For: Immediate Release
Sent: Oct. 11, 2023
Contact: Scott Strasemeier (410) 293-8775
 
Roger Staubach and Paul Johnson to be Honored at the Air Force Football Game
 
ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced Wednesday that Roger Staubach and Paul Johnson will be honored on Saturday, Oct. 21 in a "Day of Legends" at the Air Force football game.  The legendary 1963 Navy football team that posted a 9-2 record, defeated Notre Dame and Army among those nine wins and rose to #2 in the Associated Press poll before losing to Texas in the Cotton Bowl will also be on hand for its 60^th reunion.
 
"What a wonderful day for the Navy community as we welcome home two of our most distinguished former football heroes," said Gladchuk. "Recognizing Roger Staubach and Paul Johnson during the Air Force game will be another milestone for the program and a moment in history that will long be remembered. Memorializing Roger's number 12 on the field in perpetuity complements our beloved Joe Bellino's number being displayed on the 27-yard line. In addition, the halftime ceremony to recognize the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame induction of Coach Johnson will further enhance our pride and appreciation for the amazing success we enjoyed throughout his distinguished era at Navy.  Both men remain legendary, and are two of our greatest in the annals of Navy Football."
 
Staubach's #12 will be placed on the turf at the 12-yard line on the opposite ends of Joe Bellino's #27 that was placed on the turf in 2019.  Bellino (1960) and Staubach (1963) are Navy's only two Heisman Trophy winners.
 
Known as "Roger the Dodger," Staubach has scrambled his way to success as a college athlete, an All-Pro NFL quarterback and as a successful businessman.
 
In 1963, Staubach became the second Naval Academy football player in four years to win the Heisman Trophy. It was his junior season with the Midshipmen, and all he did was lead Navy to a ranking of second in the country and a berth in the Cotton Bowl, where he set Bowl records for pass completions (21 of 31) and yards passing (228). The Midshipmen posted wins over West Virginia, Michigan, Notre Dame and Maryland that season. He completed 106 passes in 161 attempts for 1,474 yards, while earning consensus All-America honors, as well as the Maxwell Trophy and Walter Camp Memorial Trophy.
 
At one time, Staubach, who was hampered by injuries in his senior season of 1964, had set 28 Naval Academy records in football. He also had some outstanding performances as a varsity baseball player and a brief but significant moment as a varsity basketball player. He lettered in baseball three-straight years (1963-65) as an outfielder and pitcher. In 1963, he hit .420, and in 1965, he was the team captain. He also won a letter in basketball in 1962-63.
 
Staubach was the recipient of the Naval Academy's Thompson Trophy Cup for three-consecutive years and was the 1965 winner of the Naval Academy Athletic Association Sword. He was the first sophomore to win the Thompson Trophy Cup and is its only three-time winner. He was only the fourth midshipman since 1900 to win both the Thompson Trophy Cup and NAAA Sword.
 
After four years in the United States Navy, including a tour in Vietnam, Staubach joined the Dallas Cowboys and led that team to unprecedented heights. Again, displaying the daring play he had shown at Navy, Staubach directed the Cowboys to 23 fourth-quarter comeback wins, including 14 in the final two minutes of a game or in overtime. He played 11 seasons with the Cowboys and led them to the Super Bowl four times, including world championships in 1972 and 1978. The Cowboys were 90-31 with Staubach as their starting quarterback.
 
Among his awards were the NFL Players Association Most Valuable Player and The Sporting News NFL Player of the Year in 1971, Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl VI (1972), Washington Touchdown Club NFC Player of the Year in 1976 and 1978, NFC Pro Bowl selection five times, the Vince Lombardi Sportsman of the Year Award in 1975, NFL Players' Association NFC Offensive Player of the Year (1978), and the Byron "Whizzer" White Humanitarian Award in 1979.
 
Staubach was named the Walter Camp Foundation Man of the Year in 1985, selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, his first year of eligibility, and inducted into the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame in 1981.
 
The football locker room in Ricketts Hall was named in his honor in 1996, and in 2008, Staubach received the National Football Foundation's Gold Medal, the highest honor one can receive from that organization. Staubach has also been honored as a "Distinguished Graduate" of the United States Naval Academy.
 
Johnson will be honored for being named to the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.  The Class of 2023 will officially be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during the 65th annual National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas.
 
Capitalizing on his patented spread option offense – one of the most innovative offensive schemes in all of college football – Johnson took three programs to the top of their respective conferences and the national rankings, winning two national titles, five conference championships and making 18 bowl appearances at Georgia Southern, Navy and Georgia Tech. The Newland, North Carolina, native is the fifth coach from Navy to enter the College Football Hall of Fame. 
 
Johnson took over at Navy prior to the 2002 season, with the Midshipmen coming off the worst two-year stretch (1-20) in the Academy's 123-year football history. After going 2-10 in his first season at the helm (Navy's 19th losing record in 21 seasons), Johnson steered Navy back into national prominence, compiling a 43-19 record (.694) with five bowl appearances and two bowl victories in his final five seasons in Annapolis (2003-07).
 
Overall, Johnson led Navy to a 45-29 record (.608) in six seasons. The Midshipmen never finished lower than third nationally in rushing offense during his six-year tenure and led the nation in rushing in each of his final three seasons at the helm (2005-07).
 
It took just two seasons for Johnson to lead Navy from a winless season the year prior to his arrival (0-10 in 2001) to a bowl appearance in 2003 (going 8-4 in the regular season before falling to Texas Tech in the Houston Bowl). The Midshipmen were just the sixth team in NCAA history to go from a winless season to a bowl game in two seasons or less.
 
Johnson was named the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year in 2004 after leading Navy to a 10-2 record, tying the school record for wins set in 1905, and only the fifth bowl victory in program history, a 34-19 win over New Mexico in the Emerald Bowl. The Midshipmen claimed the sixth bowl victory in Navy history a year later when they topped Colorado State, 51-30, in the 2005 Poinsettia Bowl.
 
In addition to turning around the Midshipmen's storied program, Johnson's stint at the Naval Academy is also best remembered for dominating the other two Service Academies. Navy went a combined 11-1 against Air Force and Army, including a perfect 6-0 against the Black Knights of the Hudson. After not winning Commander-in-Chief's Trophy (presented annually to the winner of the triangular series between the service academies) since 1981, Navy claimed the trophy in each of Johnson's final five seasons in Annapolis.
 
Johnson coached 11 First-Team All-Americans and one First Team Academic All-American in his three coaching stops.

Johnson was recognized as the CBS National Coach of the Year in 2008, the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year in 2004, and the Eddie Robinson Award winner as the I-AA National Coach of the Year in 1998. He was twice named the AFCA NCAA Division I-AA National Coach of the Year (1999, 2000).

Before becoming a head coach, Johnson served as offensive coordinator at Navy (1995-96), Hawaii (1987-94) and Georgia Southern (1985-86) and as defensive line coach at Georgia Southern (1983-84).