Aug. 27, 2005

Game Data...
Navy and Maryland will play for the first time on the gridiron in 40 years on Saturday, Sept. 3 at M&T Bank Stadium (68,000) in Baltimore. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on television (CSTV) and radio (Westwood One) and can be seen and heard worldwide on Armed Forces Television and Radio.

Tom McCarthy and former New York Jets quarterback Ray Lucas will call all the action for CSTV.

CSTV Networks, Inc. (www.cstv.com) is the first 24-hour college sports network. Through its numerous platforms, CSTV provides more live college sports games, events, news, information, analysis and broadband content, and reaches more college sports fans, than any other company. College Sports TV has agreements with distributors that represent more than 65 million homes nationwide, including the top six national distributors: Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner, Charter, Cox and Adelphia.

John Tautges and former Washington Redskin Rick ³Doc² Walker will handle the call for Westwood One.

Westwood One¹s spectacular lineup of sports programming features the most high-profile events in sports. From Westwood One¹s critically acclaimed NFL Monday Night Football broadcasts to exclusive coverage of the Olympics and the Masters Tournament, if it¹s happening in the world of sports, it¹s happening on Westwood One. Major stations in the Westwood One family include: WFAN (New York), KNX (Los Angeles), KLSX (Los Angeles), WSCR(Chicago), WIP (Philadelphia), KNBR (San Francisco) and WEEI (Boston).

The game can also be heard on the Navy Radio Network, which includes 98 Rock in Baltimore (97.9 FM), Sportstalk 980 in Washington, D.C. (980 AM), WNAV in Annapolis (1430 AM), ESPN Radio in Cambridge, Md. (1240 AM) and FOX Sports Radio in Norfolk, Va. (1050 AM) and on Sirius Radio (Channel 127). Bob Socci, Omar Nelson and John Feinstein will call the action from their perch in the M&T Bank Stadium press box.

The game can also be heard world wide via the internet at www.navysports.com, www.wnav.com or www.sportstalk980.com or on Sirius satellite radio (for channel number go to www.sirius.com). The Navy Football Pregame Show will air an hour before kickoff (5 p.m. EST) on those same networks (WBAL will air the pregame show, while 98 Rock will air the game in Baltimore).

Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will kick things off with the Navy Tailgate Show on 1430 WNAV and www.wnav.com at 4 p.m.

Traffic Advisory For The Navy-Maryland Game...
Fans traveling to Baltimore for the Sept. 3 Navy-Maryland game at M&T Bank Stadium are urged not to take I-295 due to ongoing construction just south of the stadium. It is strongly suggested that all fans plan to arrive well in advance of game time. Stadium lots will open at 12 noon and the stadium gates will open at 3 p.m. If you do not have a pre-paid parking pass for one of the stadium parking lots, you should bypass the stadium and park in the downtown business district. Directions from all points are outlined below. From the South (Airport): I-95 North towards Baltimore. Take Exit 53 (I-395) North to MLK Blvd./Russell Street (Right Lane). Take first exit ramp (follow lighted signs). Stadium complex is at bottom of ramp. From the Northwest: I-83 South (Baltimore) to Lombard St. and make a right, then make a left (South) onto Green St. M&T Bank Stadium is on your left. From the Northeast: I-95 South through Ft. McHenry Tunnel. Take Exit 53 (I-395) North to MLK Blvd./Russell Street (Right Lane). Take first exit ramp (follow lighted signs). Stadium complex is at bottom of ramp. From the Naval Academy Take I-97 NORTH towards Baltimore. Take exit #17A onto I-695 WEST toward Towson/Baltimore. Take exit 10 onto 95 North towards Baltimore. Take Exit 53 (I-395) North to MLK Blvd./Russell Street (Right Lane). Take first exit ramp (follow lighted signs). Stadium complex is at bottom of ramp.

Series History...
Navy leads the all-time series, 14-5. The series began in 1905 with a 17-0 victory by Navy and was last played in 1965 when the Mids won 19-7.

The series has been played four times in Baltimore, the last coming in 1959 (Navy won 22-14). Navy is 3-1 all-time against Maryland in games played in Baltimore.

Baltimore Is A Navy Town...
The Maryland game marks the first of four consecutive years that Navy will bring its football team to M&T Bank Stadium. The Mids will square off against Notre Dame in 2006 (Oct. 28) and 2008 (Nov. 15), while the annual Army-Navy game will be played at the home of the Ravens in 2007 (Nov. 3). The Mids have played well in this stadium, posting a 1-1 record. In 2000, a winless Navy team shocked Army, 30-28, while in 2003 a 1-7 Navy team nearly pulled off the upset of the century as undefeated Notre Dame had to rally from two scores down in the final minutes for a 30-23 victory.

