You forgot to give a shoutout to Chuck Atwater and his friends! Just kidding, great job. NMC is a special place, My first game here was in ’77, my old man took me, beat W&M 42-17 behind Joe Gatuso running wild. Still have the ticket stub.Set me on the path to usna as well. Thanks again, great piece.
Joe
I read the article earlier, and it really hit home. Some of my fondest memories are of that place, my activities there; and then later, sharing it with my kids as they grew.
My oldest is following in the “family business,” and I think if you asked him, he would echo many of your observations, and perhaps the influence it had on his career choice! I am now looking forward to watching him, and his experiences as he participates inside NMCMS!
It’s a special place, and you did a fine job of capturing the “essence” of the place, and what it means to many of us. Well done!
Magnificent piece, Mike. That Penn State game in September ’67 was my first Navy game – as a plebe in the stands. What a memory – thanks for bringing it back.
Mike – Excellent article. I remember a cartoon in The Log from my days at the academy. One of the players from the day’s opposing team starts to read off the battle names, “Coral Sea, Guadalcanal, Midway Island, etc” and remarks, “Man, these guys have a tough schedule!” (I’m sure it is repeated in some form each year.) The deeper meaning is that the words are so true.
great piece. I originally followed the teams success because they were my friends on the field. After graduating i came to appreciate the stadium, the team, and the heritage of navy football more and more.
Well done. Very well done.
Do you think that once this currently war is over that they will remove “Operation Enduring Freedom” and replace it with a couple of the more prominent battles? It is not like they have spots just saying “Korean War” or “Vietnam.”
I read this on Navysports.com and didn’t pick up on the fact that you were the author. What a great piece. Nostalgia alley.
My first game there was the ’63 Navy Pitt game as a prepster….. a classic. The Cartright to Taylor pass against Penn State…. a classic. The ’78 Pitt game…. a classic…. I get butterflies every time I enter the stadium….. heck I get butterflies when I pass by…… Thanks for the memories.
Great article, Mike. Even though I’ve only been a fan for a few years, I’m glad to have the opportunity to attend this game in particular to get a sense of how great the stadium’s history really is.
Dave’69, I think I’ve seen somewhere that Lou Holtz said that one year just before the ND-Navy game. Kind of a surprise given his obvious anti-Navy bias since he’s been on ESPN.
Just a point about the renovations. Chet was in fact in charge when the renovations took place, but much of the leg work was already done when he arrived. Jack Lengyel and Gene Taylor never get mentioned, but deserve a lot of the credit for putting things in place for Chet to execute…
The Birddog 
You forgot to give a shoutout to Chuck Atwater and his friends! Just kidding, great job. NMC is a special place, My first game here was in ’77, my old man took me, beat W&M 42-17 behind Joe Gatuso running wild. Still have the ticket stub.Set me on the path to usna as well. Thanks again, great piece.
Joe
BZ Mike!
Well Done!
Mike-
I read the article earlier, and it really hit home. Some of my fondest memories are of that place, my activities there; and then later, sharing it with my kids as they grew.
My oldest is following in the “family business,” and I think if you asked him, he would echo many of your observations, and perhaps the influence it had on his career choice! I am now looking forward to watching him, and his experiences as he participates inside NMCMS!
It’s a special place, and you did a fine job of capturing the “essence” of the place, and what it means to many of us. Well done!
Steve ’89
Magnificent piece, Mike. That Penn State game in September ’67 was my first Navy game – as a plebe in the stands. What a memory – thanks for bringing it back.
Mike,
Great piece, man. Your passion for the program shines through.
Mike – Excellent article. I remember a cartoon in The Log from my days at the academy. One of the players from the day’s opposing team starts to read off the battle names, “Coral Sea, Guadalcanal, Midway Island, etc” and remarks, “Man, these guys have a tough schedule!” (I’m sure it is repeated in some form each year.) The deeper meaning is that the words are so true.
great piece. I originally followed the teams success because they were my friends on the field. After graduating i came to appreciate the stadium, the team, and the heritage of navy football more and more.
thanks for keeping us well informed!
Well done. Very well done.
Do you think that once this currently war is over that they will remove “Operation Enduring Freedom” and replace it with a couple of the more prominent battles? It is not like they have spots just saying “Korean War” or “Vietnam.”
I read this on Navysports.com and didn’t pick up on the fact that you were the author. What a great piece. Nostalgia alley.
My first game there was the ’63 Navy Pitt game as a prepster….. a classic. The Cartright to Taylor pass against Penn State…. a classic. The ’78 Pitt game…. a classic…. I get butterflies every time I enter the stadium….. heck I get butterflies when I pass by…… Thanks for the memories.
Great article, Mike. Even though I’ve only been a fan for a few years, I’m glad to have the opportunity to attend this game in particular to get a sense of how great the stadium’s history really is.
Mike,
Great article. The stadium is awesome in so many ways. Though I must admit, I did not appreciate it enough back in ’90-’94.
Mike
Dave’69, I think I’ve seen somewhere that Lou Holtz said that one year just before the ND-Navy game. Kind of a surprise given his obvious anti-Navy bias since he’s been on ESPN.
Beano cook says that Lou Holtz takes credit for it, but it was a William & Mary player that said it.
Just a point about the renovations. Chet was in fact in charge when the renovations took place, but much of the leg work was already done when he arrived. Jack Lengyel and Gene Taylor never get mentioned, but deserve a lot of the credit for putting things in place for Chet to execute…
I don’t doubt it, especially with the fundraising. I don’t know much about the inner workings of the process.
Wonderful article, Mike. Thanks much.
Ditto. BZ, Mike!
Mike – In Marv Levy’s book, he said that in 1967 Les Hooker made the remark about the schedule, just before William & Mary beat Navy.