1984 Army Cadets football team

American college football season

1984 Army Cadets football
Cherry Bowl champion
Cherry Bowl, W 10–6 vs. Michigan State
Conference	Independent
Record	8–3–1
Head coach	Jim Young (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Triple option
Defensive coordinator	Bob Sutton (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Captain	Senior class
Home stadium	Michie Stadium
Seasons ← 1983 1985 →

1984 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 5 Boston College		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
No. 11 South Carolina		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
Army		–		–		8	–	3	–	1
Rutgers		–		–		7	–	3	–	0
No. 17 Florida State		–		–		7	–	3	–	2
Virginia Tech		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
West Virginia		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
No. 18 Miami (FL)		–		–		8	–	5	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–		7	–	5	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Penn State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–		5	–	5	–	1
Navy		–		–		4	–	6	–	1
Southern Miss		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Tulane		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
East Carolina		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
Louisville		–		–		2	–	9	–	0

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1984 Army Cadets football team was an American football team that represented the United States Military Academy in the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Jim Young, the Cadets compiled an 8–3–1 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 320 to 218.^[1] In the annual Army–Navy Game, the Cadets defeated Navy by a 28–11 score. The Cadets also defeated Michigan State, 10–6, in the 1984 Cherry Bowl.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	Colgate	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	W 41–15	32,032	^[3]
September 22	at Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	T 24–24	89,639	^[4]
September 29	Duke	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	W 13–9	37,026	^[5]
October 6	Harvard	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	W 33–11	40,504	^[6]
October 13	at Rutgers	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	L 7–14
October 20	Penn	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	W 48–13	59,075	^[7]
October 27	at Syracuse	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	L 16–27	41,438
November 3	Air Force	Michie Stadium West Point, NY (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)	W 24–12
November 10	at No. 16 Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	L 31–45	32,000
November 17	vs. Montana	Olympic Memorial Stadium Tokyo, Japan (Mirage Bowl)	W 45–31	60,000	^[8]
December 1	vs. Navy	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA (Army–Navy Game)	W 28–11	73,180
December 22	vs. Michigan State	Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac, MI (Cherry Bowl)	W 10–6	70,332
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

Colgate

At Tennessee

Duke

Harvard

at Rutgers

Penn

At Syracuse

Air Force

At Boston College

Army Cadets (5–2–1) at #16 Boston College Eagles (5–2)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Army	7	7	10	7	31
Boston College	13	15	3	14	45

at Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Date: November 10, 1984
Game attendance: 32,000
TV announcers (KATZ): Curt Gowdy and Len Dawson
^[9]

External videos
Game highlights

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Army	Passing	Nate Sassaman	4/10, 38 Yds, INT
	Rushing	Nate Sassaman	25 Rush, 136 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Scott Spellmon	2 Rec, 26 Yds
Boston College	Passing	Doug Flutie	19/29, 311 Yds, 3 TD
	Rushing	Steve Strachan	15 Rush, 81 Yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Kelvin Martin	7 Rec, 126 Yds, 2 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	ARMY	BC
1					Army	Doug Black 1-yard touchdown run, Craig Stopa kick good	7	0
1					Boston College	Steve Strachan 1-yard touchdown run, Kevin Snow kick good	7	7
1					Boston College	Scott Gieselman 12-yard touchdown reception from Doug Flutie, Kevin Snow kick no good	7	13
2					Boston College	Kelvin Martin 34-yard touchdown reception from Doug Flutie, Kevin Snow kick good	7	20
2					Boston College	Punt returned 45 yards for touchdown by Kelvin Martin, 2-point pass good	7	28
2					Army	Rob Dickerson 5-yard touchdown reception from Jarvis Hollingsworth, Craig Stopa kick good	14	28
3					Boston College	25-yard field goal by Kevin Snow	14	31
3					Army	Nate Sassaman 8-yard touchdown run, Craig Stopa kick good	21	31
3					Army	40-yard field goal by Craig Stopa	24	31
4					Boston College	Steve Strachan 1-yard touchdown run, Kevin Snow kick good	24	38
4					Army	Jarvis Hollingsworth 10-yard touchdown run, Craig Stopa kick good	24	45
4					Boston College	Kelvin Martin 17-yard touchdown reception from Doug Flutie, Kevin Snow kick good	31	45
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							31	45

vs Montana

vs Navy

Army Cadets vs. Navy Midshipmen

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Army	7	7	7	7	28
Navy	0	3	0	8	11

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Date: December 1
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 73,180
^[10]

Game information

First quarter

ARMY – Clarence Jones 6-yard run (Craig Stopa kick). Army 7–0. Drive: 16 plays, 80 yards.