Maryland My Maryland...
Navy has six players from the great state of Maryland: Paul Bridgers (So./Gaithersburg), Ben Gabbard (Arnold, Md.), Kyle Green (So./Salisbury), Ricky Moore (Fr./North Beach), Kevin Snyder (Fr./Burtonsville, Md.) and Andrew Wright (Fr./Baltimore, Md.)

Navy On Historic Run...
Navy¹s 18 wins over the last two years (8-5 in 2003, 10-2 in 2004) ties the school record for most wins over a two-year span. The Mids also won 18 games over a two-year span in 1907-08 (9-2-1 in 1907 and 9-2-1 in 1908), 1905-06 (10-1-1 in 1905 and 8-2-2 in 1906) and 1906-07 (8-2-2 in 1906 and 9-2-1 in 1907). The school record for the best three-year stretch is 27 wins from 1905-07.

Winning Seasons...
Navy has posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1996-97. Navy has not had three-straight winning seasons since 1978-82 when the Mids strung together six consecutive winning seasons.

Johnson 3-0 In Season Openers...
Navy head coach Paul Johnson is 3-0 in season openers as the head coach at Navy. Navy has defeated SMU (38-7), VMI (37-10) and Duke (27-12) in the last three season openers. Prior to 2002, Navy had lost five-straight season-opening contests. Johnson owned a 4-1 record at Georgia Southern in season openers with his only loss coming at Georgia.

Johnson Tough With Time...
Paul Johnson has posted a 10-4 record (.714) as Navy¹s head coach when having more than one week to prepare. In 2002, the Mids posted a 2-2 record with more than one week to prepare, defeating SMU and Army and losing to Northwestern and Notre Dame. In 2003, Navy was 4-1 in games in which they had more than one week to prepare, defeating VMI, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Army and losing to Texas Tech in the Houston Bowl. In 2004, the Mids were 4-1 (defeating Duke, Rutgers, Army and New Mexico and losing to Notre Dame) when having more than one week to prepare. This year, Johnson will have four games where he will have more than one week to prepare: Maryland (Sept. 3), Rice (Sept. 24), Rutgers (Oct. 29) and Army (Dec. 3).

In Paul We Trust...
Navy football has struggled over the last 20 years, compiling an overall record of 78-157 (.332). 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 three as a head coach), and in those five years, the Mids are 34-26 (.567) and have appeared in three bowl games, winning two. The Mids are 18-7 (.720) over the last two years and have won 16 of their last 21 contests (.762). In the 15 years Johnson hasn¹t been on the sidelines, Navy is 45-131(.256).

Going For 600...
With 599 all-time wins, Navy is 28th among Division I-A schools. Navy¹s all-time football record is 599-498-7 (.544).

Mids Inexperienced...
With just six returning starters off last year¹s team (two on offense, three defense and one specialist), Navy is tied with Northern Illinois for the fewest returning starters of any team in the country.

And Young...
The Mids are projected to start just six seniors this year (three on offense, two on defense and one kicker), which is tied for the sixth least in the country. The Mids are projected to start 14 juniors (six on offense and eight on defense) and four sophomores (two on offense, one on defense and one specialist).

Mighty Mites...
Not only does Navy have the fewest returning starters of any team in the country, they also have the smallest group of starters. The Mids are projected to start six players 5-9 or smaller, including the entire starting backfield of quarterback Lamar Owens (5-9), fullback Matt Hall (5-9) and slot backs Marco Nelson (5-7) and Reggie Campbell (5-6). Three of the six starters stand 5-8 or smaller. No other team in the country is starting more than three players 5-9 or smaller. Starting right offensive guard Antron Harper (So./Eastman, Ga.) is the lightest starting offensive lineman in the country. Harper weighs just 249 pounds.

Johnson Dominant Against Service Academy Teams...
Navy head football coach Paul Johnson is 5-1 as a head coach against service academy teams, which is the best start for a Navy head coach against the other two service academies since George Welsh started his Hall of Fame career 5-1 (1973-75). Welsh finished his career 13-4-1 against the other two service academy teams.

No Overtime...
Since the NCAA adopted the overtime rule in 1996, Navy is one of just two schools (North Texas is the other) who have yet to play an overtime game.

Home Sweet Home...
Navy has won eight-straight home games dating back to last year, the longest home winning streak since the Mids won eight in a row over three seasons (1995-97). Navy is 10-1 (.909) at home over the last two years after losing 14 straight from 2001-03. The Mids were undefeated at home in 2004, marking the first time they have gone unbeaten at Navy-Marine Corps since 1996.

