1953 Navy Midshipmen football team

1953 Navy Midshipmen football
Conference	Independent
Record	4–3–2
Head coach	Eddie Erdelatz (4th season)
Captain	Dick Olson
Home stadium	Thompson Stadium
Seasons ←  1952 1954  →

1953 Southern college football independents records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Arkansas State			–					8	–	0	–	2
Delaware			–					7	–	1	–	0
Maryland State			–					7	–	1	–	0
Mississippi Southern			–					9	–	2	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	3	–	2
Memphis State			–					6	–	4	–	0
Florida State			–					5	–	5	–	0
Tampa			–					6	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					4	–	5	–	0
Sewanee			–					3	–	5	–	0
Marshall			–					2	–	5	–	2
Chattanooga			–					3	–	7	–	0
Louisville			–					1	–	7	–	0
Virginia			–					1	–	8	–	0

The 1953 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1953 college football season. They began the season ranked 13th in the preseason AP poll. ^[1] The team was led by fourth-year head coach Eddie Erdelatz. ^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26		William & Mary	No. 13	Thompson Stadium Annapolis, MD		T 6–6		[3]
October 3		Dartmouth		Thompson Stadium Annapolis, MD		W 55–7	15,500	[4]
October 10		vs. Cornell		Municipal Stadium Baltimore, MD		W 26–6	27,000	[5]
October 17		at Princeton	No. 14	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ		W 65–7	44,000	[6]
October 24		at Penn	No. 10	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA		L 6–9	52,210	[7]
October 31		at No. 1 Notre Dame	No. 20	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		L 7–38	58,154
November 7		vs. Duke		Municipal Stadium Baltimore, MD		T 0–0	15,000	[8]
November 14		at Columbia		Baker Field New York, NY		W 14–6	5,000	[9]
November 28	1:15 p.m.	vs. No. 18 Army		Philadelphia Municipal Stadium Philadelphia, PA (Army–Navy Game)	NBC	L 7–20	102,000	[10]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Personnel

1953 Navy Midshipmen football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class FB Joe Gattuso Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Eddie Erdelatz Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "Navy (MD) 1953 AP Football Rankings - College Poll Archive - Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings". www.collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
2. "Football History" (PDF). United States Naval Academy. p. 192. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
3. "Indians rally to tie favored Midshipmen, 6–6". Tulsa World. September 27, 1953. Retrieved January 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. Werden, Lincoln A. (October 4, 1953). "Navy Power Routs Dartmouth, 55 to 7". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
5. Effrat, Louis (October 11, 1953). "Middie Surge Tops Cornell Team, 26-6". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
6. Sheehan, Joseph M. (October 18, 1953). "Middies Pin Worst Setback on Tiger Eleven in 85 Years". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
7. McCulley, Jim (October 25, 1953). "Last-Minute Penn Kick Topples Middies, 9-6". Sunday News . New York, N.Y. p. 101 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Duke, Navy slug out 0–0 tie". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 8, 1953. Retrieved January 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. Strauss, Michael (November 8, 1953). "Carr, Hopp Excel as Lions Down Indians in Air Battle". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
10. "Uebel Score 3 TD's As Cadets Too Tough". Daily Press . Newport News, Virginia. Associated Press. November 29, 1953. p. 27. Retrieved July 6, 2021– via Newspapers.com .