastically, as the new TV contracts exploded and salary levels skyrocketed. It was no longer a good financial deal for a football player with NFL type talent to remain in the Army. Consequently, the recruiting of top football talent for the Academy became history. The mission of the Academy, however is not to turn out football players, but to graduate leaders for our nation's Army. One of those leaders was Don Holleder.

On the morning of October 17th, 1967, the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry (The Black Lions) was preparing to make contact with the Viet Cong about 50 miles north of Saigon at a place called Ong Thanh. The Battalion Commander was Lt. Col. Terry Allen Jr. If that name sounds familiar, it should because his Dad was the Commander of the 1st Infantry Division, The Big Red One, in North Africa and Sicily during World War II.

Early that morning, Lt. Col. Allen led two companies in column into the jungle to make contact with the enemy. Unbeknownst to him they were walking into an ambush set by a Viet Cong Regiment which outnumbered them by 10-1. The two companies numbered less than 140 effectives and were cut down in a battle that lasted 2 hours. They received 92% casualties, of which 64 men were killed. Lt. Col. Allen was one of the early casualties, being shot in the head. His operations officer immediately flew to the front in a helicopter to assume command. Major Don Holleder leaped from the helicopter, grabbed a medic, PFC Thomas Hinger and began pulling wounded soldiers to safety. As he and his men were hacking a clearing for medical helicopters, he was cut down by machine gun fire.

Author David Maraniss has written an excellent book detailing the battle at Ong Thanh, while also describing the student protesters at the University of Wisconsin on the 18th day of October, 1967. If you didn't grow up during this timeframe and would like to learn a little about the war at home and abroad, or if you are just a history nut like me, I would highly recommend, 'They Marched Into Sunlight'.

Back in 1954, Don Holleder was on the College All-America Team as an end. Keep in mind that back then, most of these guys played offense and defense and Don Holleder was no exception. The quarterback on the Army team that year was another great player, Pete Vann, however, Pete graduated and Holleder had another year to go. Red Blaik had no other quarterback prospects for the 1955 season, so he went to his All-America end and asked Holleder if he would like to try it. Holleder was the kind of guy, even though he would almost be a lock at All-America again at end, who would do anything for the team. It was this same unselfish attitude that he displayed at Ong Thanh just 12 years later. Although he got off to a rocky start by splitting the first 4 games as a quarterback, he kept getting better and won 3 out of the next 4.

The Army-Navy game of 1955 pitted Don Holleder against the nation's leading passer, George Welsh. The same George Welsh who ruined my last two years at the Academy. However, Army prevailed in that game by the score of 14-6, under the guidance and leadership of a great ballplayer and a great man, Don Holleder.

On October 1, 1988, the United States Military Academy dedicated a new indoor sports arena named Holleder Center. Not far from there is a plaque which bears the words of General Douglas MacArthur, "Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that upon other fields, on other days, will bear the fruits of victory."

The Army football team now presents a Black Lions award to the player who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder, ... "leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self sacrifice and, above all, an unselfish concern to put the team ahead of himself."

No, the Black Knights won't win a National Championship this year, but these guys are and always will be my Champions.

On Brave old Army Team,

On to the fray,

Fight on to victory,

For that's the fearless Army way.