Rebuilding The Program...
Navy head coach Paul Johnson took over a program that had won just one game in the previous two years (1-20), the worst two-year record in the history of Navy football. As Johnson says, ³the program didn¹t get this way overnight and it¹s not going to change overnight.² For instance, Navy¹s all-time winningest coach, George Welsh, who was 55-46-1 (41-44-1 against Division I-A teams, 14-2 against I-AA opponents) from 1973-81 at Navy, took over a program that had won seven games the previous two seasons and didn¹t have a winning season until his third year (7-4 in 1975) and only had one winning season in his first five years (24-31 in his first five years). It wasn¹t until year six that Welsh got the program turned around and the Mids posted a 31-15-1 record over his final four years in Annapolis and played in three bowl games, including a win over BYU in the Holiday Bowl. Since Welsh, Gary Tranquill posted a 17-26-1 (.398) record, Elliott Uzelac was 8-25 (.242), George Chaump won 14 of his 55 games (.255) and Charlie Weatherbie was 30-48 (.385). Since Roger Staubach won the Heisman Trophy in 1963 (40 years ago), Navy has had 10 winning seasons (1967, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1996, 1997, 2003 and 2004) and nine seasons with two wins or less (1968, 1969, 1970, 1987, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2001, 2002). In the last 20 years, Navy has had four winning seasons (1996, 1997, 2003 and 2004) and six seasons with two wins or less (1987, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2001 and 2002).

Navy Football Team Ranks Second In NCAA¹s Academic Progress Rate Among Division I-A Schools...
The Naval Academy athletic program is ranked the best in the country among the 117 schools with Division I-A football programs in the Academic Performance Rate (APR). Navy is No. 7 overall out of 328 Division I institutions and first among the three service academies. The APR is the fulcrum upon which the entire academic-reform structure rests. Developed as a more real-time assessment of teams' academic performance than the six-year graduation-rate calculation provides, the APR awards two points each term to student-athletes who meet academic-eligibility standards and who remain with the institution. A team's APR is the total points earned by the team at a given time divided by the total points possible. "Our student-athletes continually strive to set the standard on the Yard for our Brigade in military performance, academics and conduct," said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. "The support and encouragement they receive through the Commandant and his staff and the academic dean's office is extraordinary and provides tremendous motivation to be successful across the board. We are all proud to be leaders on the field of competition, but even more so when we can prove to be leaders in the classroom as well, clearly defining the meaning of a midshipman who is truly a scholar-athlete." The Naval Academy had 10 sports programs ranked first with an APR rank of 1,000, meaning every student-athlete on their respective roster remained at the Naval Academy and was also eligible to compete or graduate. Those programs are: men's cross country, golf, men's gymnastics, men's soccer, men's tennis, men's indoor track, men's outdoor track, women's crew, women's swimming and rifle. The Navy football team had the second-highest APR score in the country with a 992, just two points behind first-place Stanford, and had the highest score among teams ranked in the final top-25 poll. Each of Navy's 23 varsity sports that are sponsored by the NCAA is above the national average.

CSTV And Navy Sign Long-Term Multi-Media Deal For Home Football Games And Additional Athletic Events...
CSTV Networks, Inc. (www.cstv.com), the first 24-hour college sports network, has secured the exclusive television rights to all home and select neutral site Navy football games (excluding Notre Dame and Army), as well as other Navy men¹s and women¹s athletic events, original programming and documentaries centered around the storied Navy athletic program starting next fall. The long-term multi-media agreement includes internet streaming, broadband and video-on-demand rights and high definition rights starting in 2006. A major part of the agreement was that all home football games would be played on Saturday. CSTV¹s first Navy football telecast will be Saturday, Sept. 3 against Maryland at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. It will be the first meeting between the two schools in 40 years. ³The United States Naval Academy has established something special on fall Saturdays in Annapolis, and CSTV is proud to partner with Navy to deliver the pageantry, electricity and tradition to a national audience,² said Tim Pernetti, senior vice president for programming and talent at CSTV. ³This partnership is about more than football. It is about commitment to all the student-athletes in every sport. CSTV¹s relationship with Navy will provide programming, through all forms of media, surrounding every Navy athletic team, in addition to original programming rich with exclusive access, unparalleled storytelling and history.² ³Tim Pernetti did a terrific job of listening very carefully to how a television package of this magnitude had to be comprised to accommodate the special considerations of Navy,² said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. ³He created a comprehensive distribution opportunity for us that delivers on every front. Traditional Navy football is a Saturday game, features all the pageantry our alumni expect and is a product that should be available to viewers both nationally and internationally for the fleet. The CSTV partnership does it all. We are very excited and grateful the long-term commitment has been finalized.² ³This is exciting news for the Navy football program,² said Navy head football coach Paul Johnson. ³It¹s great for our fans and it will help recruiting, as well. I like the fact that we didn¹t sell our soul to be on television. All of our home games will be played when they should be played, on Saturday.² CSTV Networks is a multi-media company that consists of the first-ever 24-hour college sports television network, College Sports TV; the leading college sports online network, CSTV.com; and the first ever 24-hour college sports radio network, SIRIUS College Sports Radio. Through its numerous platforms, CSTV provides more live college sports games, events, news, information, analysis and broadband content, and reaches more college sports fans, than any other company. College Sports TV, voted the No. 1 emerging cable network among operators in a 2003 Beta research study, televises regular season and championship event coverage from over 35 men's and women's sports across every major collegiate athletic conference, as well as many NCAA and NAIA Championships. College Sports TV has agreements with distributors that represent more than 65 million homes nationwide, including the top six national distributors: Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner, Charter, Cox and Adelphia.

