Now slimmed down, former Navy lineman leads Marines in Afghanistan
April 18th, 2012 | Afghanistan Football Marine Corps Navy | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Jeff Lenar, a former guard for the Navy football team, dropped some 50 pounds en route to becoming a Marine infantry officer. (James J. Lee/Staff)
KAJAKI, Afghanistan – Second Lt. Jeff Lenar is a long way from the bright lights of college football at the U.S. Naval Academy, and it took serious discipline to get there.
The infantry officer with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, leads 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, overseeing Marines in combat who patrol near the landmark Kajaki Dam in Helmand province. Since deploying early this year, he has led his platoon in raids into Taliban-held area and overseen surveillance missions used to collect information about insurgents.
His trip there was complicated: to join his fellow Marines, Lenar shed dozens of pounds from his 6-foot-4 frame. He was listed at about 270 pounds while on the team, but now weighs about 220, he said.
Lenar, 25, of Marietta, Ga., said he lost the weight in about six months before reporting to officer training at The Basic School, out of Quantico, Va.
“I went into it knowing I had to gain weight, and then that’d I’d have to take it off,” he said of playing college football.
As a Midshipman, Lenar provided depth at offensive guard, graduating in 2010. He reported to 1/8 in July 2011, and has been with the battalion since.
Wednesday update: Navy QB Proctor resigns, Falcons look forward, Byers makes a promise
April 18th, 2012 | Air Force Army Football Navy Wrestling | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Navy quarterback Kriss Proctor looks downfield during the 2011 Army-Navy football game, his last game as a Midshipman. (US Presswire photo by Danny Wild)
Three quick hits from around the web on a Wednesday morning:
1. Proctor resigns: Bill Wagner at The (Annapolis, Md.) Capital broke the news yesterday — Navy quarterback Kriss Proctor, who finished his senior season with a win over Army in December, has resigned from the Naval Academy and will not graduate. The resignation hasn’t been accepted, according to the report, but it likely will be, and was reportedly triggered by an alleged honor code violation.
2. Falcon free agents: Frank Schwab at The (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Gazette brings better news, reporting on the pro football dreams of Air Force receiver Jonathan Warzeka and safety Jon Davis. Don’t expect to hear either name during NFL draft coverage, but both hope they’ll get a look as free agents despite the service commitment that comes with an academy education. Warzeka tied for the team lead with 31 receptions and caught four touchdowns while also handling kick return duties, racking up 254 rushing yards and throwing a touchdown pass. Davis had a team-best four interceptions and was second in tackles with 94.
3. Byers’ medal hunt: From Tim Hipps of Army Installation Management Command public affairs (via TheMat.com) comes this story about Army Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers, who will attempt to make his second U.S. Olympic team this weekend. Byers has owned the 120-pound Greco-Roman wrestling division for years — a 10-time national champion who’s earned gold, silver and bronze at the world championships. Byers opens up about the Olympic medal he promised his grandfather, along with his thoughts on the return of Rulon Gardner, his time with the Army’s World Class Athlete Program and his career plans beyond the London games. Byers, 37, won’t have to participate in the Olympic qualifier tournament on Saturday in Iowa City; he will meet the winner of that event Saturday night in a best-of-three showdown for the Olympic berth. Gardner will attempt to make weight on Friday.
Never too early: Navy-Notre Dame notes, including an early wake-up call
April 17th, 2012 | Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Navy announced a 2 p.m. Dublin time start for its Sept. 1 showdown with Notre Dame, meaning fans in Annapolis will have to wake up at 9 a.m. to catch the action. CBS will air the contest, which will serve as a lead-in to a busy opening Saturday of college football.
Not quite ready for some football just yet? Here are four news bites to get you in the mood:
1. Spring update: Click here for the official spring game roundup, including video clips. Blue earned a 21-0 win over Gold, with incoming starting quarterback Trey Miller rushing for two touchdowns. Miller, a junior, is linked to Notre Dame in a way he might rather forget — his first collegiate start came last season against the Irish in a 56-14 loss.
2. Stadium setup: The Sept. 1 showdown in Ireland will be the second Navy-Notre Dame game hosted by that nation. Navy fell 54-27 at Dublin’s Croke Park in 1996. This year’s game will be played at Aviva Stadium, which opened in 2010 and seats 50,000. Check here for some facts and figures, including some details on a “‘state of the art’ beer system” that can dispense a pint in four seconds. Priorities.
