List of Navy Midshipmen head football coaches

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Paul Johnson coached the Midshipmen to five straight bowl games during his six seasons as head coach. US Navy 040904-N-9693M-010 U.S. Naval Academy football team head coach Paul Johnson sends the teams next play in with Midshipman 1st Class Lionel Wesley.jpg
Paul Johnson coached the Midshipmen to five straight bowl games during his six seasons as head coach.

The Navy Midshipmen football team has represented the United States Naval Academy in intercollegiate college football since 1879. The team participated as an independent school for the majority of its existence, but joined the American Athletic Conference (formerly the Big East Conference) as an expansion team in 2015. [1] [2] The Midshipmen joined the NCAA Division I-A when it was created in 1978, becoming one of the first independent schools in that division. The program has had 37 head coaches, one interim coach, and two separate periods where it went without a coach since its formation. [3] Ken Niumatalolo served as head coach of the Midshipmen from 2007 [4] to the end of the 2022 season, when he was let go immediately after losing to Army to close out a 4–8 season. [5]

Contents

The academy adopted the nickname "Midshipmen" for its students when it was founded in 1845. Between 1870 and 1902, the school tried out a number of different ideas, before Congress restored the name "Midshipmen" as the academy's nickname. [6] [7] The term has been accepted since. [8] The Midshipmen have played in over 1200 games during the program's 133 seasons (through the 2015 regular season). In those seasons, seven coaches have led the Midshipmen to postseason bowl games, ten have been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, and one, Bill Ingram, has led the school to a recognized national championship. [3]

Vaulx Carter, the program's first coach, is the all-time leader in win percentage, with a perfect 1.000. [NOTE 1] [NOTE 2] Of coaches who have served in more than one game, Gil Dobie has the highest win percentage with .850 after completing a record of 17–3. George Sauer has the lowest win percentage of any non-interim coach, amassing a percentage of .222 and a record of 3–13–2. Ken Niumatalolo overtook George Welsh's 55 wins in 2014, for the most games won at Navy, and his 9 seasons in 2017 for the most seasons coached at Navy. In 2014, Niumatalolo overtook Paul Johnson, his predecessor, for the most bowl games coached, with seven, [NOTE 3] and most bowl games won (3). [3] [10]

Key

Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, postseason records, and national championships [NOTE 7]
No.NameTermGCOWOLOTO%PWPLPTBGNC
18791001.5000
Vaulx Carter 188211001.0000
1883–18914023152.6000
Ben Crosby 18927520.7140
John A. Hartwell 18938530.6250
William Wurtenburg 18947412.7140
Matthew McClung 18957520.7140
Johnny Poe 18968530.6250
Bill Armstrong 1897–1899252050.8000
Garrett Cochran † [15] 19009630.6670
Doc Hillebrand † [16] 1901–1902218112.4290
Burr Chamberlain 190312471.3750
Paul Dashiell 1904–1906342554.7940
Joseph M. Reeves 190712921.7920
Frank Berrien 1908–1910292153.7760
Douglas Legate Howard 1911–1914362574.7500
Jonas H. Ingram † [17] 1915–191619982.52600000
Gil Dobie † [18] 1917–1919201730.85000000
Bob Folwell 1920–19243824122.6580010
Jack Owsley 19258521.68800000
Bill Ingram † [19] 1926–19304932134.6940000
Rip Miller † [20] 1931–19332912152.44800000
Tom Hamilton † [21] 1934–1936
1946–1947		4521231.47800000
Hank Hardwick 1937–193818873.52800000
Swede Larson 1939–1941271683.64800000
Billick Whelchel 1942–1943181350.72200000
Oscar Hagberg 1944–1945181341.75000000
George Sauer † [22] 1948–1949183132.22200000
Eddie Erdelatz 1950–19588450268.6432000
Wayne Hardin † [23] 1959–19646238222.6290200
Bill Elias 1965–19684015223.41300000
Rick Forzano 1969–19724310330.23300000
George Welsh † [24] 1973–198110255461.5441200
Gary Tranquill 1982–19865520341.37300000
Elliot Uzelac 1987–1989338250.24200000
George Chaump 1990–19945514410.25500000
Charlie Weatherbie
[NOTE 8] 		1995–20017530450.4001000
Rick Lantz
[NOTE 8] 		2001303.0000000
Paul Johnson
[NOTE 3] 		2002–2007744529.608220
Ken Niumatalolo
[NOTE 3] 		2007–202219210983.568650
Brian Newberry 2023–present1257.4170000

