10/10/2004 - Football
Navy-Notre Dame Release

Files associated with this release:
Navy-Notre Dame Press Release

Game Data
Navy (5-0) will play host to Notre Dame (4-2) Saturday at Giants Stadium (80,242) in East Rutherford, N.J. Kickoff is set for 12 noon.

Navy is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1979 (that team started 6-0 and finished 7-4) and for just the third time in 40 years (the 1978 team started 7-0 and finished 9-3).

A win by Navy would break Notre Dame's 40-game winning streak over the Midshipmen (an NCAA record for consecutive wins over one opponent) and would clinch a winning season, marking the first time that Navy has had a winning season in back-to-back years since 1996 and 1997.

A win would also make Navy bowl eligible for the second consecutive season. Navy, Houston Bowl participants a year ago, has gone to bowls in back-to-back seasons just once in school history (1980 Garden State Bowl and 1981 Liberty Bowl).

Saturday's game will be televised nationally to 100 percent of the country by CBS with Craig Bolerjack and former Oklahoma great Spencer Tillman calling the action. Dwayne Ballen will serve as the sideline reporter.

The game will also be broadcast nationally on the radio via CBS Sports/Westwood One with broadcasting legend Tony Roberts and former Notre Dame great Allan Pinkett calling the action.

The Navy Radio Network, which includes ESPN Radio in Baltimore (1300 AM), Sportstalk 980 in Washington, D.C. (980 AM), WNAV in Annapolis (1430 AM), and ESPN Radio in Cambridge, Md. (1240 AM), ESPN Radio in Norfolk, Va. (1310 AM) and WFWR (91.5 FM) in Attica, Ind., will be on hand at Giants Stadium to call the action. The game can also be heard world wide via the internet at www.navysports.com, www.wnav.com or www.sportstalk980.com. The Navy Football Pregame show will air an hour before kickoff (11 a.m.) on those same networks.

Bob Socci is in his eighth season on the Navy football broadcasts and is in his seventh year as the full-time play-by-play announcer. Socci is joined by former Navy fullback Omar Nelson ('97), who is in his third year as a member of the Navy Radio Network and his second as the full-time color analyst. Noted sports author John Feinstein, who provides a weekly pregame segment, will join Socci and Nelson in the booth for this game.

Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will kick things off with the Navy Tailgate Show on 1430 WNAV and www.wnav.com live from Giants Stadium at 10 a.m.

Injury Report
The Mids are healthy entering the Notre Dame game.

Series History
Notre Dame leads the series, 67-9-1 and has won an NCAA record 40-straight games against the Midshipmen. The Irish are 42-6-1 in neutral site games against Navy and have posted a 5-0 record in games played at Giants Stadium. Navy last beat Notre Dame in 1963, 35-14.

Last year, D.J. Fitzpatrick nailed a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give Notre Dame a 27-24 victory in South Bend. The lead changed hands in the game six times and there were two ties as neither team led by more than seven points. Fullback Kyle Eckel (Sr./Haverford, Pa.) rushed for 53 yards and two scores to lead the Mids.

Last year's game was a microcosm of Navy's recent frustrations against the Irish as the Mids have had chances to win six of the last nine games played between the two schools.

In 2002, a Navy team that was 1-7 nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in college football history as the Mids led Notre Dame (8-1), 23-15, with five minutes left. The Irish, however, would rally for 15 points over the final five minutes to pull out the 30-23 victory at Ravens Stadium in Baltimore.

In 2001, a Navy team that would end the season winless trailed Notre Dame 17-13 at the half and 24-16 early in the fourth quarter before falling, 34-16 at Notre Dame Stadium.

No loss to Notre Dame hurts as much as the 1999 game when the Mids were robbed by an unbelievable spot by the head linesman in South Bend. With the Mids up 24-21 and Notre Dame facing a fourth-and-10 from the Navy 37 with 1:30 remaining and no timeouts left, Notre Dame quarterback Jarious Jackson hit Bobby Brown with a nine-yard pass along the right sideline. Navy linebacker Ryan Hamilton immediately made the tackle and it was clear to the Navy players and coaches that Notre Dame was well short of the first down and the streak was over. But while Navy was celebrating, the head linesman was putting the ball down more than a yard in front of where he was tackled. As the chains stretched, Notre Dame miracously had a first down by less than an inch and the drive was still alive. Six plays later, Jackson hit Jay Johnson with a 16-yard touchdown pass to give Notre Dame the 28-24 win.

