Navy vs. Army

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  Evening star, District of Columbia, December 13, 1931, page 69

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  ARMY’S STAR BACK SINKS NAVY ELEVEN Provides Margin of Differ ence in Triumph Over Valiant Sailors. n EW YORK, December H. M Ray Stecker, Army half L ‘ back, today provided the margin by which the Ca diets defeated a hard-fghting Navy team before a throng of 1900 spectators in a game which Is expected to net $325,000 for charity. Although Herb scored the touch down that got the Army off In front in the second period, when Brown followed with field goal, and also toted the ball over in the final quarter, as we’ll as converted both points with placement kicks, it was Stecker’s brilliant ball-carrying and his only a little less meritorious efforts on defense that spelled defeat for the Midshipmen. Stecker was the only Army foot ball player with whom Navy could not cope. The soldier halfback, without doubt, established himself as one of the great Army backs Of all time and placed himself on a pinnacle alongside Oil phant, Wilson and other Army gridiron heroes, If indeed he did not surpass them. Not only great player, in that he bao oHx ~ never consistently stop, not only was he the man who threw forward passes that two or three times broke down q superb Navy defense, but he was the one real leader of the Army legions who was constantly rallying his men. He was the spearhead of the offense and the one outstanding back of the game, although, at that, he did not outrank 10 any great extent Lou Kirn of Navy, Stecker’s Foes Worthy. Stecker’s performance was all the more brilliant, considering that he was not against weak eleven, but against a strong, valiant and efficiently drilled team that put up great struggle against greater weight and experience and actually might have been the victor mad 1t got little better breaks on two or three occasions. The Army has great foot ball team. Its whole scheme of offense seems to be to shake loose either Stecker or his understudy, Fields, and, of course, that gave both Stecker and Fields great opportunitieS. But, even so, 1t took a great back to do the things that Stecker did. Stecker graduates next Spring. and today was his final foot ball game for Army. II is doubtful if eight or nine foot ball teams of next Fall, all Of Armys opponents, will shed single tear. Lou Kirn, also playing his last game lor navy, was the next outstanding BACK IN today’S game. He was Navy’s main ground gamer, threw passes well and measured up in the punting duel lar better than he was expected to. once ne stood on his own goal line and booted the ball to Armys 40-yard mark. Wn1le Stecker was doWned in his tracks On that play on great one-arm tackle oy Smith, Navy left end, for a moment It seemed that Stecker had broken away, and Elliott, Navy right end, also love into him hard-dove into him in , way that would have done Joy to me neart OF coach-but officials, prob sDIy a little overalert to prevent in ur1es, penalized Navy Is yards, That $ just a little aside from what kim ild, put the Navy back may we’ll carry Rltn MIN into his later Navy days the that his last effort was lis best and that that best was brilliant, Both Teams Well Coached. stecker and Kirn did not carry the Vnole burden of their teams by anv means, though they were Outstanding : was a case Of two well drilled units nat played good foot ball from start nnlsh and, while Army won, the eforts OF both were such that neither Ias any reason to feel a tinge of reret. Inc victor was the best coached rmy eleven the writer ever has seen nd he has seen nearly all Army +eanos or good many years. The Navy also ‘as well coached, so well so that it is ara to see how any more could have cen got out OF the men who took part. VI course, there were mistakes bv o6n Sfues, tactical mistakes and misaxes OF Judgment. But what foot BAN anne ever was played in which there ere not mistakes. or what on the sec nd guess usually are called mistakes ‘nce In the fourth period Navy got way q long forward pass from its own 0-yard line that was complete on rmyS 4o-yard mark. Then on the ext play, from point too close to the oe lines, 1t tried a fake plunge into 1e line and a run around the weak de TO the wide side of the field, The rmy secondary defense was shifted 20 lar that way for the play to be q 1ccess, and it lost 10 yards. The ext play was pass and Army interspted. At that time the score was 10 2 and II Navy had given Lou Kirn lie Dali on one play, then opened with notner long heave, there might have zen different story. But that is cond guess and what the Navy quarroack actually did may have been !st as GOOD as anything else he might ave done. Army, on the other hand. twice in lie first quarter made the mistake Of yng TO rush the ball on fourth down Nays 35-yard line Had it. TN the accurate punting it was GET ng, kicked outside at the fiye-yard ARK, IL would have kept Navy backed against It’s own goal instead of let 1g IL work out of the perilous posi- Army Muffs Two Chances. Army got two breaks in that first riod, neither Of which 1t was able to pitalize. The first was when it oSACu NaVy punt on Nays 30 ro line and the second when it revered punt fumbled when two my ends hit Moncure very hard bere ne had got a good hold on the IL. Army lost the ball on downs each ne without any material gain, and en- time brilliant work by Kirn got : Navy out of the bad spots. One tactical mistake the Navy re~ Ieral times was in failing tf SContinued On Third Pax. A

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  Seward daily gateway, Alaska, December 14, 1931, page 1

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  ARMY SINKS NAVY IN CHARITY CAME PLAYED NV YORK NAVY SCORED ON ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANT PLAYS ENTIRE GAME NEW YORK CITY, Dec, IA, (P)-- Tn a spectacular charity battle be- fore 77O0O football fans the Army team closed their football season for 1881 with 8 IT to ‘ victory over their old rivals, the Navy. Ray Stecker led the Army at lack and Ed Herb twice plunged over for scores and Brown booted field goals. The Navy’s only score resulted from 55-yard pass in the third quarter, of Kirn to Tschirgi, and was one of the most brilliant plays of the game. However, the Army’s power attack, featuring Seekers twisting runs, proved entirely too much for the Navy whose gallant defense cracked in the second per- sod allowing a touchdown and a field goal giving the Army a score of 10 points. The Navy squad attacked thru the air throughout the Army’s counter attack and netted their lone tally in the the third quarter. The gate receipts are estimated it $375,000. The game marked a return of the oldtime Army and Navy color and stirring pageantry; the cadents ripped down the goal posts in short order and serenaded the middies with taps” The victory over the Navy was the Army’s third successive win

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Officially, Navy leads 64–⁠55–⁠7; as played, 63–⁠55–⁠7 in the 125 games on file; the official count covers all 126 meetings, counting the 94 since this game.