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Vaulx Carter was a player-coach who led Navy in only one game, an 8–0 shutout of Johns Hopkins. [9]
  2. 1 2 A calculated percentage taken as a whole number on a scale of one (1.000). When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss. [14]
  3. 1 2 3 Paul Johnson coached Navy for the entirety of the 2007 season, but left to coach the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets before 2007 Poinsettia Bowl. Offensive coordinator Ken Niumatalolo, took over coaching duties for the bowl game, and served as head coach through the end of the 2022 season. [27] [28]
  4. ↑ A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "N/A" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record.
  5. ↑ Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played. [11]
  6. ↑ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since. [12] [13]
  7. ↑ Statistics correct as of the end of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. [3]
  8. 1 2 Charlie Weatherbie was fired as head coach on October 28, 2001, after losing 17 of his last 18 games. Defensive coordinator Rick Lantz was named as the interim head coach. He was fired at the end of the season, after going 0–3. [25] [26]
  9. ↑ The eleven bowl games coached by Niumatalolo are the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl, 2008 EagleBank Bowl, 2009 Texas Bowl, 2010 Poinsettia Bowl, 2012 Fight Hunger Bowl, 2013 Armed Forces Bowl, 2014 Poinsettia Bowl, 2015 Military Bowl, 2016 Armed Forces Bowl, the 2017 Military Bowl and the 2019 Liberty Bowl.

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References

General

Notes

  1. ↑ Wagner, Bill (January 3, 2013). "Navy still considers Big East a good fit". The Capital Gazette. Glen Burnie, Maryland. OCLC   20603859. Archived from the original on February 7, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  2. ↑ Markus, Don (December 13, 2012). "Navy, bound for Big East football in 2015, will wait to review 'all the moving parts'". The Baltimore Sun . ISSN   2165-1752. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Navy Coaching Records (2013)
  4. ↑ Fienstein, John (November 24, 2013). "Navy football deserves salute for success under Ken Niumatalolo, Paul Johnson". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  5. ↑ Lehrfeld, Jonathan (2022-12-13). "Ex-Navy head coach says he was fired in locker room after loss to Army". Navy Times. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  6. ↑ General Accounting Office (June 30, 1941). "(B-12199) Subsistence and Lodging–Naval Reserve Midshipmen Attending a University". Decisions of the Comptroller General of the United States. 20: 142–145. ISSN   0011-7323 . Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  7. ↑ Melling, George (August 22, 1922). "Sec. 1512. [Title of Students.] The students at the Naval Academy shall be styled cadet midshipmen". Laws Relating to the Navy, Annotated (238). Government Printing Office: 739–741. OCLC   3852139 . Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  8. ↑ Staff (2013). "U.S. Naval Academy Facts, Figures and History". Traditions. United States Naval Academy Athletics. Midshipmen. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  9. ↑ Patterson, Ted (2000). Football in Baltimore: History and Memorabilia. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 22. ISBN   978-0-8018-6424-7.
  10. ↑ Navy Football History (2005)
  11. ↑ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  12. ↑ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  13. ↑ "2009–10 NCAA Football Rules and Interpretation" (PDF). Rule 3, Article 3: Extra Periods. National Collegiate Athletic Association. May 2009. pp. FR–64 to FR–65. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  14. ↑ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  15. ↑ Staff (2013). "Member Biography: Gary Cochran". National Football Foundation . Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  16. ↑ Staff (2013). "Member Biography: Art "Doc" Hillebrand". National Football Foundation. Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  17. ↑ Staff (2015). "Member Biography: Jonas "One Armed Admiral" Ingram". National Football Foundation. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  18. ↑ Staff (2013). "Member Biography: Gil "Gloomy Gil" Dobie". National Football Foundation. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  19. ↑ Staff (2013). "Member Biography: Bill Ingram". National Football Foundation. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  20. ↑ Staff (2013). "Member Biography: Edgar "Rip" Miller". National Football Foundation. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  21. ↑ Staff (2013). "Member Biography: Tom Hamilton". National Football Foundation. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  22. ↑ Staff (2013). "Member Biography: George Sauer". National Football Foundation. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  23. ↑ Staff (2013). "Member Biography: Wayne Hardin". National Football Foundation. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  24. ↑ Staff (2013). "Member Biography: George Welsh". National Football Foundation. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  25. ↑ Baker, Kent (October 30, 2001). "Lantz gets his chance at Navy with promotion". The Baltimore Sun. ISSN   2165-1752. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  26. ↑ Staff writer (October 29, 2001). "Plus: College Football; Weatherbie Fired As Navy Coach". The New York Times . Sports. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Niumatalolo follows Johnson at Navy". Sports Illustrated . Associated Press. December 8, 2007. ISSN   0038-822X. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  28. ↑ Staff writer (December 7, 2007). "Paul Johnson Named Georgia Tech's Head Football Coach". Ramblinwreck.com. Atlanta. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.

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