What's This Naval Academy?
1920 Navy Track Coach
For the first time in her history, Dartmouth is talcing onher football schedule one of the United States serviceschools, in this case, the United States Naval Academyat Annapolis. In searching around for some link betweenDartmouth and Anna-polis, the editor came upon TommyThomson, our premier and as yet undefeated title-holdinghurdler of the class of 1920 who is track coach at the NavalAcademy. He consented to write this article and sent upsome rather fine pictures, as well. Most of us take pridein the United States service schools as national institutions,and feel something of an ownership in them, and when thetwo teams meet, we will have an interest in both. CoachThomson prophecies a rattling good game. . . . Well,win or lose, here's to the Navy!
WHY MIDSHIPMEN?
The United States Naval Academy probably differs from any other school of learning in that it had a student body and midshipmen fifty years before it was founded. On board the old frigate, Constitution, youngsters who were neither officers nor crew and lived amidships (hence the name midshipmen), were taught by two or three civilian instructors and the chaplain.
The midshipmen are molded according to the following Mission—
THE MISSION
"To mold the material received into educated gentlemen, thoroughly indoctrined with honor, uprightness and truth, with practical rather than academic minds, with thorough loyalty to country, with groundwork of educational fundamentals upon which experience afloat may build the finished naval officer, capable of upholding whenever and wherever may be necessary, the honor of the United States; and giving due consideration that healthy minds and healthy bodies are necessities for the fulfillment of the individual missions of the graduates; and that fullest efficiency under the mission can only be attained if, through just and humane, yet firm discipline, the graduate carry into the service respect and admiration for this Academy."*
Ordinarily, I think, one student cares very little for reading a story of another educational institution. For that reason I am going to write very little of the more or less dry statistics. The student's, or midshipman's, life here at the Academy, which is very different from that of the college or university student, will be the story.
The United States Naval Academy is located at Annapolis, the capitol of Maryland, at the junction of the beautiful Severn River and Chesapeake Bay. Annapolis is the oldest chartered city in America and has retained much of its colonial glory.
The Academy was founded in 1845 by the Hon. George Bancroft, then secretary of the navy under President, James K. Polk. A number of years in the experimental stage followed. The course of training was varied from time to time. At first it consisted of a year at the school, three years at sea, and was completed with another year at Annapolis. Several other changes were made, until today the midshipman spends four years at the Academy, getting some sea or practical experience in his third and first class summers by way of practice cruises. These last for two months and take the students to all parts of the globe. During his second class summer he receives preliminary training in aviation.
Appointments to the Academy may be received from a congressman, from the President, or from the VicePresident. There are also 100 men taken in from the service each year. Most of the latter group are boys who are without friends among the congressmen. They join the navy expressly to take the preliminary course for entrance to the Academy. All hands must pass a rigid mental and physical examination. The new or Plebe class begins to arrive about June 15 and continues to report until the academic year begins about October 1.
THE SCHEDULE OF A PLEBE
The first summer is spent in learning the ways of a midshipman. Classes which consist of infantry, cutter sailing, gymnastic drill, and all forms of athletics constitute the major part of the program. When once the academic year begins, the midshipman's life is well taken up from 6:30 a.m. until 10:15 p.m. Classes begin at eight o'clock in the morning and continue until 4:30 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, until 3:30 on Wednesday and 12:00 on Saturday. Extra-curriculum work begins immediately after classes and continues until shortly after 6:00 p.m. A short time is allowed some classes after supper for recreation in the form of reading, billiards and music.
The teaching and instructing is done by naval offcers and some civilians. As few civilians can teach the subjects purely naval such as seamanship, ordnance, gunnery and navigation, the majority of the instructors are naval officers. The civilians are found in the Departments of English, History, Mathematics, Physics and Physical Training. It makes for a very happy combination.
The Naval Academy is one of the few institutions in the land where the good student and the good athlete come very near to being one and the same thing. In the first place, as has already been mentioned, a boy entering the Academy must pass a rigid mental examination. While not always the case, this is a great assurance to the various coaches that the members of his team will be with him for four years. Of course, as is true in all educational institutions, there are a number of "bilgers" every year because of failures in the academic work, as well as physical disabilities which might show up from time to time.
MUST BE ABOVE IN ALL STUDIES
The scholastic requirements here are very severe for the athlete. In most colleges and universities a student is allowed to fall below passing in at least one course before he is declared ineligible for a team. Not so here. Should a man become "unsat" (unsatisfactory) in one subject, he is through for the following month. He can only "pull sat" once a month.
The age limits for entrance to the Academy are sixteen and twenty. This limitation practically prohibits boys entering from other educational institutions except preparatory and high schools. From an athletic standpoint this causes the Naval Academy to be one of the outstanding athletic "factories," might I say, in the field of institutions of higher learning. I mean by that that we coaches have the job on our hands of making our own athletes. That is why Navy is proud of her teams and of her men who achieve athletic greatness. Very few of the men who carry the honor of the Navy on the athletic field have been "prep" school stars. It may seem strange to some people, but we would rather see the material come to us "raw," as it gives us a chance to mold it in the proper way, and I might say in passing that the coaches here have a good knowledge of how to go about that molding business.
Dartmouth and Navy have competed against each other for some years in swimming, gymnastics and baseball, but this is the first time the football teams have clashed. It gives me a feeling of great satisfaction to think that Dartmouth has been chosen to take the place of Army on the Navy schedule. While it is hardly possible that the game on November 30 will present the colorful spectacle of an Army-Navy game, yet there will be plenty of excitement for the cheering thousands. Both teams have a very hard schedule before November 30, but I believe that there will be some very good, exciting, football played by the Navy and Dartmouth on that date. It will be worth going many miles to see.
INGRAM HAS HIGH STANDARDS
Head Coach "Navy Bill" Ingram and his assistants have an unusually large squad of good men to work with and the result should be quite gratifying to Navy people the world over. In Captain Koepke, he has one of the scrappiest linemen I have ever seen in action. He craves work and the harder the better. He is an inspiration to his team and always wears a smile that stretches from ear to ear. These boys that smile at their work are generally "bad news" for their opponents, too.
Under the present administration of Commander Jonas Ingram, athletics have taken a decided upward swing, due, in some measure to larger and better, athletically at least, classes coming to the Academy, but chiefly to the great amount of driving power exerted by the commander himself. As athletic director, he has been responsible for Navy's sport revival. He leaves this year and can do so with the knowledge that he has accomplished a great deal for his Alma Mater.
The regiment of midshipmen has the same organization as the regular Navy. There are four companies divided into four platoons each. There is a regimental five-striper (admiral) with his aids, company commanders, lieutenants, etc., and all drills and parades are in charge of these men.
Rear Admiral S. S. Robison is the twenty-eighth Superintendent, and is a man much admired and respected by all with whom he comes in contact. Admiral Robison completes his tour of duty here in 1931.
THE XT. S. NAVAL ACADEMY AT ANNAPOLIS Aeroplane view of the home of Dartmouth's latest football rival
REAR ADMIRAL S. S. ROBISON Superintendent of the Naval Academy
FOOTBALT, CAPTAIN KOEPKE Guard
"NAVY BILL" INGRAM Head Football Coach
*From the Annual Register of the United States Naval Academy, 1928-29.