In 1997, Navy dominated the Irish in every facet of the game, but still fell short, 21-17. Autry Denson scored with 5:48 remaining to give the Irish the lead. Navy nearly pulled off a miracle on the last play of the game when Chris McCoy threw a hail mary pass from his own 29 yard line that was caught by Patrick McGrew at the Notre Dame 35 yard line. McGrew made it all the way to the Notre Dame two yard line before being knocked out of bounds by Notre Dame's Allen Rossum.

In 1995, Navy led Notre Dame, 17-14, at the half but the Mids were killed by five turnovers and two penalties that called back touchdowns as Navy fell in South Bend, 35-17.

Navy Receives Votes In Both Polls
The Navy football team, off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1979, received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the third week in a row and received votes in the USA Today/Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week.

Navy received 41 voting points in the Associated Press poll, which puts the Mids 29th in total points. Navy received seven points in the USA Today/Coaches poll, which puts the Mids 34th in total voting points.

Navy has not been ranked since Oct. 22, 1979, when the 6-0
Midshipmen rose as high as 17th in the polls.

Playing Against The Home State
Navy has three players on theroster from Indiana. Starting safety Josh Smith hails from Attica and attended Attica High School, while second-team linebacker Rob Caldwell is from St. John and went to Gary Andrean. Reserve offensive lineman Josh Oates is from Jasper.

Scouting Notre Dame
The Irish are off to a 4-2 start with an upset win over No. 8 Michigan (28-20) and wins over Michigan State (31-24), Washington (38-3) and Stanford (23-15). Notre Dame has lost to BYU (20-17) and to No. 15 Purdue (41-16). The Irish play host to Stanford this weekend.

The Notre Dame offense is led by quarterback Brady Quinn, who has passed for 1,529 yards and nine touchdowns. He has also thrown five interceptions.

Freshman tailback Darius Walker has been impressive, rushing for 436 yards and three touchdowns in five games.

Quinn's favorite target is Rhema McKnight, who leads ND with 24 catches for 366 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Shelton has 13 catches on the year, four of which have gone for touchdowns.

Linebacker Mike Goolsby leads the Notre Dame defense with 51 tackles, while defensive end Justin Tuck has recorded 3.5 sacks.

The Irish are 90th in rushing offense (115.0 yards per game), 24th in passing offense (259.5), 58th in total offense 9374.5), 59th in scoring offense (25.5), 12th in rushing defense (86.83), 101st in pass defense (263.7), 54th in total defense (374.5) and 44th in scoring defense (22.5)

Rare Occurrence
This is the 11th time in the 78 years of the series that Navy has entered the Notre Dame game undefeated, the first since 1978 and just the third time in the last 44 years.

In 1978 the Mids had gotten off to a 7-0 start before falling to Notre Dame, 27-7, at Giants Stadium. The Mids finished that year 9-3, including a thrilling 23-16 victory over BYU in the Holiday Bowl.

In 1960 Navy, behind the strong running of eventual Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino, was 6-0 entering the Notre Dame game at old Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia and came away with a 14-0 victory. The Mids finished 9-2 that year, including a 21-14 loss to Missouri in the Orange Bowl.

Navy is 2-7-1 all-time against the Irish in years that Navy entered the game undefeated.

Mids Win Thriller At Air Force
Senior kicker Geoff Blumenfeld (Granite Bay, Calif.) nailed a 30-yard field goal, his first made field goal of the year, with four seconds remaining to give Navy a thrillling 24-21 victory over Air Force in front of 44,279 fants at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs. The victory was the second in a row for the Mids over the Falcons.

The game was like a championship fight with the two teams slugging it out to the bitter end. Air Force jumped out to a 6-0 lead as Michael Greenaway hit field goals from 28 and 21 yards out. The second field goal was a victory for Navy, however, as Air Force had the ball first and goal from the Navy five. Jeremy Chase (Jr./Norfolk, Va.) made the big play on the drive when he stuffed Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney for a loss of two yards on third and goal from the one.

After Greenaway's second field goal, the Navy offense got untracked, marching 80 yards on 10 plays as quarterback Aaron Polanco (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) scored from 18 yards out to give Navy a 7-6 lead.

