I like old Navy sports footage. I’m always looking for it. Here’s a clip I found at a used book store that you might find interesting. This is some old newsreel footage of the beginning of Navy football practice in 1929.
Some cutting-edge training techniques there. I like the glimpse of the Yard from 80 years ago, too.
By the way, over on the message board we’re talking basketball, football superlatives, and moving the Hawaii game next year. Make sure you check it out!
The Birddog 
Cool footage. I’m surprised there were that many players on the team in ’29.
GoNavy83, I agree. It looked like half of the brigade was out there. Might have been tryouts.
That wasn’t practice, that was Plebe Summer PEP. You can clearly see Coach Lenz saying “follow the red Corvette.”
You’re right, there he is. Imagine that, an 8 year old leading PEP!
I can’t tell what the low, 1 story building is in the background. Is that the old gunnery practice sheds they used to have around farragut field?
That was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!
even in 1929 they were using middies
can we please get over it? it’s been at least 80 years
If you want to see what USNA looked like in 1933, try to get you hands on a copy of the DVD Shipmates Forever. It was filmed on the Yard and is a hoot to watch!
In 1929, it was wrong and is still wrong today!
DotBone-Just curious, but why is it wrong? Nobody has ever given me a good reason.
Shipmates Forever is a great movie. It’s a about a crooner turned mid. Another good one is Midshipman Jack (1933). Both pure, unadultered cheese combined with a solid dose of “making the right choice”. But both have SPECTACULAR footage of the Yard.
Several years ago there was an article in Shipmate about the ’50’s TV series, “Men of Annapolis”. (I’m sorry that I did not save it.) Does anyone know if that is available on DVDs (as are other old B & W TV series. I’d love to have a set. If not, if someone is looking to make a buck, I’m sure it you could sell enough to Alumni to make a profit on whatever it costs to put it together. (If someone has a copy of the Shipmate article, please tell me who wrote it. I’d like to contact him about what it takes to get the series on DVD’s.)
Great find Mike.
Check Reef Points.
After my post about the “Men of Annapolis” article, I tried Google. The article can be found at http://www.usna63.org/tradition/history/MenofAnnapolis.html.It was written by Captain Sherman G. Alexander ’56 and appeared in Shipmate, November 1999.
The term “middies” was around prior to 1929 according to webster.com:
mid·dy
Pronunciation: \ˈmi-dē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural middies
Etymology: by shortening & alteration
Date: 1818
1 : midshipman
2 : a loosely fitting blouse with a sailor collar worn by women and children