1954 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 1954 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) during the 1954 college football season and competed as an independent. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Eddie Erdelatz,[1][2] and they acquired the nickname "Team Named Desire" during the press conference following the 25–0 road shutout of Stanford, when Erdelatz said, "Every man on this team is full of desire."[3]
| 1954 Navy Midshipmen football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy Sugar Bowl champion | |
Sugar Bowl, W 21–0 vs. Ole Miss | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 5 |
| AP | No. 5 |
| 1954 record | 8–2 |
| Head coach | Eddie Erdelatz (5th season) |
| Assistant coach | Ben Martin |
| Home stadium | Thompson Stadium |
| 1954 Southern college football independents records | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Miami (FL) | – | 8 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delaware | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 Navy | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tampa | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | – | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abilene Christian | – | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chattanooga | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi Southern | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Maryland | – | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisville | – | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After defeating #5 Army in Philadelphia,[4] the Midshipmen were ranked fifth in both final polls, released in late November, and played in their first bowl game in 31 years. Navy shut out #6 Ole Miss 21–0 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Year's Day.[5][6]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 25 | William & Mary | W 27–0 | |||
| October 2 | at Dartmouth | W 42–7 | |||
| October 9 | at No. 17 Stanford | No. 19 | W 25–0 | 55,000 | |
| October 16 | at Pittsburgh | No. 9 | L 19–21 | 30,151 | |
| October 23 | at Penn | W 52–6 | |||
| October 30 | No. 6 Notre Dame | No. 15 | L 0–6 | 60,000 | |
| November 6 | vs. Duke | No. 19 |
| W 40–7 | |
| November 13 | Columbia | No. 10 |
| W 51–6 | |
| November 27 | vs. No. 5 Army | No. 6 |
| W 27–20 | 102,000 |
| January 1, 1955 | vs. No. 6 Ole Miss | No. 5 | W 21–0 | 80,190 | |
| |||||
Personnel
| 1954 Navy Midshipmen football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
|
Defense
|
Special teams
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Source:[7]
Game summaries
References
- "Football History" (PDF). United States Naval Academy. p. 192. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- "Navy Yearly Results (1950-1954)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- Wagner, Bill (October 29, 2015). "Navy inspired to honor 1954 'Team Named Desire'". Capital Gazette. (Annapolis, Maryland). Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- "Middies' desire deflates Cadets". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 28, 1954. p. 1, sports.
- "Navy swamps Mississippi, 21-0 before 82,500 fans in Sugar Bowl". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. January 2, 1955. p. 1, section 3.
- Claassen, Harold (January 2, 1955). "Daring Midshipmen scuttle Mississippi 21-0 in Sugar". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 1, sports.
- "Navy, Mississippi numbers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1955. p. 10.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.