The Navy defense stepped up once again on the next series as Hunter Reddick (So./San Diego, Calif.) stepped in front of a Carney pass at the Air Force 41 yard line and returned it to the 35. Nine plays later Polanco scored from the one to make it 14-6 Navy.

The third quarter was a defensive struggle as neither team could do much offensively. Navy ran 10 plays in the third quarter and gained 15 yards, while Air Force ran 18 plays and gained 35 yards.

The offenses, however, would wake up in a big way in the fourth quarter. After the two teams exchanged two punts apiece early in the fourth quarter, Air Force took over on its own eight yard line with 9:20 remaining after a career-long 69 yard punt by Eric Shuey (Jr./Hacienda Heights, Calif.). The Falcons would quickly drive down the field and score in six plays as Carney hit J.P. Waller for 48 yards to get the ball down to the 29 yard line and then he hit Darnell Stephens with a 19-yard touchdown pass two plays later. Carney would run in the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14.

Navy would answer with a drive of its own, though momentum appeared clearly on Air Force's side after Polanco threw short to Jason Tomlinson (So./Arlington, Texas) on first down and was sacked for a nine yard loss on second down. Facing a third and 19 from its own 14 Polanco hit Marco Nelson (Jr./Scottsdale, Ariz.) with a 66-yard strike over the middle of the field to give Navy a first down at the Air Force 20. Five Kyle Eckel (Sr./Haverford, Pa.) carries later and Navy had regained the lead 21-14 as Eckel scored from three yards out on third and goal.

Air Force refused to die as they came right back down the field and scored in 1:54 as Carney capped off an eight play drive by hitting J.P. Waller with a 12-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-21.

Navy, however, had one more answer. After an initial first down, Polanco kept the ball on a quarterback draw and scampered 32 yards up the middle to give Navy a first down on the Ar Force 29. Eckel burst up the middle for 12 more yards on the next play to move the down to the Air Force 16. Navy would run three more plays to position the ball in the middle of the field setting up Blumenfeld's game winning kick.

Eckel rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Polanco had 71 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Polanco completed five of his 10 pass attempts for 105 yards and one interception. Nelson led the receiving corps with two catches for 70 yards.

Senior linebackers Lane Jackson (Miami, Fla.) and Bobby McClarin (Bethlehem, Pa.) led the defense with 12 tackles apiece, while outside linebacker Reggie Sealey (Sr./Upper Marlboro, Md.) added 11 tackles and nose guard Babatunde Akingbemi (Sr./Rialto, Calif.) contributed 10. Reddick had two interceptions.

Notes From The Air Force Game
*The win marks the first time Navy has beaten Air Force in back-to-back
years since Navy beat Air Force three-straight years in 1977, 1978 and 1979.

*It was just the fourth win for Navy in Colorado Springs in 18 tries and the
first since 1996. The Mids won on a field goal in '96 as well as Tom
Vanderhorst booted the game-winning field goal with 12 seconds remaining.
Vanderhorst is currently the military liasion with the football team.

*The Mids were held under 300 yards rushing for the second-straight game
(216 yards on 46 carries against Air Force and 190 yards on 52 carries
against Vanderbilt.).

*Eric Shuey (Jr./Hacienda Heights, Calif.) booted career-long punts
of 62 (37 seconds left in the third) and 69 yards (9:20 left in the fourth).

*Aaron Polanco's (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) 66-yard completion to
Marco Nelson (Jr./Scottsdale, Ariz.) was a career long pass for
Polanco and reception for Nelson.

*Four different defensive players recording career-highs in tackles: Reggie
Sealey (Sr./Upper Marlboro, Md.) had 11 tackles, Babatunde
Akingbemi (Sr./Rialto, Calif.) recorded 10 stops, Jeff Vanak
(Sr./Collegeville, Pa.) was in on eight tackles and Hunter Reddick
(So./San Diego, Calif.) recorded seven tackles to go along with his two
interceptions.

Undefeated
Navy is one of 14 teams still undefeated. There are 2-0 schools that are 6-0 (Auburn and Wisconsin), nine schools 5-0 (Boise State, USC, Utah, Virginia, Arizona State, Pudue, Navy, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma) and three schools 4-0 (Miami, Louisville and Southern Miss.)
Navy's five-game winning streak is tied for the ninth longest winning streak in the country.

