The Long Gray Line ...of famous coaches.

The Cadets of West Point ... the Long Gray Line, have a rich tradition when it comes to Army sports. Although the Academy is no longer a national power house like it was the during first half of the last century, it still has the highest demands and expectations of its athletes and coaches.

Over the years, the institution has hired some of the best coaches in all of athletics.

Test your knowledge...

Trivia question # 1:
Name three Army football coaches that have coached at West Point that went on to the National Football League and coached in a Super Bowl(s).

Answer:

1) Vince Lombardi:

Defensive line coach at Army under legendary head coach Red Blaik from 1949-1953.

Lombardi later went on to become head coach of the Green Bay Packers where he won three NFL Championships and the first two Super Bowls.

2) Bill Parcells:

Assistant coach at Army from 1966-1969.

Parcells coached the New York Giants to victory in Super Bowl XXI and XXV. He also coached the New England Patriots to a loss in Super Bowl XXXI.

3) Bobby Ross:

Coached the San Diego Chargers from 1992-96 and Detroit Lions from 1997-2000. Ross coached the Chargers to a loss Super Bowl XXIX.

Army head coach since 2004. Ross retired in January 2007.

Trivia question # 2:

Name two Army basketball coaches that went on to win NCAA Division I basketball championships after they left West Point.

Answer:

1) Bobby Knight:

Assistant coach Army 1963-65.

Head coach at Army 1966-71, at age 24. In six seasons Knight won 102 games. One of his players was future NCAA Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski (now the coach at Duke University).

Knight (as a player) was the sixth man on the 1960 national championship Ohio State men's basketball team.

At age 31, he took over as head coach at Indiana University. In 1976, Knight's team won the national championship with an undefeated record (the only Division I team to ever accomplish that).

Team USA captured the Gold Medal in the 1984 Olympics under Bobby Knight's guidance.

Knight has won three NCAA Division I men's basketball national titles.

2) Mike Krzyzewski:

Played point guard for Bobby Knight at Army from 1967-69.

Two years as coach of United States Military Academy (USMA) prep school at Ft. Belvoir (1972-74).

Five years as coach at West Point (1975-80).

Coach at Duke (starting in 1980). Krzyzewski has won three NCAA men's basketball national championships. He has 68 career wins in the NCAA tournament and is the winningest coach in the history of the event. Krzyzewski has won twelve National Coach of the Year awards and earned his 700th victory on February 18, 2007.

Coach "K" is scheduled to coach Team USA in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

Trivia question # 3:

Name an Army football head coach who was the first non-Army graduate to be hired as head coach at West Point. This coach also won a national championship at another university before coaching the Army Black Knights.

Answer:

Paul Dietzel

Paul Dietzel led the LSU Tigers to the national championship in 1958. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 1958 by both the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association of America.

Dietzel came to West Point as head coach in 1962 and stayed until 1966. He was an assistant to legendary Army head coach Red Blaik in the mid 1950's and before that an assistant to Bear Bryant.at the University of Kentucky.