Playing That Military Tune

news@theheraldnewspapers.com. “Off we go into the wild blue yonder.” “Anchors away my boys…” “Then it’s Hi! Hi! Hey! The Army on its way…” I’m sure you recognize these as the words to the fight songs for our nation’s three military academies. Every kid learns the songs in elementary school. We hear them every year during Veteran’s Day and 4th of July celebrations. These are all great songs. They are as recognizable as any fight song in the country and bring a sense of national pride when we hear them. You instantly think of the world’s very best. You think military might. You think power, strength, and dominance. On Saturday, you can bet the Air Force band will play its song more than once. It won’t rival Rocky Top but fans will know the Vols are playing Air Force. However, the song loses its connection to greatness and awesome power when it is played on an athletic field. When you hear the song from any of the military academies played in connection with a football game, you immediately think mediocrity. Athletic teams at our nation’s military academies have been so weak for so long, athletic directors love to schedule them as breathers for their teams. No one really expects the soldier boys to be able to compete with the big boys. If Air Force puts more points on the scoreboard than the Vols on Saturday, it will be a huge sports story and despite the Vols’ impressive win over California, there will be cries for Phil Fulmer’s head. If Army goes into College Station and sticks it to Texas A&M on September 16th, it will bigger news than Brad and Jennifer’s break-up. If Navy upsets Notre Dame on October 28, you will know that Charlie Weis has quit and the Irish have brought back a guy named Willingham. It wasn’t always that way. There was a time when military supremacy was synonymous with athletic excellence. Army won national championships in 1914, 1944, and 1945. The Cadets had three Heisman Trophy winners in a span of 13 years. Doc Blanchard, Glenn Davis, and Pete Dawkins will be remembered as three of the greatest college football players ever. To put that into perspective, Tennessee in its long and illustrious history has exactly zero Heisman Trophy winners unless you count the ones stolen from Johnny Majors and Peyton Manning. Navy has had two Heisman winners with Roger Staubach being the last one to do it in 1963. So what happened? What transformed our military schools into football patsies? We could blame it on the Viet Nam War. The unpopular “police action” clearly tarnished the image of our military. Signing to play for Army, Navy, or Air Force was like buying a one way ticket to Asia and a fight for survival. Why volunteer to die in a war no one at home believed in? Then there was what I call the dumbing of college athletics. There was a time when only the brightest minds went on to college. But with the desire to win came a greater emphasis on eligibility as opposed to education. Student athletes were introduced to such courses as basket weaving so they could get an easy grade. There are no such courses in Colorado Springs, West Point, or Annapolis. Those schools compete academically with the Vanderbilts of the world. When the Falcons take the field Saturday, there will be no partial qualifiers, no JUCO transfers, no complaining about the NCAA Clearinghouse, and just as importantly there will be no stat line for the number of arrests. And finally, there was the rise in popularity of the NFL. A pro career meant nothing in the days Army was dominating college football. A military career was actually more lucrative than a pro football career. But all of that changed. Today, kids play in Pee Wee leagues dreaming of being in the NFL. They play for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow known as the NFL draft. The glory they seek is on the football field and not the battlefield. If you dream of an NFL career, then signing with Air Force makes little sense. After you complete your education, you must complete a five year commitment to serve your country. Sign with a military school and you basically say goodbye to the NFL dream. Will the military schools ever return to prominence in football? Actually, President Bush could take the first step with his pen. He could sign an Executive Order stating that if a player is drafted after his final year at a military academy, he can be released from his commitment to serve. Suddenly, Air Force is an attractive alternative for a high school senior. He can get an incredibly good education in one of the most beautiful spots on God’s green Earth, play Division 1 football, and realize his dream of the NFL if he is good enough. Air Force, Navy, and Army would at least have a chance to compete. We could see Army in a BCS Bowl. We might just see another Heisman candidate emerge at the Naval Academy. We may actually want to watch the annual Army-Navy classic. As Americans, we could take pride again in the accomplishments of our military boys on the field of play. Until then, we’ll hear the songs and wonder “What if?”