Code Breakers | |
---|---|
Genre | Drama |
Based on | A Return to Glory by Bill McWilliams |
Written by | G. Ross Parker |
Directed by | Rod Holcomb |
Starring |
|
Music by | Anthony Marinelli |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producer | Orly Adelson |
Producer | Frank Siracusa |
Cinematography | Thomas Del Ruth |
Editor | Michael Brown |
Running time | 128 minutes |
Production company | Orly Adelson Productions |
Original release | |
Network | ESPN |
Release | December 10, 2005 |
Code Breakers is a 2005 American sports drama television film directed by Rod Holcomb and written by G. Ross Parker, based on the 2000 non-fiction book A Return to Glory by Bill McWilliams. The film chronicles the real-life 1951 cheating scandal at the United States Military Academy, and the impact on its football team. It stars Zachery Ty Bryan, Jeff Roop, Jake Busey, Corey Sevier, Theo Rossi, Robin Dunne, Adam Grimes, Jude Ciccolella, Dan Petronijevic, Richard Zeppieri, and Scott Glenn as Coach Earl "Red" Blaik.
The film aired on ESPN on December 10, 2005.
The film chronicles the 1951 cheating scandal at West Point and its impact on Army's football team, which was forced to dismiss virtually its entire squad. The film begins going into the 1950 Army–Navy Game, the Cadets football team was heavily favored, yet went on to lose to a weak Midshipmen squad, 14–2. The Academy and football team were then thrown into a scandal when 90 cadets, including 37 lettering football players, resigned in a cheating scandal which broke the Academy's Honor Code. [1] The film follows Brian Nolan, a cadet who is led to a ring of cheaters when he is need of academic help to pass. A serious piece of the film involves the relationship of Coach Blaik and his son Bob, one of the cadets responsible for cheating. [2]
Filming took place in Toronto. [3] A principal shooting location was Victoria College. Cinematographer Thomas Del Ruth used the 1950 film The West Point Story , directed by his father Roy Del Ruth, as a template in recreating West Point in the 1950s. [4]
The film aired on December 10, 2005 at 9 pm ET on ESPN and ESPN HD. [5]
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also referred to metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort during the American Revolutionary War, as it sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. It is the oldest of the five American service academies and educates cadets for commissioning into the United States Army.
Vincent Thomas Lombardi was an American professional football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be among the greatest coaches and leaders in American sports. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight and five total NFL Championships in seven years, in addition to winning the first two Super Bowls at the conclusion of the 1966 and 1967 NFL seasons.
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It is the youngest of the five service academies, having graduated its first class 65 years ago in 1959, but is the third in seniority. Graduates of the academy's four-year program receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force. The academy is also one of the largest tourist attractions in Colorado, attracting approximately a million visitors each year.
A codebreaker is a person who performs cryptanalysis.
Michie Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. The home field for the Army Black Knights, it opened 100 years ago in 1924 and has a current seating capacity of 42,765.
Glenn Woodward Davis was an American professional football halfback who played for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He is best known for his college football career for the Army Cadets from 1943 to 1946, where he was known as "Mr. Outside". He was named a consensus All-American once, named unanimous All-American twice, and in 1946 won the Heisman Trophy and was named Sporting News Player of the Year and Associated Press Athlete of the Year.
Earl Henry "Red" Blaik was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and United States Army officer. He served as the head football coach at Dartmouth College from 1934 to 1940 and at the United States Military Academy from 1941 to 1958, compiling a career college football record of 166–48–14. His Army football teams won three consecutive national championships in 1944, 1945 and 1946. Blaik was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1964.
Ray Malavasi was an American football coach who served as head coach of two professional teams: the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams.
Zachery Tyler Bryan is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for his role as Brad Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement. He also appeared in the films First Kid and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Paul Donal Harkins was a career officer in the United States Army and attained the rank of general. He is most notable for having served during World War II as deputy chief of staff for operations in George S. Patton Jr.'s commands, and as the first Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) commander, a post he held from 1962 to 1964.
Felix Anthony "Doc" Blanchard was an American football player and serviceman who became the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award, and was the first football player to win the James E. Sullivan Award, all in 1945. He played football for the Army Cadets, where he was known as "Mr. Inside".
The Army Black Knights football team, historically known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. The Black Knights team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Black Knights play home games in Michie Stadium with a capacity of 36,000 at West Point, New York. The Black Knights are coached by Jeff Monken, who has held the position since 2014.
In the United States, a Cadet Honor Code is a system of ethics or code of conduct applying to cadets studying at military academies. These codes exist at the federal service academies, such as the United States Military Academy and the United States Air Force Academy and at the senior military colleges, as well as other military schools and colleges. The United States Naval Academy and United States Coast Guard Academy have a related standard, known as the Honor Concept.
Alfred Lee Pollard was an American professional football fullback and halfback. After a brief stint at Loyola University, he decided to transfer to the United States Military Academy (Army) in the spring of 1949 where he played under the renowned Vince Lombardi as his backfield coach. In his 1950 season, he was Army's statistical leader in scoring and rushing. He resigned from the school after being involved in an cribbing scandal which decimated the ranks of Army's sports teams. He was drafted by the New York Yanks in the 21st round of the 1951 NFL draft, and Pollard played a total of 30 games in the NFL with the Yanks and the Philadelphia Eagles, scoring one career touchdown. In 1954, he left the Eagles for opportunity and played in the Western Interprovincial Football Union, later known as the Canadian Football League (CFL), for the BC Lions, achieving "All Canadian" status. After retiring from football in 1957, he pursued a number of business ventures in Canada including a beverage distributorship and a well regarded Steakhouse restaurant. He move back to Pennsylvania and became a color commentator on Eagles broadcasts, first with CBS television from 1961 to 1964, and then on WIP radio, where he worked with play-by-play man Charlie Swift from 1969 to 1976. Pollard also anchored a postgame Eagles program for WCAU-TV. During his broadcasting years, he worked as a regional sales manager with a large commercial printing company and developed an ice skating and tennis court facility in Berwyn, Pa. He died of lymphoma on March 3, 2002.
The 1951 Army Cadets football team represented the United States Military Academy in the 1951 college football season. Led by head coach Earl Blaik, the team finished with a record of 2–7. The Cadets offense scored 116 points, while the defense allowed 183 points.
Casimir J. Myslinski was an American university administrator, United States Air Force and Army officer, and college football player.
Thomas James Bell was an American football player. He played for the Army Cadets football teams from 1950 to 1954 and was the first Army player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He was selected as a first-team halfback on the 1954 All-America college football team.
The 1902 Army Cadets football team represented the United States Military Academy in the 1902 college football season. In their only season under head coach Dennis E. Nolan, the Cadets compiled a 6–1–1 record, shut out five of their eight opponents, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 180 to 28. Army's only loss was 14–6 to Harvard. The Cadets also defeated Syracuse by a 46 to 0 score and tied with an undefeated Yale team that has been recognized as a national co-champion. In the annual Army–Navy Game at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, the Cadets defeated the Midshipmen 22–8.
Robert Orders was an American college football player who was a center for [the [Army Black Knights football|Army Black Knights]] and West Virginia Mountaineers. Orders was a star two-sport athlete at Huntington High School in West Virginia and there earned prep All-State selection in both football and basketball. He was a two-year letterman at West Point and a two-year letterman at WVU. In 1953 Orders earned first team All-American honors from the NEA Service and both second and third team selections from various selectors. Orders was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.