1976 Navy Midshipmen football team

American college football season

1976 Navy Midshipmen football

Conference| Independent
Record| 4–7
Head coach|

* George Welsh (4th season)

Captain| Jeff Sapp, Kevin Sullivan
Home stadium| Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium

Seasons

<- 1975

1977 ->

1976 NCAA Division I independents football records

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 1 Pittsburgh |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 12  | - | 0  | - | 0
No. 17 Rutgers |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 11  | - | 0  | - | 0
San Diego State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 10  | - | 1  | - | 0
No. 12 Notre Dame |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 3  | - | 0
Colgate |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 2  | - | 0
Boston College |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 3  | - | 0
Cincinnati |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 3  | - | 0
Memphis State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 0
North Texas State *  |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 0
Southern Illinois |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 0
Penn State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 5  | - | 0
Villanova |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 1
South Carolina |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Virginia Tech |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Army |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
Florida State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
Illinois State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
Richmond |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
West Virginia |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
Georgia Tech |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 1
Temple |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
Air Force |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
Dayton |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
Louisville |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
Marshall |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
Navy |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  | - | 0
Indiana State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0
Hawaii |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Holy Cross |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Miami (FL) |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Syracuse |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Utah State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Northeast Louisiana |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 9  | - | 0
Southern Miss |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 9  | - | 0
Tulane |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 9  | - | 0

* North Texas State (originally 6–5) was awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player.[1]

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1976 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. The team was led by fourth-year head coach George Welsh.[2][3]

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

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September 11| | Rutgers|

* Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
* Annapolis, MD

| L 3–13| 17,501| [4]
September 18| | at Connecticut|

* Memorial Stadium
* Storrs, CT

| W 21–3| 15,906| [5]
September 25| | at No. 1 Michigan|

* Michigan Stadium
* Ann Arbor, MI

| L 14–70| 101,040| [6][7]
October 2| | No. 15 Boston College|

* Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
* Annapolis, MD

| L 13–17| 16,156|
October 9| | at Air Force|

* Falcon Stadium
* Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)

| L 3–13| |
October 16| | William & Mary|

* Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
* Annapolis, MD

| L 13–21| 21,681| [8]
October 23| | No. 2 Pittsburgh|

* Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
* Annapolis, MD

| L 0–45| 26,346|
October 30| 1:30 p.m.| vs. No. 11 Notre Dame|

* Municipal Stadium
* Cleveland, OH (rivalry)

| L 21–27| 61,172|
November 6| | at Syracuse|

* Archbold Stadium
* Syracuse, NY

| W 27–10| 22,333|
November 13| | Georgia Tech|

* Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
* Annapolis, MD

| W 34–28| 20,010| [9]
November 27| | vs. Army|

* John F. Kennedy Stadium
* Philadelphia, PA (Army–Navy Game)

| W 38–10| |

* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
* All times are in Eastern time

## Game summaries

[edit]

### Vs. Notre Dame

[edit]

Navy Midshipmen (1–6) vs. #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5–1)

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Notre Dame | 3 | 21 | 0| 3| 27
Navy | 0 | 14 | 0| 7| 21

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

* Date: October 30
* Game attendance: 61,172
* Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

* ND – Dave Reeve 47-yard field goal. Notre Dame 3–0. Drive:

Second quarter

* NAVY – Dave King 17-yard pass from Bob Leszcyznski (Bob Tata kick). Navy 7–3. Drive:
* NAVY – Larry Klawinski 1-yard run (Bob Tata kick). Navy 14–3. Drive:
* ND – Dan Kelleher 58-yard pass from Rick Slager (Dave Reeve kick). Navy 14–10. Drive:
* ND – Al Hunter 5-yard run (Dave Reeve kick). Notre Dame 17–14. Drive: 60 yards.
* ND – Al Hunter 28-yard pass from Rick Slager (Dave Reeve kick). Notre Dame 24–14. Drive:

Third quarter

* No scoring

Fourth quarter

* NAVY – Reggie Thompson 1-yard run (Bob Tata kick). Notre Dame 24–21. Drive:
* ND – Dave Reeve 24-yard field goal. Notre Dame 27–21. Drive:

Top passers

* ND
* NAVY – Bob Leszcyznski – 21/45, 294 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

* ND
* NAVY

Top receivers

* ND – Dan Kelleher – 7 receptions, 162 yards, TD
* NAVY

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### At Syracuse

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2021)

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### Georgia Tech

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2021)

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### Vs. Army

[edit]

Army Cadets (5–5) vs. Navy Midshipmen (3–7)

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Army | 0 | 10 | 0| 0| 10
Navy | 7 | 7 | 17| 7| 38

at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

* Date: November 27
* Game weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 77,612
* [10]

Game information

First quarter

* NAVY – Joe Gattuso 2-yard run (Bob Tata kick), 0:15. Navy 7–0. Drive: 51 yards.

