The Naval Academy Athletic Association announced details of the events that will honor former Navy football coaches George Welsh and Rick Forzano during the weekend of August 30-31.
The events will begin on Friday, August 30 with A Celebration of the George Welsh and Rick Forzano, which will include a reception and dinner at Akerson Tower, before closing on Saturday, August 31 with a tribute at halftime of the Navy-Holy Cross football game.
The complete timeline the celebration is as follows:
Friday, August 30 – Akerson Tower, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
6:00 PM – Reception
7:00 PM – Dinner
8:30 PM – After Dinner Gathering and Social
Click here to purchase tickets to the dinner:
https://tinyurl.com/y6qf79h9
The following day a tribute will take place at halftime of the Navy-Holy Cross football game
Saturday, August 31 - Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
3:30 PM – Kickoff
-In-game/on-field presentation and tribute
Click here to purchase tickets to the Navy-Holy Cross football game:
https://tinyurl.com/ybqq49rc (
Enter "FORZANOWELSH" for the group ticket rate)
For more information and/or any additional questions about the events please contact Joe Cook at 410-293-5568 or cook@usna.edu.
A native of Coaldale, Pa., Welsh was a 1956 graduate of the Naval Academy where he earned three varsity letters as a member of the football team (1953-55). Navy compiled a record of 18-7-3 in his three years and he quarterbacked the 1954 team famously known as the "Team Named Desire" to an 8-2 record and a 21-0 victory over SEC Champion Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. In his three years at quarterback, Welsh threw for 2,411 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was named a First-Team All-American in 1955 when he led the country in passing and total offense and finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
After graduation, Welsh served eight years in the Navy and reached the rank of Lieutenant. He was an assistant coach for Wayne Hardin at Navy in 1960 and 1961 and was an assistant coach at Penn State under Rip Engle and Joe Paterno from 1963-72.
Welsh was named the head coach at Navy in 1973 and compiled a record of 55-46-1 from 1973-81. He led Navy to the 1978 Holiday Bowl (23-16 win over BYU), the 1980 Garden State Bowl (35-0 loss to Houston) and the 1981 Liberty Bowl (31-28 loss to Ohio State). Welsh was 7-1-1 against Army and won the CIC Trophy in 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979 and 1981. He left Navy for Virginia at the end of the 1981 season as Navy's all-time winningest coach and remained that until he was surpassed by current Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo in 2014.
Welsh served as the head football coach at Virginia from 1982 to 2000. During that 19-year period, he compiled a record of 134-86-3 and retired as the winningest coach in ACC history.
Welsh passed away on January 2 in Charlottesville.
Forzano, who preceded Welsh in Annapolis, died on January 9 in Orlando. He was the head coach at Navy from 1969-72.
Forzano was an assistant coach at Navy from 1959-63 under Wayne Hardin and coached the likes of Heisman Trophy winners Joe Bellino and Roger Staubach.
Forzano was also the head coach at UConn (1964-65) and with the Detroit Lions (1974-76), where he gave a young Bill Belichick his first job as assistant special teams coach.
Forzano was an assistant coach in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions.
At Navy, Forzano hired an incredible five assistant coaches that went on to become head coaches: Leeman Bennett (Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Frank Gansz (Kansas City Chiefs), Pete McCulley (San Francisco 49ers), Jim Stanley (Oklahoma State) and Joe Bugel (Phoenix Cardinals and Oakland Raiders).
Steve Belichick's career as the longest-tenured assistant in Navy football history (1956-89) included a stint under Forzano.