Naval Academy Installs FieldTurf At Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium...
FieldTurf is the new turf at Navy's Jack Stephens Field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The installation was finished on Aug. 15. The new surface will debut when Navy plays host to Stanford in the Midshipmen's home opener on Sept. 10. FieldTurf is currently in use in more than 20 NCAA Division 1-A football stadiums including Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, Kansas State, Boston College and Missouri. "We were very careful in our review and analysis of a number of very impressive products before we decided to select FieldTurf," said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. "The competition in the marketplace is aggressive however, in the end, no other product could deliver the whole package like the FieldTurf team. The detail in every aspect of the product and installation made it crystal clear that these people are real pros and FieldTurf is the benchmark to which all others are compared." "I can't express how proud we are to have this association with the U.S. Naval Academy," said Gilman. "The history and prestige that are associated with this great institution speaks for itself. On the heels of Navy's fantastic 2004 season, we are obviously very pleased that they have selected the undisputed industry leader for their new stadium turf. The players, coaches, support staff and fans of Navy football will be delighted with their new FieldTurf surface when they step onto the field for that first home game against Stanford in September." In addition to its growing popularity in the college ranks, FieldTurf has already established itself as the turf of choice in the National Football League. Twenty of the NFL's 32 teams currently use FieldTurf at their stadiums and/or their practice facilities. Also, three Major League Baseball teams will use FieldTurf at their stadiums in 2005. FieldTurf was also the first artificial turf product approved by FIFA (soccer's world governing body) for World Cup play. The NFL Players Association recently conducted a survey of all NFL players who were asked to rank the league's 32 stadium fields on a variety of factors, such as playability, safety, etc. The NFL players ranked FieldTurf fifth out of 32, and amazingly, NFL players rated FieldTurf ahead of 15 of the league's 19 natural grass fields. FieldTurf is the result of years of research - evident in the patented FieldTurf infill mix of silica sand and cryogenic rubber and patented layering process that deliver a system that emulates natural grass. Additional benefits are found in improved player safety, reduced maintenance costs and flexibility for conversion - allowing stadium managers to quickly change the field from one sport to another or to easily host a variety of sporting events, concerts and other special events directly on top of the FieldTurf surface.

Chase And Owens Elected 2005 Team Captains...
Navy head football coach Paul Johnson announced that Jeremy Chase (Norfolk, Va.) and Lamar Owens (Savannah, Ga.) have been elected team captains for the 2005 football season by their teammates. "It's a great honor for Jeremy and Lamar to be elected by their teammates and I know it's a role they won't take likely," said Johnson. "I think the team made two great selections and I know both of these young men will do a great job." Chase, a 2005 All-East candidate, started all 12 games at defensive end last year for the Midshipmen. He finished the 2004 campaign with 46 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. The 11 tackles for a loss were the second most on the team. Chase had his best game against Notre Dame, coming up with eight tackles and two tackles for a loss. Owens enters the fall as Navy's starting quarterback after serving as the back up the last three years behind Craig Candeto and Aaron Polanco. Owens appeared in six games last fall, rushing for 115 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Owens showed his big-play capabilities in the Army-Navy game, bursting around the right end for a 17-yard touchdown to put the final points on the board in Navy's 42-13 rout of the Black Knights.