Second quarter

* ARMY – Greg King 11-yard run (Mike Castelli kick). Tie 7–7. Drive:
* NAVY – Phil McConkey 11-yard pass from Bob Leszczynski (Bob Tata kick). Navy 14–7. Drive: 57 yards.
* ARMY – Mike Castelli 37-yard field goal. Navy 14–10. Drive:

Third quarter

* NAVY – Joe Gattuso 20-yard run (Bob Tata kick). Navy 21–10. Drive: 75 yards.
* NAVY – Joe Gattuso 1-yard run (Bob Tata kick). Navy 28–10. Drive: 65 yards.
* NAVY – Bob Tata 33-yard field goal. Navy 31–10. Drive:

Fourth quarter

* NAVY – Dave King 16-yard pass from Bob Leszczynski (Bob Tata kick). Navy 38–10. Drive: 30 yards.

Top passers

* ARMY – Leamon Hall – 13/31, 3 INT
* NAVY – Bob Leszczynski – 2 TD

Top rushers

* ARMY
* NAVY – Joe Gattuso – 29 rushes, 128 yards, 3 TD

Top receivers

* ARMY
* NAVY

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## Personnel

[edit]

1976 Navy Midshipmen football team roster

Players  | Coaches
Offense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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FB | `` | Steve Chafin
OL | `` | Jim Chamberlain
OL | `` | Gene Cioni
OL | `` | Ray Fritsch
RB | `` | Joe Gattuso
OL | `` | Cary Hithon
WB | `` | Dave King | Fr
RB | `` | Larry Klawinski
QB | `` | John Kurowski
QB | `15` | Bob Leszczynski | So
WR | `` | Phil McConkey
RB | `` | Leon Miller
OL | `71` | Mark Poston
OL | `` | Kevin Ryan
WR | `` | Steve Scott
TE | `` | Kevin Sullivan
RB | `` | Reggie Thompson
Defense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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LB | `` | Otto Bulich
DB | `` | Greg Byrd
DL | `` | Pete Caulk
LB | `` | Bob DeStafney
DB | `` | Mike Galpin
DL | `` | Kelvin Graham
DL | `` | Jeff Hoobler
| `` | Gregg Milo
MG | `` | Jeff Sapp
DB | `` | Larry Simpson
DL | `` | John Snyder
DB | `` | John Sturges
Special teams | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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P | `` | Art Ohanian
K | `` | Bob Tata | So

Head coach

* George Welsh

Coordinators/assistant coaches

* Len Fontes – Defensive backs

* * *

Legend

* (C) Team captain
* (S) Suspended
* (I) Ineligible

* Injured
* Redshirt

## References

[edit]

1. ^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1976-standings.html
2. ^ "Football History" (PDF). United States Naval Academy. p. 194\. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
3. ^ "Navy Yearly Results (1975-1979)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
4. ^ Jackson, James H. (September 12, 1976). "Middies Drop Opener, 13-3, to Rutgers". The Sunday Sun. Baltimore, Md. p. B1 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
6. ^ Joe Peacock (September 27, 1976). "Michigan's 49-Point 2nd-Half Burns Navy". Argus-Press, Owosso, Michigan. p. 5.
7. ^ "Michigan Torpedoes Navy". Sparatanburg Herald-Journal (AP story). September 26, 1976. p. 8.
8. ^ "Kruis leads Indians over Middies 21–13". The Roanoke Times. October 17, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Gattuso, Leszcynski sparkle, Navy nips Georgia Tech 34–28". Daily Press. November 14, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/28/archives/navy-trounces-army-4th-year-in-row-3810-navy-trounces-army-4th-year.html "Navy Trounces Army 4th Year in Row, 38-10." New York Times. 1976 Nov 28. Retrieved 2021-Jan-12.

* v
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Navy Midshipmen football

Venues|

* Worden Field (1890–1923)
* Thompson Stadium (1924–1958)
* Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (1959–present)
* Memorial Stadium (alternate)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Army: Army–Navy Game (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)
* Air Force: Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
* Johns Hopkins
* Maryland: Crab Bowl Classic
* Notre Dame
* SMU: Gansz Trophy

Culture & lore|

* Bill the Goat
* "Anchors Aweigh"
* "I believe that we will win!"
* Marching band
* "Navy ends the drought"
* 2007 North Texas game
* Salute
* That Navy Spirit
* Navy Blue and Gold

People|

* Head coaches
* Statistical leaders
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1879
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