The Pittsburgh Press (November 27, 1943)
Navy rated slight favorite over Army
Edge comes from Penn game scores; Blaik, Whelchel are moanin’ low
West Point, New York (UP) –
A trail of tears from those arch-pessimists coaches Earl “Red” Blaik of Army and John “Billick” Whelchel of Navy brought the inescapable conclusion today that it is a tossup who will lose the traditional football clash between the service teams.
Both coaches are convinced that victory is wholly unlikely unless their teams receive a series of breaks or luck, each describing minutely the advantage enjoyed by the opponent.
Behind their verbal sparring, however, the two elevens, both rounding out their most successful seasons in years, are drilled to razor sharpness and with the inevitable inspiration that comes from playing against the other service school, should put on their best performances to date.
Navy, probably because it beat Pennsylvania while Army had to settle for a tie with the Quakers, is a slight favorite. Cadet supporters stress that their team was the betting choice last year and took a two-touchdown drubbing,
In the ultimate, it will probably devolve itself into a contest between Army’s hard-driving backs breaking fast from the T-formation and Navy’s spot-passing out of the single wing. The team developing the best defense, barring trickery, will probably win.
The color and pageantry of other service classics will be minimized with only the lucky Orange County neighbors of the Cadets being legal spectators. President Roosevelt, by proclamation, declared all of the United States except a 10-mile area around the Academy “out of bounds” for the game and persons outside that charmed circle can’t get in for love or money.
Navy will be represented by a Lend-Lease cheering section made up of the Army Cadet 1st Regiment. Though Navy yells will be made with “tongues in cheeks,” the Cadets promised to give them lively representation.
Each team will be at full strength, with only Doug Kenna, the Army’s oft-injured back, not expected to see action among the regulars.
The probable lineups:
| Positions | Navy | Army |
|---|---|---|
| LE | Channell | McKinnon |
| LT | Whitmire | Merritt |
| LG | Brown | Murphy |
| C | J. Martin | Myslinski |
| RG | Chase | McCorkle |
| RT | Sprinkle | Stanowicz |
| RE | Johnston | Rennessy |
| Q | Nelson | Lombardo |
| LH | Hamburg | Minor |
| RH | B. Martin | Maxon |
| F | Hume | Davis |
San Diego Navy battles March Field
New York (UP) – (Nov. 26)
While the Army-Navy Game takes the spotlight in the East, the Midwest presents the Great Lakes-Notre Dame clash in Chicago as its outstanding attraction.
Elsewhere, Lehigh and Lafayette battle in the East’s only other game – a contest with little but tradition at stake between the two rivals.
In the Midwest, Oklahoma (Big Six champion) closes its competition an odds-on favorite to defeat the weakest Nebraska team in years. Tough Iowa Pre-Flight plays Minnesota in the only other middle country game.
In the South, Randolph Field plays Southwest Louisiana Institute with a probable bowl bid in the offing for the winner. Other contests pit Southern Methodist against Texas Christian in their annual close-out game, Georgia against a heavily-favored Georgia Tech, Rice against Southwestern University and North Carolina against Virginia Military.
In the West, San Diego Navy plays the March Field Fliers in the service contest of the day and Southern California meets UCLA in a return engagement while Del Monte Pre-Flight plays California.