Second quarter

ARMY – Doug Black 1-yard run (Craig Stopa kick). Army 14–0. Drive: 16 plays, 71 yards.
NAVY – Todd Solomon 40-yard field goal, 5:00. Army 14–3. Drive:

Third quarter

ARMY – Nate Sassaman 9-yard run (Craig Stopa kick). Army 21–3. Drive:

Fourth quarter

ARMY – Nate Sassaman 6-yard run (Craig Stopa kick). Army 28–3. Drive: 16 plays, 74 yards.
NAVY – Chris Weiler 6-yard pass from Bob Misch (pass good), 8:07. Army 28–11. Drive:

Top passers

ARMY – Nate Sassaman – 4/5, 32 yards, INT
NAVY – Bob Misch – 22/39, 280 yards, TD

Top rushers

ARMY – Doug Black – 31 rushes, 155 yards, TD
NAVY – Rich Clouse – 12 rushes, 45 yards

Top receivers

ARMY – Rob Dickerson – 2 receptions, 17 yards
NAVY – Chris Weiler – 6 receptions, 54 yards, TD

Army's first win versus Navy since 1977
Nate Sassaman – 25 Rush, 154 Yards (finished with over 1,000 yards for the season)

Cherry Bowl (vs. Michigan State)

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cadets	0	7	0	3	10
Spartans	0	0	0	6	6

Date: December 22
Location: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Game attendance: 70,336
Game weather: Indoors

Scoring summary

2	6:31	ARMY	Clarence Jones 4-yard run (Stopa kick)	ARMY 7–0

4	8:40	ARMY	Craig Stopa 38-yard field goal	ARMY 10–0

4	4:19	MSU	Bob Wasczenski 36-yard pass from Yarema (pass failed)	ARMY 10–6

^[11]

Personnel

1984 Army Black Knights football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
FB		Doug Black	Jr
RB		Dee Bryant
RB		Ed Cole
QB		Tory Crawford
WR		Rob Dickerson
QB		Rob Healy
OL		Karl Heineman
RB		Ron Herring
RB		Jarvis Hollingsworth
RB		Clarence Jones
OL		Bill Kime
RB		William Lampley
OL		Vince McDermott
RB		Kevin McKelvy
OL		Bryan Parlier	Jr
RB		Tom Perry
RB		Andy Peterson
FB		Dave Pratt
OL		Ron Rice
QB	`11`	Nate Sassaman	Sr
RB		Scott Schwartz
OL		Don Smith
WR		Scott Spellmon
WR		Ben White
OL		David Woolfolk
RB		Benny Wright

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DL		Brad Allen
LB		Marty Baptiste
LB		Jim Gentile
DB		Eric Griffin
DE		Kurt Gutierrez
DL		Jim Jennings
CB		Kermit McKelvey
S		Doug Pavek
LB		John Roney
DL		Mike Sears
DB		Bob Silver
DB		Mike Tease
DL		Rob Ulses

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P		Dave Grasch
K		John Lopes
K		Craig Stopa

Head coach

Jim Young

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

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

Injured
Redshirt

References

^ "Army Yearly Results (1980-1984)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
^ "1984 Army Black Knights Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
^ "Cadets Run Over Colgate, 41-15". The Sunday Press. Binghamton, N.Y. September 9, 1984. pp. 6E – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Cadets, Vols play to 24–24 tie". Poughkeepsie Journal. September 23, 1984. Retrieved October 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Army halts Blue Devils". The Daily Advertiser. September 30, 1984. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Concannon, Joe (October 7, 1984). "Army Gets Its Wish, Chews Up Harvard, 33-11". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 59 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Newman, Chuck (October 21, 1984). "Army Infantry Hands Penn Its First Loss, 48-13". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. pp. 7-E, 10-E – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Mirage Bowl, Griz-Army shootout was entertaining lesson in football for Japanese". The Missoulian. November 18, 1984. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "College Football Scoreboard." Gainesville Sun. pg. 4F. 1984 Nov 11. Retrieved 2022-Dec-27.
^ "Army Foot Soldiers Leave Navy High and Dry, 28-11." Washington Post. 02 Dec 1984. Retrieved 2020-Dec-06.
^ "ARMY WINS, 10-6, IN ITS BOWL DEBUT". The New York Times. December 23, 1984. Retrieved November 23, 2019.

v t e Army Black Knights football
Venues	The Plain (1890–1923) Michie Stadium (1924–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Air Force (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Navy: Army–Navy Game (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Notre Dame
Culture & lore	Army Mules Black Death Award "On, Brave Old Army Team" "The Army Goes Rolling Along" 1946 "Game of the Century" West Point Salute Touchdown, Army Code Breakers
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees
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National championship seasons in bold