- Glenn Davis ranks second all-time in Army history in rushing touchdowns and is first in interceptions.
- Doc Blancard won the Heisman Trophy in 1945, one year before Davis won his.
- Pete Dawkins won the Heisman Trophy in 1958.
The inception of the Army Black Knights football program began in 1890, and they won five national championships. They’ve appeared in 10 bowl games, going 7-3. Since 2018, they’ve appeared in three bowl games. If you wagered on the moneyline football odds in those, you’d be happy with their 2-1 mark, including a 70-14 win over Houston in the 2018 Armed Forces Bowl.
Today, you can bet on Army’s college football odds weekly at the BetMGM online sportsbook.
That said, I have a list of the top seven players in Army history below.
Check it out below.
7 Best Army Black Knights Football Players
Rank | Player | Position | Army Black Knights Years |
1 | Doc Blanchard | FB/LB | 1944-1946 |
2 | Glenn Davis | HB | 1943-1946 |
3 | Pete Dawkins | HB | 1956-1958 |
4 | Arnold Tucker | QB | 1944-1946 |
5 | Bob Anderson | HB | 1957-1959 |
6 | Joe Steffy | G | 1945-1947 |
7 | Bill Carpenter | End | 1957-1959 |
1. Glenn Davis
Davis played halfback in Army and won the Heisman Trophy in 1946. He also won the Maxwell Award, AP Athlete of the Year, SN Player of the Year, two-time unanimous All-American, consensus All-American, and four-time first-team All-Eastern. The school retired his No. 41.
Today, he ranks sixth in rushing yards (2,959), second in rushing touchdowns (43), second in receiving touchdowns (14), sixth in total yards (4,131), first in interceptions (14), and second in total touchdowns (55).
Davis is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame and was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1947 NFL Draft.
2. Doc Blanchard
Blanchard played alongside Davis, and in 1945, he won the Heisman Trophy. In fact, he has a similar resume as Davis, winning the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and James E. Sullivan Award. He was also the SN Player of the Year, two-time unanimous All-American, consensus All-American, and three-time first-team All-Eastern. His No. 35 was retired by the program.
Blanchard is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
#FunFact: From 1944-1946, @ArmyWP_Football running backs Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard combined to score 89 touchdowns and 537 points, as the Black Knights compiled a 27-0-1 record! #goarmy pic.twitter.com/jGUpFumJ5X
— College Football Hall of Fame (@cfbhall) June 15, 2020
3. Pete Dawkins
Dawkins played halfback for Army from 1956 to 1958. He was part of two Eastern championship teams, won the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award, was unanimous All-American, and two-time first-team All-Eastern and the Black Knights retired his No. 24.
He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
4. Arnold Tucker
Tucker was the quarterback of the Black Knights for their national title wins in 1944 and 1945. Those same years, he was first-team All-American. In 1946, he won the James E. Sullivan Award and was first-team All-Eastern.
He’s tied for seventh in program history with nine passing touchdowns in a single season. He also has the most interceptions as a defender in a single season, with eight in 1946.
Tucker is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
5. Bob Anderson
A halfback at Army, Anderson was a consensus All-American, first-team All-American, and two-time first-team All-Eastern. He finished his career with 1,887 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, playing at Army from 1957 to 1959.
He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
6. Joe Steffy
Steffy played guard for Army from 1945 to 1947. While there, he was part of the 1945 and 1946 national championship teams, was a two-time Eastern champion, won the Outland Trophy, and was a consensus All-American, second-team All-Ameircan, first-team All-Eastern, and is No. 61 was retired by the program.
He was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
7. Bill Carpenter
Playing end for Army from 1957 to 1959, Carpenter was a consensus All-American, first-team All-Eastern, and was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. He was also a team captain in 1959.
During the 1958 season, Carpenter caught 22 passes for 453 yards and two touchdowns. As a captain the next season, he caught 43 passes for 591 yards and three touchdowns.