3. Quick history: Since the teams have months to reshuffle and strategize, let’s get a few facts out of the way that won’t change between now and kickoff: Notre Dame leads the all-time series 72-12-1 and has handed Navy the most defeats by any school. Notre Dame won the first game 19-6 in 1927 and would later reel off a 43-game win streak that was snapped in 2007 thanks to a 46-44 triple-overtime thriller. Coach Ken Niumatalolo is 2-2 against the Irish; only Wayne Hardin has led Navy to three wins over Notre Dame as a head coach.
4. Hosts with the most: It’s not what you’d call a “home game” for anybody, but Navy will play host to the Irish in Ireland. History’s full of home games against Notre Dame on the road, taking advantage of larger stadiums to create a big-ticket college football showcase. Other host cities include Baltimore (1927 and many times since), Chicago (1928, complete with cool poster), Cleveland (throughout the 1930s and 40s, and again in the mid-70s), Philadelphia, New York (well, East Rutherford, N.J., at both the old and new stadiums), Washington (well, outside D.C. at what’s now FedEx Field) and Orlando, Fla. Head here for a city-by-city, stadium-by-stadium breakdown.
Academy sports roundup: Friday night Navy football, Army documentary debuts, Air Force hoops
April 12th, 2012 | After Action Air Force Army Basketball Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Hundreds of soldiers attended Army's spring football scrimmage March 9 at Fort Benning, Ga. A documentary on the game airs this weekend on CBS Sports Network. (Army photo by Staff Sgt. Teddy Wade)
Three Thursday-afternoon academy sports bits, one per service:
1. Army at Benning, on TV: It’s a little early for Saturday college football, but if you’ve got the itch, scratch it with “Army Spring Football Mission: Fort Benning,” a 60-minute documentary on the Black Knights’ trip to Georgia for a scrimmage at Doughboy Stadium. Catch a short preview here, during which Army head coach Rich Ellerson says the magic words regarding the Benning experience for all Black Knights fans: “It’s going to pay off on Saturdays.” CBS Sports Network will air the doc at 8 p.m. Eastern, according to an Army release; if nothing else, it’s a fine excuse to find that channel on your local cable provider — all three academy football teams likely will be featured on CBS Sports Network sometime this season.
2. Friday night lights: Speaking of football on the magic box, the Naval Academy announced via Facebook that the Navy-Central Michigan game will move from Saturday, Oct. 13, to Friday, Oct. 12, and will air in prime time on ESPN2. The Mids are 2-0 all-time against the Chippewas and last faced them in 2010, winning 38-37. It’s the only Friday game on Navy’s schedule (so far) this season; fittingly, CMU will celebrate Military Appreciation Night that evening.
3. Falcon hoops recruits: The academies don’t participate in the high school hoopla that is signing day for either football or basketball, so digging up the details on recruiting classes can be a challenge. Frank Schwab at the Colorado Springs Gazette answers the call, however, with this primer on the Air Force 2012 men’s basketball class. The usual recruiting-link caveat: Every class looks good on paper.
Big East update: Temple could go west, Navy’s future rivals remain unclear
April 10th, 2012 | Air Force Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Navy slotback Reggie Campbell races down the sideline during a Nov. 19, 2005, game between the Mids and Temple. Both teams will be in the Big East Conference come 2015, with Temple entering this year. (Navy photo by Damon J. Moritz via Getty Images)
What’s clear: Navy football will join the Big East come 2015.
What’s unclear: Everything else.
From the size of the conference (13 teams in 2015, as planned, or an even number to avoid a scheduling nightmare?) to the fate of future TV deals to the structure of college football’s postseason, nothing is certain. But there’s at least a hint at one of the big mysteries — how the league will set up its two divisions.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports today that in 2013, with 12 teams likely participating, the conference will divide into East and West divisions, with geography the deciding factor … almost. Temple, which rejoins this season after being gone since 2004, will be shipped westward, rounding out a division with Boise State, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State and Southern Methodist, according to the report. That would leave Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Rutgers and South Florida in the Big East (East).