Nation's Longest Winning Streaks
1. Boise State 16
2. Southern California 14
3. Utah 9
4. Miami (Fla.) 8
Auburn 8
Virginia 8
7. Wisconsin 6
Arizona State 6
9. Navy 5
Purdue 5
Oklahoma State 5
Oklahoma 5

Fallen Brothers
The Navy football family has lost two members and has had a third injured over the past two months in the line of duty.

Lt. Cmdr. Scott Zellem, USN ('91), was killed Aug. 10 when his Navy jet crashed in the Pacific Ocean. Zellem, a linebacker, was a four-year member of the Navy football team and lettered as a senior.

First Lt. Ron Winchester, USMC ('01), was killed Sept. 3 due to enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Winchester, who played offensive tackle, was a four-year member of the football team and a two-year starter at tackle.

First Lt. Scott Swantner, USMC ('01), who played next to Winchester on Navy's offensive line, was wounded in Iraq on Oct. 6 when a grenade exploded during a house to house search.

Home Sweet Home
Navy has won five-straight home games dating back to last year, the longest home winning streak since the Mids won eight straight at home over three seasons (1995, '96, '97). Navy is 7-1 at home over the last two years after losing 14-straight from 2001-03.

Winning Streak
Navy's five-game winning streak is the longest winning streak for a Navy football team since the 1978 and '79 seasons when the Mids won eight-straight games over two years.

Second Half Dominance
Navy has dominated the second half this year, outscoring the opposition,
75-40.

Tough In The First Quarter, Too
Dating back to the start of last season (18 games, 13-5 over that span),
Navy has outscored the opposition, 137-43, in the first quarter.

The Red Zone
Navy has been tough in the red zone on offense. The Mids have scored
on 15 of their 19 trips (79 percent) inside the red zone with 14 of those
scores going for touchdowns. The offense has scored on 13 of its last 14
trips in the red zone (12 TD's and a field goal).

Go For It
The Navy offense is an amazing 10 for 11 (91 percent) on fourth down
conversions this year (0-1 on special teams). The opposition has made just
seven of its 12 attempts (58 percent) on fourth down.

Navy Cracks The ESPN.Com Mid-Major Rankings
Navy, off to its best start since 1979, is ranked fifth in the
ESPN.com Mid-Major rankings.

Top Six Mid-Major Teams In The Country
1. Utah 5-0
2. Louisville 4-0
3. Boise State 5-0
4. Southern Miss 4-0
5. Navy 5-0
6. Louisiana Tech 3-3

Mids Third In Initial Lambert Trophy Poll
The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced the
first ECAC(r) Lambert Football Poll presented by FieldTurf for the 2004
season. The ECAC will conduct the weekly poll through December 7 in each
of the four divisions. The final poll which will determine the Lambert
Meadowlands Award winners will be announced the week of January 3.

Established in 1936 as the "Lambert Trophy" to recognize supremacy in
eastern college football, the award has since grown to recognize the best
teams in the East in Divisions I-A, I-AA, II and III. Before asking the ECAC to
assume the administration, the Meadowlands Sports Complex managed the
weekly poll and the award beginning in 1983 through the 2001 season.

The ECAC is the nation's largest athletic conference with 322 Divisions
I, II, and III colleges and universities from Maine to North Carolina.

Lambert Poll
School (record) Total Points
1. Boston College (4-1) 67
West Virginia (4-1) 67
3. Navy (5-0) 59
4. Connecticut (4-1) 53
5. Syracuse (3-3) 36
6. Pittsburgh (3-2) 29
7. Penn State (2-4) 27
Rutgers (3-2) 25
9. Buffalo (1-5) 13
10. Temple (1-5) 10

Passing Efficiently
Navy is sixth in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 165.70.
The Mids have completed 30 of their 47 pass attempts (63.83 percent) for
563 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Top Passing Efficiency Teams In The Country
1. California 191.85
2. Toledo 185.06
3. Purdue 184.50
4. Oklahoma State 182.46
5. Auburn 173.64
6. Navy 165.70
7. Virginia 165.03
8. Louisville 163.41
9. Utah 161.54
10. Air Force 159.25

Discipline Football
Navy is sixth in the country for the least amount of penalties
per game, averaging 4.4 penalties for contest.

