The 1954 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1954 college football season. 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 | |
|---|---|
Eastern champion Sugar Bowl champion | |
Sugar Bowl, W 21–0 vs. Ole Miss | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 5 |
| AP | No. 5 |
| Record | 8–2 |
| Head coach |
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| Captain | Phil Monahan |
| Home stadium | Thompson Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis State | – | 3 | – | 4 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisville | – | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas State | – | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sewanee | – | 0 | – | 8 | – | 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
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 25 | William & Mary | W 27–0 | [7] | |||
| October 2 | at Dartmouth | W 42–7 | 13,200 | [8] | ||
| 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 | 41,228 | [9] | ||
| October 30 | vs. No. 6 Notre Dame | No. 15 | L 0–6 | 60,000 | ||
| November 6 | vs. Duke | No. 19 | W 40–7 | 28,000–30,000 | [10] | |
| November 13 | Columbia | No. 10 |
| W 51–6 | 11,000 | [11] |
| 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 | [12] | |
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Personnel
edit| 1954 Navy Midshipmen football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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- Source:[13]
Game summaries
editSugar Bowl vs Ole Miss
edit- Welsh 8/14 passing
- Gattuso (MVP) 111 rush yds, 2 TD
- Weaver 106 rush yds, TD, 3 PAT
References
edit- ^ "Football History" (PDF). United States Naval Academy. p. 192. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- ^ "Navy Yearly Results (1950-1954)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b "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 sinks W&M under 27–0 Tide". Asheville Citizen-Times. September 26, 1954. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Werden, Lincoln A. (October 3, 1954). "Navy Rally Topples Dartmouth, 42 to 7". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
- ^ Good, Herb (October 24, 1954). "Navy Hands Penn Worst Loss in 67-Year Rivalry". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. S1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "30,000 see Navy humble Duke in Oyster Bowl, 40–7". The Portsmouth Star. November 7, 1954. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Nichols, Joseph C. (November 14, 1954). "Navy Crushes Columbia, 51-6; Middies Set Mark". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
- ^ "Navy sinks Rebs, 21–0". The Atlanta Journal. January 2, 1955. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Navy, Mississippi numbers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1955. p. 10.
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