Where does that leave Navy? Would the league blow up the divisions after two years to allow the Mids to play an East Coast-based schedule, including nearby Temple and Rutgers? Would Navy take Temple’s spot and head west, taking advantage of the Mids’ national profile and drawing power in places like San Diego? Would Villanova finally get a long-rumored invite and create an I-95 regional rivalry with Navy and Temple?
Or, with its TV future uncertain, would the Mountain West Conference be prime hunting ground for further Big East expansion? Would an in-house service academy rivalry between Navy and Air Force be a natural fit? The Falcons may have been left out of the initial western movement, but that hasn’t stopped reports like this.
Tired of waiting for this superconference stuff to sort itself out? Want some actual Navy football to hold you over? Click here for details on Saturday’s annual spring game.
Report: Former Navy star Avila transfers to Richmond
April 10th, 2012 | Basketball Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
J.J. Avila guards Missouri's Steve Moore during a Dec. 10 game at Mizzou Arena. According to a report, Avila will play for Richmond after sitting out next season. (US Presswire photo by Dak Dillon)
J.J. Avila, the 2010-2011 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and Navy’s leading scorer last season despite leaving the team in early February, will transfer to the University of Richmond for his remaining two seasons of basketball eligibility, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Monday.
Avila, who averaged a team-best 15.9 points in 21 games this season, resigned from the academy Feb. 8, according to a Navy media release. The Annapolis Capital newspaper reported Feb. 2 that he’d been “suspended indefinitely due to an undisclosed violation of Naval Academy rules.”
The 6-foot-7 forward must sit out next season because of NCAA transfer rules.
Richmond finished 16-16 last season, falling in the first round of the Atlantic-10 tournament. Navy went 0-8 without Avila to finish the year, leaving them with an NCAA-high 22-game losing streak entering next season.
Army, Navy football could face uncertain bowl future
April 3rd, 2012 | Army Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Navy fell to San Diego State in the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl; Army is scheduled to play in the 2013 contest if the Black Knights are bowl-eligible. (Navy photo by MC3 Trevor Welsh)
Could the college football postseason be closed to the Army Black Knights and, for at least a year or two, the Navy Midshipmen?
A CBSSports.com report says an NCAA task force will propose turning over regulation of the 35-game holiday TV filler known as bowl season to football conferences, leaving the governing body out of everything except sponsorship approval. That means conference would decide how many bowls are played and who plays in them — leaving independent teams such as Army and Navy on the outside looking in.
The Navy folks already have a solution in place come 2015, and even sent the CBS report out on their official Twitter feed.
Army’s another story. On the plus side, the Black Knights have agreements in place for games in 2012 (Military Bowl), 2013 (Poinsettia Bowl), 2014 (Armed Forces Bowl) and beyond.
Per the CBS report, though, there’s fading support for granting bowl eligibility to 6-6 teams; without .500 clubs eligible, some of the postseason games would have to go away, along with any agreements they carry.
So, join a conference? Not necessarily — Notre Dame’s piggybacked onto the Big East’s bowl structure for years without playing a conference football schedule, and a similar deal could be offered by another conference to the Black Knights. While not on the same level as Fighting Irish football, a successful Army team comes with a higher national profile than a garden-variety 7-5 WAC club, which would mean higher ratings for ESPN2 on a random weeknight in late December.
And really, isn’t that what college football is all about?
Academy sports update: Wojcik’s new job, Army baseball sweeps Navy, football schedule strengths
April 2nd, 2012 | Air Force Army Baseball Basketball Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Naval Academy standout (and former assistant coach) Doug Wojcik will take over the top job at the College of Charleston this season. (US Presswire photo by Marvin Gentry)
Three quick academy sports hits to start your week:
1. Back on the bench. Doug Wojcik, who set a variety of Navy assists records while playing alongside all-everything center David Robinson and later served as an assistant coach with the Mids, was hired by the College of Charleston over the weekend to take over for retiring head coach Bobby Cremins. Wojcik was fired last month after seven seasons at Tulsa, compiling a 140-92 record but never reaching the NCAA tournament. Speaking of all-everything college players, Wojcik will be replaced at Tulsa by Kansas assistant Danny Manning.
2. Four-game sweep. There weren’t 90,000 fans in attendance and CBS didn’t carry the contests on network television, but it’s still an Army-Navy rivalry — only this time, the Black Knights can claim some serious bragging rights. Army started its Patriot League baseball season by sweeping a two-day, four-game series at Annapolis by scores of 2-0, 6-2, 9-5 and 7-2. Sunday’s opener went nine innings (college doubleheader games are scheduled for seven), but Army senior Zach Price’s two-run triple keyed a four-run rally to give the win to the Black Knights (19-7, 4-0 Patriot League). One of the Black Knights’ hottest bats belongs to freshman Harold Earls, who’s riding a nine-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 23 straight contests. The losses dropped Navy to 11-16 on the year (0-4 Patriot League).
3. An “Army Strong” schedule? Over at the Colorado Springs (Colo.) Gazette, Frank Schwab points us to strength-of-schedule rankings released — and immediately ridiculed — by college football guru Phil Steele. In his post, Steele reveals Navy ranks dead last among the 124 Football Bowl Subdivision schools in SOS as measured by the NCAA, with Air Force at No. 121 and Army way, way up there at No. 35. But Steele only passes along the official figures so he can explain how inferior they are to his yet-to-be released power rankings because the NCAA bases its numbers on last year’s records; top recruiting classes or departing superstars aren’t factored in. Curious who’s playing who when? Bookmark these here sites, presented weakest schedule first.
Recruiting update: David Robinson’s son Corey commits to Notre Dame
March 28th, 2012 | Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
So much for the “Little Admiral.”
Corey Robinson, a 6-foot-4, sure-handed wide receiver at San Antonio Christian High School, has committed to play football at Notre Dame next season, according to multiple reports. The son of Naval Academy grad and Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson, Corey had considered following his father’s path to Annapolis, albeit in a different sport. This Sports Illustrated piece outlines the younger Robinson’s decision-making process — one that steered him away from the academy as the interest from top-tier football programs mounted.
Aside from Navy and Notre Dame, ESPN.com reports the soon-to-be plebe freshman had offers from Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina and Wake Forest. Check out some video here, including an interview with the future Golden Domer.
Thursday football roundup: Sullivan Award video, more honors for Dowd, Air Force’s future conference
March 22nd, 2012 | After Action Air Force Army Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Army linebacker Andrew Rodriguez battles the snow, and the Fordham Rams, during an Oct. 29 game at Michie Stadium. (US Presswire photo by Danny Wild)
Three quick service academy football hits, before everybody gets their hoops fix this evening:
1. Sullivan Award video. As After Action tweeted earlier this week (Hey, let’s all follow that account, could we?), Army linebacker Andrew Rodriguez was presented with the James E. Sullivan Award on Tuesday, given to the top amateur athlete in the country. It’s an elite club, with names both historical (Army’s Doc Blanchard) and contemporary (Michael Phelps, Peyton Manning and, yes, this guy). Head here for a West Point-produced behind-the-scenes video of Rodriguez at the awards ceremony.
2. Dowd gets his due. A 3.9 GPA. In mechanical engineering. At the Naval Academy. While anchoring the offensive line. You can’t really put a value on an achievement like that, but that hasn’t stopped Navy senior John Dowd from collecting some scholarship checks. His most recent: A $7,500 NCAA-provided postgraduate grant, one of 29 awarded to top student-athletes. According to a Navy sports release, Dowd also received $18,000 in postgrad cash from the National Football Foundation.
3. Megaconference update. Navy grabbed headlines for its football-only shift to the Big East in 2015, but Air Force will be in a new conference much sooner, when the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA complete their merger. Reports say details of the move — TV contracts, divisions, expansion, a possible in-conference four-team football playoff, scheduling, you name it — could begin to emerge in June or July. As constructed, the MAC/C-USA has 16 football teams spanning five time zones. A Denver Post report says the merger is on track for 2013. And in a testament of the new league’s wingspan, we have writers from West Virginia and California offering their perspective on the deal. Short version for the link-disinclined: (1) It’s about the money, specifically NCAA hoops tournament payouts, and (2) Putting together a 16-team nationwide college football league is a logistical head-scratcher. Air Force fans, get your frequent-flyer plans in order. Or warm up the remote for road games.