Naval Academy Enters Multi-Year Partnership With WBAL Radio...
Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced that Navy has entered into a multi-year partnership with radio giant WBAL (1090 AM) to air Navy football games. WBAL joins Sportstalk 980 in the D.C. area and 1430 WNAV in Annapolis to give Navy the strongest radio network of any college team in the Northeast. Bob Socci and Omar Nelson will return to call the action on the Navy Football Radio Network and will be joined by legendary author and sportswriter John Feinstein for pregame commentary. "We are very pleased that WBAL will be our flagship station for Navy football games in the Baltimore market, as well as up and down the Eastern Seaboard," said Gladchuk. "WBAL radio is widely regarded as one of the top radio stations in the country and it is terrific for our fans to have the Navy football games on its wide-reaching air waves." "There is no doubt that Navy's athletic program is in a class by itself," said Jeff Beauchamp, vice president and station manager of WBAL Radio. "Navy football is a true American tradition and WBAL Radio has had a long tradition of broadcasting college sports. We look forward to our partnership with Navy sports, and to broadcasting the games loud and clear to Navy fans." In addition to airing every Navy football game, which will include a 60-minute pregame show and a 30-minute postgame show, WBAL will also air a 30-minute call-in show with Navy head football coach Paul Johnson, a weekly segment with Johnson during morning drive time, three to five men's basketball games and a weekly five-minute segment during WBAL's evening call-in show with Steve Davis that will focus on all Navy athletics. WBAL Radio, which is also the voice of the Baltimore Orioles, is Maryland's dominant and most powerful radio station. Since 1925, generations of Marylanders have turned to WBAL Radio for news, weather, thought-provoking discussions and sports. As Maryland's only 50,000-watt AM station, WBAL's signal travels substantially further than any other station in the state. The station's news/talk format is both a source of information and entertainment. WBAL Radio also employs the largest news staff of any radio station in the state, providing in-depth reports on local and regional issues. According to the Arbitron ratings service, WBAL Radio is consistently one of Maryland's most listened-to radio stations.

Jeremy Chase On Watch List For 2005 Bronko Nagurski Trophy...
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) has announced the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List for the 2005 season. Fifty standout players from around the country have been nominated for consideration in the preseason, including Navy senior co-captain Jeremy Chase (Norfolk, Va.). The Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded to the best defensive player in college football, has been a staple of the FWAA's awards since 1993. It is sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club, which has held the annual awards banquet since 1995. The 2005 banquet is set for Monday, Dec. 5, at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, where five finalists will vie for the prize. Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson won the 2004 Bronko Nagurski Trophy. The FWAA All-America Committee selects the Bronko Nagurski winner from the association's 11-man All-America defensive team in late November. Players may be added from the Bronko Nagurski Watch List during the course of the 2005 season. For the fifth straight season, the FWAA will select Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Players of the Week, beginning with games the week of Sept. 3 and running through the middle of November. Each national player of the week will be added to the trophy's watch list throughout the season. Chase will be called upon to anchor what is otherwise a very young defensive line. He started all 12 games at defensive end a year ago and finished the season with 46 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, a sack and a fumble recovery as he helped lead the Midshipmen to a 10-2 record, the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy and a victory over New Mexico in the Emerald Bowl.

Navy Tabbed As A "Team On The Rise" By Athlon Sports...
Athlon Sports preseason football publication tabbed the Navy football program as one of five "programs on the rise." The Mids were joined on the list by Boise State, Bowling Green, Louisville and Wyoming. Athlon had high praise for Navy and head coach Paul Johnson: "Not since Roger Staubach won the 1963 Heisman Trophy have the Midshipmen had this much to be excited about in terms of football. Coach Paul Johnson, who helped turn Georgia Southern into a Division I-AA power, has found the perfect place to install his triple-option spread offense. The Midshipmen are smart, dedicated and loyal, and with Johnson's guidance, they've turned service academy football upside down. In each of the past two seasons, the Midshipmen swept games against Air Force and Army and claimed the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy, after going more than two decades without winning it. Navy's 34-19 win over New Mexico in the Emerald Bowl was only the academy's fifth bowl victory and second since 1978. The Midshipmen have won 18 games the past two seasons-more than Alabama, Florida, Nebraska or Notre Dame."

The Staff That Stays Together, Wins Together...
One of Navy¹s strengths is an experienced coaching staff that has not only coached a significant amount of time at the Naval Academy, but has also coached together as a staff for a long time. Ths year¹s coaching staff has combined for 69 years of coaching at the Naval Academy and has served 60 years under the direction of Paul Johnson, including 46 years under Johnson at the Naval Academy.