1971 Navy Midshipmen football team

1971 Navy Midshipmen football
Conference	Independent
Record	3–8
Head coach	Rick Forzano (3rd season)
Captain	Rick Porterfield
Home stadium	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1970 1972  →

1971 NCAA University Division independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Penn State			–					11	–	1	–	0
Boston College			–					9	–	2	–	0
No. 17 Houston			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 13 Notre Dame			–					8	–	2	–	0
Utah State			–					8	–	3	–	0
Florida State			–					8	–	4	–	0
Cincinnati			–					7	–	4	–	0
West Virginia			–					7	–	4	–	0
Temple			–					6	–	2	–	1
Air Force			–					6	–	4	–	0
Army			–					6	–	4	–	0
Colgate			–					6	–	4	–	0
Villanova			–					6	–	4	–	1
South Carolina			–					6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss			–					6	–	5	–	0
Georgia Tech			–					6	–	6	–	0
Northern Illinois			–					5	–	5	–	1
Syracuse			–					5	–	5	–	1
Dayton			–					5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross			–					4	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					4	–	7	–	0
Rutgers			–					4	–	7	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					4	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					3	–	8	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					3	–	8	–	0
Tulane			–					3	–	8	–	0
Marshall			–					2	–	8	–	0
Xavier			–					1	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1971 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. The team was led by third-year head coach Rick Forzano. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	1:30 p.m.	at Virginia	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 10–6	23,500	[2]
September 18	2:00 p.m.	No. 14 Penn State	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	L 3–56	26,855
September 25	1:35 p.m.	at Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	L 6–49	22,700
October 2	1:30 p.m.	at No. 2 Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	L 0–46	68,168	[3]
October 9	1:31 p.m.	at Pittsburgh	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	L 35–36	24,825
October 15	8:15 p.m.	at Miami (FL)	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL	L 16–31	26,728
October 23	2:00 p.m.	No. 10 Duke	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	W 15–14	24,844	[4]
October 30	1:30 p.m.	at No. 12 Notre Dame	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Damed, IN (rivalry)	L 0–21	59,075
November 6	2:00 p.m.	at Georgia Tech	Grant Field Atlanta, GA	L 21–34	44,821	[5]
November 13	1:30 p.m.	Syracuse	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	W 17–14	15,437
November 27	1:25 p.m.	vs. Army	John F. Kennedy Stadium Philadelphia, PA (Army–Navy Game)	L 23–24	97,047
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[6]

Roster

1971 Navy Midshipmen football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 24 Dan Howard Fr RB George Berry   Jack Forde WR Steve Ogden FB Andy Pease QB Fred Stuvek So   Larry Van Loan	Defense Pos. # Name Class   Gary Rhoads   Charley Robinson	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K Roger Lanning P Tom Moore	Head coach Rick Forzano Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

• Not listed (missing number/class/position): Don Canterna

References

1. "Football History" (PDF). United States Naval Academy. p. 193. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
2. "Sub QB paces Navy past Virginia 10–6". Greensboro Daily News. September 12, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. Curt Sylvester (October 3, 1971). "U-M Brushes Off Navy, 46–0". Detroit Free Press. p. 1C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Determined Navy nips Duke, 15–14". The State. October 24, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Tech rocks Navy, 34–21". The Charlotte Observer. November 7, 1971. Retrieved July 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Schedule/Results (1971 Navy)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 13, 2025.