Navy Team

The 2003 Navy football team will visit the White House Monday, April 19 and will be honored by President George W. Bush for winning the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 1981. "I'm excited about the opportunity to bring our football team to the White House and represent the Naval Academy," said Navy head football coach Paul Johnson. "This team accomplished most of their goals and one of the biggest was to winner the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy and go to the White House."

THERE ARE no moral victories," Navy football coach Paul Johnson said after Saturday's Saint Vito's Day loss to Notre Dame at Unitas Stadium in Baltimore. I know he was disappointed - a few million Americans were - that the Midshipmen could not hold their 23-15 lead and ended up losing to the Fumblin' Irish, 30-23. And I know the coach was being bugged by sportswriters for a quote, and maybe he's not much of a spin doctor and doesn't try to prescribe that kind of medicine. A loss is an L in the record books, no matter what anyone says.

When Courtney Davidson was a seventh-grader growing up in the Pennsylvania foothills, she served as the ball girl for the high school boys team, coached by her father, Jeffrey. When the game ended, she had a ritual. "While I was waiting for the guys to get their showers and dress, I'd be on the court shooting around," said the Navy sophomore. "I loved doing that." Nothing has changed. The leading scorer and nationally ranked sharpshooter for Navy's women's basketball team still loves to be on the court and shoot around.

High and to the left. It's where Bucknell midfielder Lauren Schwarz has shot all of her penalty kicks since her earliest days in the sport. In overtime of yesterday's Patriot League women's final in Annapolis, it was her accurate placement that left host Navy down and out. Schwarz's penalty kick 3:07 into the first sudden-death period sent the Mids to an agonizing 2-1 loss, most likely denying them their first trip to the NCAA tournament. "We knew where it was going," Navy coach Carin Gabarra said.

Navy's basketball team has been clearly on the rebound since launching the season with three straight losses, but last night it hit a record-setting gait in that department. The Midshipmen shattered the school record with 71 rebounds, an amazing 37 of them off the offensive boards, and had little trouble routing Liberty, 79-53, at Alumni Hall for their ninth victory in the last 10 games. Liberty, which had beaten both Richmond and Virginia Tech on the road, simply couldn't cope with Navy's superior size, desire and hustle and was never really in the game.

PHILADELPHIA -- In 1890, on the parade grounds of West Point overlooking the majestic Hudson River, Army and Navy competed in football for the first time.The Midshipmen, more organized and advanced in strategy, prevailed 24-0, with running back Red Emrich accounting for four touchdowns (four points each) and four extra points.A New York Times headline blared: "The Young Admirals Sweep All Before Them, Smiting The Enemy Hip And Thigh and Forcing Complete Capitulation."Over the next century, the competition became more intense.

Many coaches liken their teams to a family. But in the case of No. 13 Navy, that analogy isn't far off.The Mids (5-3) have three sets of brothers: Adam and Alex Borcz; Howie and Kevin Meehan; and Mike and Tommy Sheedy.The Borcz brothers have combined for 19 goals and four assists. Kevin Meehan has nine goals, while Howie has made his impact on the defensive end with 15 ground balls. And the Sheedy brothers are in a reserve role in their first year with the Mids."Everybody on the team thinks of each other as brothers," said Adam Borcz, a plebe midfielder from Calvert Hall who is referred to by his teammates as Little Borcz.

Navy football fans are doing something unusual this fall:They're actually watching the games.The once-bare stands of the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis have sold out. Crowds carrying "Go Navy" banners jostle at the gates. Families spread out on the grass. Even the most die-hard tailgaters have left off partying in the parking lot.It's the sheer thrill of a winning season."I had a full head of hair the last time Navy had this good of a season," joked Bob Bohan, 51, an Annapolis lawyer, as he munched snacks with a group of friends at a pre-game cookout.

They were bigger and stronger inside, had better athletes than the current Navy team and, after their first NCAA tournament, were expected to win . . . often.The last midshipmen to represent the academy in postseason play were anchored by David Robinson. From 1985 to 1987, Navy made the NCAA tournament every season, creating some big waves in 1986, when Robinson, forward Vernon Butler and point guard Doug Wojcik led the team into the final eight before it was eliminated by Duke in the East Regional final.

For the longest time, T.J. Hall had trouble making the jump into Alumni Hall.He was consigned primarily to the auxiliary gymnasium at Halsey Field House, where the Naval Academy plebe/junior varsity basketball team spends most of its time.During his first two seasons, the 6-foot-3 junior guard from Port Jefferson, N.Y., played in two varsity games and scored a grand total of two points.There was little evidence to suggest that Hall would emerge as the fulcrum of the Navy team that plays host to Colgate today at 4:30 p.m. for the Patriot League championship.