Least Penalized Teams In The Country
1. Illinois 3.50
2. Oklahoma State 3.80
3. Michigan 4.00
Air Force 4.00
Minnesota 4.00
6. Navy 4.40
7. North Carolina 4.50
8. Wisconsin 4.67
9. Tulane 4.75
10. Colorado State 4.80
Ohio State 4.80
East Carolina 4.80

Navy Looks To Defend Rushing Crown
The Mids led the nation in rushing in 2003, averaging 323.2 yards per game. It was just the second time in school history that Navy led the country in rushing. The only other time was in 1999 when the Mids averaged 292.2 yards per game.

Navy is ranked sixth in the nation in rushing after five games this year, averaging 267.4 yards per contest. Rice leads the country in rushing, averaging 361.2 yards per game.

Top Rushing Teams In The Country
1. Rice 361.20
2. Texas 313.60
3. Minnesota 301.00
4. Oklahoma State 285.20
5. Virginia 275.00
6. Navy 267.40
7. Air Force 256.00
8. Oklahoma 254.00
9. California 247.75
10. West Virginia 247.60

Hitting Paydirt
Navy's 17 rushing touchdowns this year ties for the fifth most in the country. Navy has scored three rushing touchdowns in three games and four in two games.

Most Rushing Touchdowns In the Country
1. Virginia 21
2. Rice 20
3. Minnesota 19
4. Louisville 18
5. Navy 17
Oklahoma State 17
Utah State 17
8. Boise State 16
9. Arksansas 15
10. Texas 14
Air Force 14
California 14
Alabama 14
Texas A&M 14
TCU 14

In Paul We Trust
Navy football has struggled over the last 20 years, compiling an overall
record of 74-155 (.323).

The Mids, however, have not struggled when Paul Johnson has been
calling the plays. Johnson has been at Navy for five of those 20 years (two
years as a coordinator and this is his third season as a head coach), and in
those five years, the Mids are 29-24 (.547) and have appeared in two bowl
games. The Mids are 13-5 (.722) over the last two years and have won 11 of
their last 14 contests.

In the 15 years that Johnson hasn't been on the sidelines, Navy is 45-
131(.256).

Johnson On Bobby Dodd "Watch List"

The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award Foundation has released a list of Division I-A college head football coaches that are potential recipients of the prestigious Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.

Among the NCAA Division I-A head football coaches on the Foundation's watch list are: Paul Johnson of Navy, Pete Carroll of USC, Mark Richt of Georgia, Joe Tiller of Purdue, Larry Coker of Miami, Dan Hawkins of Boise State and Urban Meyer of Utah.

The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award is presented annually and is selected by a blue-ribbon panel of college football experts. The award is in honor of Coach Robert Lee "Bobby" Dodd, one of college football's all-time coaching greats.

This year's recipient will be announced during halftime of the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, which will be televised by ESPN on Dec. 31. Oklahoma's Bob Stoops was the 2003 recipient of the award.

Defense Tightens Up As The Game Goes On
The Navy defense has shown a penchant for tightening up as the game
goes along. Opponents are 13 for 21 (62 percent) on converting third
downs in the first quarter, eight for 23 (35 percent) in the second quarter,
six for 17 (35 percent) in the third quarter and just four for 17 (24 percent)
in the fourth quarter.

QBs Over 100 Yards
Aaron Polanco (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) became the 13th quarterback in Navy history to rush for 100 or more yards in a game when he gashed Duke for 130 yards and a touchdown in Navy's 27-12 victory over the Blue Devils. Polanco became the first quarterback since Brian Madden in 2001 to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games when he rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns against Northeastern. Chris McCoy (1995-97) holds the Navy quarterback record with 15 100-yard games.

Shutout
Navy's 29-0 rout of Tulsa was its first shutout since Oct. 15, 1994,
when the Mids shut out Lafayette, 7-0. Navy last shut out a Division IA
team on Oct. 4, 1980, when it blanked Boston College, 21-0. The last time
Navy recorded a shutout on the road was Sept. 23, 1978, at Connecticut
(30-0), and the last time Navy recorded a shutout on the road against a
Division IA opponent was Sept. 16, 1978, when it shut out Virginia, 32-0.

Eckel, Eckel, Eckel
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel's (Havertown, Pa.) hard-nosed running style has developed a cult following among the Brigade of Midshipmen as the student body chants his name in unison every time he touches the ball.

Eckel, who is an All-America candidate and ranked as the best NFL fullback prospect in the country by draftboardinsider.com, rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in Navy's 27-12 victory over Duke. It was Eckel's eighth-career 100-yard rushing day (seven in 2003 and once this year) and it was the fifth time in his career he has rushed for two touchdowns in a game.

