October 21, 2009

Rob O'Sullivan
GoBlackKnights.com Football Analyst

After a great response from the Army faithful, which brought in hundreds of nominations, we have narrowed the nominees down to 34.  Over 250 former Army players were nominated as the "Top Army Player of the Last 50 Years".  Now is your chance to narrow down that list.  Below is the bracket that will play out over the next 6 weeks.

We will start the voting with the "Play In" games.  This will take place from Wedsnesday, October 21 through Friday, October 23.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A .PDF VERSION OF THE TOURNAMENT BRACKET

Starting Saturday, October 24^th, we will begin voting on the Round 1 brackets.

Here are the matchups for the "Play-In" games:

For the 32^nd Seed:  Calvin Cass '91 vs. Dan Enright '82

Calvin Cass was a running back, and played along side running back Mike Mayweather and fullback Ben Barnett, both candidates for Army's top player in the last 50 years.  While Cass could run with the best of them, he may best be known for his blocking ability.  Many consider him one of the best in Army history, and his blocks in Jim Young's wishbone offense opened up running lanes for Mike Mayweather.  Cass ranks as Army's 20^th best rusher all time, with 1546 yards and a career 5.8 yard average gain per run.

Dan Enright was a team captain and center for Army. One of his nominations captured him effectively.  "Moved from middle linebacker to offensive center by coach Lou Saban, Enright was the perfect leader for an always out-sized, out-talented, and out-matched Army team in the early 1980s. He led the Cadets against teams like Pittsburgh and Notre Dame.  Though Army was undersized, Enright drove Army's driven players. His efforts reflected success and survival during the toughest of non-combat conditions. He led properly, and won the hearts and minds of thousands of fans and other players."

For the 31^st Seed:  Ben Barnett '90 vs. Greg King '78

Ben Barnett played fullback under head coach Jim Young, and was one of the key elements, along with Mike Mayweather, that led Army to the Sun Bowl in 1988.  Barnett ranks as  Army's 17^th all-time rusher with 1616 yards, and ran for 177 yards in the Sun Bowl.  He was a fierce runner, a hard charger, and was a part of one of Army's most prolific backfields in history.

Greg King was a very strong running back for Army in the 70's. He was one of Army's most dynamic football players from 74-78, was known for his awesome quickness, and had the heart of a lion when Army played top 20 competition.  King played a big part in Army's victory over Air Force in 1976, rushing for two touchdown in the game.

VOTE FOR THE "PLAY IN" BRACKETS HERE: