by Jeffrey J. Miller
This team is made up of NFL players
who attended military schools of higher learning. Not necessarily combat veterans or war
heroes (though some were), but men who spent all or some part of their college years at a military
academy. For the purposes of this
exercise, those schools include the United States Military Academy (Army), the
United States Naval Academy and the United States Air Force Academy, as well as
the United States Coast Guard Academy, the United States Merchant Marine
Academy, the Citadel Military College, and the Virginia Military Institute, all
of which sent at least one alumnus to the National Football League. (Though five players from the New Mexico
Military Institute have made it to the NFL, the only one to make our military
academy honor squad—Roger Staubach—does so representing the Naval Academy.)
This All-Military Academy Team
features two legitimate Hall-of-Famers, several All-Pros and a handful of solid
veterans who enjoyed lengthy careers in the NFL. Admittedly, the pickin's got slim at some positions
(particularly at tight end and the defensive secondary), but this effort was
still meaningful since for a few of these players, being on this team serves as
a reminder to some fans who might have forgotten them (or perhaps never even
heard of them).
The Offense
QB – Roger Staubach (Navy). By far the NFL’s
most recognizable and heralded graduate of a military school, Staubach enjoyed
an outstanding career with the Dallas Cowboys after winning the Heisman Trophy
as college football’s top player in 1963 and serving a tour of duty in Vietnam. Staubach’s 11-year NFL career was spent entirely
with the Cowboys, during which he led the league in passing four times, appeared
in six Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowl rings, including one (Super Bowl VI) in
which he was voted Most Valuable Player.
Staubach was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
RB – Stump Mitchell (The Citadel). After a stellar grid career at the Citadel
Military College of South Carolina, Mitchell was drafted by the St. Louis
Cardinals in the 9th round of the 1981 draft. He rewarded the Cards with nine outstanding years,
including a 1,006-yard campaign in 1985 and an 800-yard season a year later. Mitchell still holds the Citadel records for
rushing yards in a single season (1,647) and career (4,062).
RB – Bob Hoernschemeyer (Navy). After
leading the Midshipmen to a 7-1-1 record
and a #3 ranking in 1945, Hoernschemeyer forged an impressive ten-year career with
the Chicago Rockets, Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Hornets of the All-America
Football Conference and Detroit Lions of the NFL. It was with the Lions that Hunchy enjoyed his
best years, helping the blue and silver win back-to-back NFL Championships in
1951 and 1952, and earning trips to the Pro Bowl both years.
WR – Angelo Coia (The Citadel). Selected
as a relative afterthought by the Bears in the 20th round of the 1960
draft, Coia made an immediate impact, catching 25 passes as a rookie for an
average 19.1 yards per catch and scoring four touchdowns. He remained with the Bears for four seasons,
helping them win the NFL Championship in 1963.
He then spent two years with the Redskins and one with the Atlanta
Falcons, tallying 20 career touchdowns and an impressive 16.8-yard average in
his seven NFL seasons.
WR – Andre Roberts (The Citadel). Roberts
was a three-time All Southern Conference selection and two-time FCS All
American at the Citadel, and set many school records including most receptions
in a season (95) and career (286), receiving yards in a season (1,334) and
career (3,743), touchdown receptions in a season (14) and career (37), punt
return yards in a season (461) and career (1,160). Though never a consistent starter as a
receiver, Roberts managed some fairly productive years early in his career
while with the Arizona Cardinals, with 51, 64 and 43 catches in consecutive
seasons. It was, however, for his work
as a kick returner that Roberts earned three Pro Bowl invitations (2018-20) and
a first-team All-Pro nod (2018). Roberts played for nine different teams (Cardinals,
Redskins, Lions, Falcons, Jets, Bills, Texans, Chargers, Panthers) during his 13-year
career.
TE – Garrett Griffin (Air Force). Griffin played
at the Air Force Academy from 2012 to 2015, finishing his career with 41
catches for 678 yards and 8 touchdowns.
He went undrafted in 2016 but was signed to a free agent contract by the
New Orleans Saints. He spent the next
five seasons with the Saints and scored his first career touchdown in the 2018 NFC
Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams.
He finished his career in 2021 with the Detroit Lions.
LT – Alejandro Villanueva (Army). Villanueva played college football at
West Point and dutifully fulfilled his service commitment after graduation, eventually
attaining the rank of captain and earning a Bronze Star. After three tours of duty in Afghanistan, Villanueva
was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles (2014) but was waived prior to the
season. He signed with the Pittsburgh
Steelers and played for them for six seasons, going to the Pro Bowl in 2017 and
2018. He played a final season (2021) with
the Baltimore Ravens before announcing his retirement.
LG – Mike Wahle (Navy). Wahle played
three years at the Naval Academy before being selected by the Green Bay Packers
in the second round of the 1998 NFL Supplemental Draft. He put in seven solid years with the Pack but
was released after the 2004 season. He
was picked up by the Carolina Panthers two days later and rewarded their faith
with a Pro Bowl year in 2005. After
three years in Carolina, Wahle played his final season (2008) with the Seattle
Seahawks. In all, Wahle put in 11 years
in the NFL, appearing in 152 regular season games.
C – Tex Coulter (Army). DeWitt E. “Tex”
Coulter (from Fort Worth, Texas) played two seasons of football at the United
States Military Academy (1944-45). His
pro football sojourn took him through six seasons with the New York Giants and
three more with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. He earned two Pro Bowl invitations at the tackle
position with the Giants, but spent a season playing center as well, where he
earns a spot on this honor team.
RG – Bob Mischak (Army). Mischak played
under legendary coach Red Blaik at Army before moving on to a seven-year pro
career that started with the NFL New York Giants in 1958. That year, he was a starting guard in the NFL
championship game against the Baltimore Colts that many historians call “The
Greatest Game Ever Played.” In 1960, Mischak
signed with the New York Titans of the new American Football League, where he
was All-AFL twice (1961 and 1962) and appeared in two AFL All-Star games (same
years). He later played three seasons
with the Oakland Raiders (1963-65). Mischak
was posthumously enshrined into the Army/West Point Sports Hall of Fame in
2017.
RT – Max Lane (Navy). A three-year
starter at the United States Naval Academy, Lane was selected by the New
Patriots in the 6th round in 1994.
He appeared in 100 games over seven seasons for the Pats. His career included a start in Super Bowl XXXI.
K – Curt Knight (Coast Guard). The
only graduate of the Division III Coast Guard Academy to make it to the NFL,
Knight etched a nice five-year career, all with the Washington Redskins
(1969-73). His best year came in 1971, when
he led the NFL in field goals (29) and the National Conference in total points
(114), earning first-team All-Pro honors and a trip to the Pro Bowl.
The Defense
LDE – Larry Cole (Air Force). Cole
played two seasons at the Air Force before transferring to the University of
Houston and then Hawai’i, where he became the first player ever drafted out of
that school when the Dallas Cowboys tapped him in 16th round (428th overall) of
the 1968 draft. Cole went on to play 12 seasons
with the ‘boys, appearing in five Super Bowls, winning two. For his career, Cole recorded 59 sacks, 14
fumble recoveries and four defensive touchdowns (three by interception, one by recovered
fumble).
LDT – John Small (The Citadel). Played
collegiately for The Citadel where he was a three-time All-Southern Conference
selection as well as a first-team All American in 1969. The Atlanta Falcons drafted Small in the first
round in 1970. He played three years
with the Falcons and two with the Detroit Lions. He was a member of the inaugural class of the
Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977.
RDT – Chad Hennings (Air Force). Hennings truly put the “force” in Air Force in
1987, being selected a unanimous All-American and winning the Outland Trophy as
college football’s top interior lineman.
Despite the fact that they would have to wait for Hennings to honor his
commitment to the Air Force before he could play in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys
selected him in the 11th round in 1988. He joined the Cowboys in 1992 and went on to
play nine seasons with the team, winning three Super Bowls along the way.
RDE – Ed Sprinkle (Navy). The “other” Pro
Football Hall of Famer on this team, Ed Sprinkle was considered by many to be “the
meanest man in football” during his playing days. While playing for Navy in 1943, Sprinkle
earned All-Eastern honors, but went unselected during the ensuing NFL draft. The man who came to be known as “the Claw”
signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears, and for 12 seasons made
the rest of the league pay for their collective oversight, going to four Pro
Bowls and leading the Bears to the NFL Title in 1946. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame in 2020.
LLB – Joe Fortunato (VMI). As of this
writing, only 14 players from the Virginia Military Institute have gone on the
play in the National Football League. By far, the most successful of these has been
Joe Fortunato, who wound up playing 12 seasons with the Chicago Bears, being named
All-Pro three times, appearing in five Pro Bowls, and winning an NFL Championship
in 1963. The Professional Football
Researchers Association named him to their Hall of Very Good in 2017.
ILB – Joe Rizzo (Merchant Marine). To
date, Rizzo is one of only three Merchant Marine alumni (yes, they have a team—the
Mariners—that plays Division III football) to reach the NFL. He played for the Denver Broncos his entire seven-year
career (1974-80), including four as a starter during which he was a key contributor
to the Broncos’ legendary Orange Crush defense that led them to Super Bowl XII.
RLB – Ron George (Air Force). A native
of Heidelberg, Germany, George started his college career at the Air Force
Academy before transferring to Stanford.
He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 5th round in 1993. Though he was never a star, playing primarily
on special teams, George did enjoy one of his eight NFL seasons as a first-stringer
(1996 with Atlanta). He spent four years
with the Falcons, one with the Minnesota Vikings and three with the Kansas City
Chiefs.
LCB – Cortez Allen (The Citadel). After an outstanding collegiate career at the
Citadel in which he twice earned second-team All-Southern Conference honors (2009
and 2010), the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Allen in the fourth round (128th
overall) of the 2011 NFL draft. Though
he never attained the superstar status expected of him, Allen played five
seasons in Steeltown, appearing in 56 games, 18 as a starter. He racked up six career interceptions,
returning one for a touchdown.
RCB – Corey Harris (The Citadel). Harris
played two years at the Citadel (1995-96) before transferring to play his final
two college years at North Alabama. He
went undrafted in 1999 but signed on with the New Orleans Saints, for whom he
played sparingly over two seasons (six games, one start). He then moved on to Kansas City where he
played in just 21 games in three seasons with the Chiefs. He also spent some time with the Rhein Fire of
NFL Europe.
SS – Jeromy Miles (Navy). Miles
transferred to the University of Massachusetts after playing one year (2009) at
the Naval Academy. He went unpicked in
the 2010 NFL draft and signed a free agent contract to play for Cincinnati
Bengals, with whom he spent his first three NFL seasons primarily as a special
teams performer. He finished his career playing
two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He
played in 67 games during his five-year NFL career, starting three.
FS – Alohi Gilman (Navy). Gilman played just
one year—his freshman season—at Navy before transferring to Notre Dame. Still, he appeared in all 14 games for the
Midshipman that year, registering 76 tackles and being named honorable mention
All-American Athletic Conference. The
Los Angeles Chargers picked him in the 6th round of the 2020 draft. He spent his first five and a half seasons
with the Chargers before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens midway through
2025. He signed a free agent contract to
play with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2026.
The only player on this honor squad still active in the league, Gilman
has five career interceptions and six fumble recoveries.
P – Paul Maguire (The Citadel). Perhaps
best known for his time spent as a very colorful commentator on NFL broadcasts
with ABC, CBS and ESPN networks, some younger fans might have been surprised to
learn that not only was Maguire a pretty good football player in his day, but that
his collegiate years were spent at a military academy—the Citadel Military
College! He forged a distinguished
career across 11 pro seasons (four with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and seven
with the Buffalo Bills) in which he played in six of the ten total American
Football League Championship Games, winning three (San Diego in 1963, Buffalo in
1964 and ’65). Not just a punter,
Maguire was voted to the 1963 AFL All-Star Game as a linebacker. He was one of only twenty players who were in
the AFL for its entire ten-year existence. He was inducted into the Greater Buffalo
Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
Team representation
Navy – 7
The Citadel – 7
Air Force – 4
Army - 3
VMI - 1
Merchant Marine - 1
Coast Guard - 1
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