Eckel had his first-career three-touchdown day against Tulsa, as he rushed for 98 yards and three scores on 23 carries in Navy's 29-0 shutout of the Golden Hurricane.

Against Air Force Eckel rumbled for 97 yards and a touchdown in Navy's win in Colorado Springs.

Eckel was named the Philadelphia Sportswriters Most Valuable Player in 2003 for his 152-yard, two-touchdown performance against Army.

Eckel ran over the Air Force defense for a career-high 176 yards (previous career high was 129 in 2003 against VMI) on a career-high 33 carries (previous career high was 18) and scored one touchdown in Navy's 2003 upset of the No. 25 ranked Falcons

His 176 yards rushing last yearagainst Air Force were the most by a non-quarterback at Navy since Chuck Smith rushed for 182 yards against Dartmouth in 1986.

Last year, he became the first Navy player to rush for over 100 yards in three-straight games since Brian Madden did it in 2001, and became the first non-quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in three-straight games since current Navy radio analyst Omar Nelson did it against SMU, Boston College and Duke in 1996.

Eckel carried the ball 236 times in 2003 and lost yardage on just three of those carries, all of which were one-yard losses. He has not lost any yards in 2004 on his 99 carries.

Most 100-Yard Rushing Games In A Season
1. Napoleon McCalllum (1985) 8
Napoleon McCallum (1983) 8
Eddie Meyers (1981) 8
4. Kyle Eckel (2003) 7
Joe Gattuso Jr. (1977) 7

Most 100-Yard Rushing Games In A Career
1. Napoleon McCallum (1981-85) 19
2. Chris McCoy (1995-97) 15
3. Eddie Meyers (1978-81) 14
4. Cleveland Cooper 91972-74) 12
5. Kyle Eckel (2002-current) 9

Eckel On Career Rushing List
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) moved past Craig Candeto into sixth place on Navy's career rushing list with his 23-carry, 98-yard performance against Tulsa. Eckel is just 28 yards behind Alton Grizzard (1987-90) for fifth place.

Eckel needs to average 142.3 yards per game (122 yards if Navy plays in a bowl game) over the last six games to become just the third player in school history to rush for over 3,000 yards in a career.

Navy Career Rushing Leaders
1. Napoleon McCallum (1981-85) 4,179
2. Chris McCoy (1995-97) 3,401
3. Eddie Meyers (1978-81) 2,935
4. Cleveland Cooper (1972-74) 2,582
5. Alton Grizzard (1987-90) 2,174
6. Kyle Eckel (2002-03) 2,146
7. Craig Candeto (2001-03) 1,949
8. Joe Gattuso Jr. (1975-77) 1,890
9. Brian Madden (1999, 2001) 1,802
10. Chuck Smith (1984-87) 1,744

Eckel Fifth In School History In Rushing Touchdowns
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) has 20-career rushing touchdowns, which is the fifth most in school history. He needs just four more rushing touchdown to tie 1960 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino for fourth on the list.

Navy Career Rushing Touchdowns
1. Chris McCoy (1995-97) 43
2. Craig Candeto (2001-03) 33
3. Napoleon McCallum (1981-85) 31
4. Joe Bellino (1958-60) 24
5. Kyle Eckel (2002-current) 20

Eckel Selected To Play In East-West Shrine Game And The Villages Gridiron Classic
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) has been invited to play in the prestigious East-West Shrine All-Star Game, which will take place Saturday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. (EST) at SBC Park in San Francisco. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.

Eckel is the 18th Navy player, and the fourth in four years, to be invited to the game in the 80-year history of the event.

Eckel was also selected to play in the Villages Gridiron Classic All-Star game, which will be played Saturday, Jan. 15 at 11 a.m. (EST) in The Villages, Fla. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2. Eckel, however, will not play in the game.

Eckel is the fifth Navy player to be selected in the Gridiron Classic all-star game in its six-year existence and it marks the first time since 1999 that two Navy players have been selected to play in the same all-star game. In 1999, Terrence Anderson and Travis Williams played in both the Blue-Gray Game and the Hula Bowl All-Star Game.

Eckel Named Top NFL Fullback Prospect And Preseason First-Team All-American By Draftboardinsiders.com
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) has been named a preseason All-American and the top NFL fullback prospect by draftboardinsiders.com.