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Pirate Notebook No. 75
Wednesday, August 7, 2002

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

Todd Berry Audio

Todd Berry, entering his third year at the helm of one of college football's most storied programs, had plenty to say to Denny O'Brien about the U.S. Military Academy's bedrock place in the country's fabric and its football team's drive to resurrect the hallowed, victorious traditions of the Black Knights of yesteryear...
Listen to the 20-minute interview...

Most coaches would flinch at the challenge of returning Army to its gridiron glory days.

After guiding Illinois State from the armpit of I-AA to the brink of a national title, Berry seemed the perfect fit for rebuilding tradition-rich Army. Though many believed he shouldn't have considered taking the job, the former East Carolina assistant welcomed the challenge with open arms, pledging to return Army to the national forefront.

"We make sure that every young man out there understands that," Berry said. "We've got this unbelievable tradition and heritage that we have to try to live up to, and we've got to bring it back to that level.

"I know a lot of people look at me like I'm crazy whenever I talk about bringing it back to that level, but I truly think that could happen. I think the landscape for us is very bright. We're very excited about the future and I think that we can bring the thing back to where it's a Top 25 program again."

The Black Knights were consistently among the glamour teams of college football during the 1940s and 50s, an era which included three-consecutive national titles ('44, '45, '46). During that three-year span, Notre Dame provided the only blemish on Army's record, a 0-0 tie in '46.

Led by the Heisman Trophy winners, "Mr. Inside" Doc Blanchard ('45) and "Mr. Outside" Glenn Davis ('46), Army blanked an astonishing 13 opponents during those national championship runs, as the Touchdown Twins formed one of the most formidable backfield duos in college football history.

Entering his third season at West Point, Berry remains optimistic about the prospects of reviving the Black Knights' winning ways of yesteryear. And his original formula — wholesale schematic changes without losing sight of Army's illustrious history — is starting to find its balance.

Much of Army's pigskin tradition remained untouched when Berry arrived in West Point. The Black Knights' flashy golden domes and the Cadets' pregame parade on The Plain, for example, weren't candidates for change.

However, the wishbone, the offensive centerpiece during Bob Sutton's nine-year reign as head coach, was replaced by Berry Ball — a customized version of the increasingly popular one-back, spread attack.

Looking back, Berry admits the transition was a difficult but necessary growing pain for Army to make a serious return to national prominence.

"It was hard," Berry said. "But I think it was something that we were going to be required to do.

"Conference USA exposed some things that we inherently had problems with here at West Point. We want to win championships, and I think that you've got to be in a system offensively that allows for that. In today's college football, if you can't come from behind, you're not going to win a championship. If you can't convert a 3rd-and-20 and a two-minute drive, you're not going to win a championship. We want to do that."

Hindering Army's migration to the one-back offense was the nature of the talent Berry inherited. Designed for three yards and a cloud of dust, the Knights lacked the speed necessary to excel in the open field, not to mention that dynamic gunslinger to deliver those sharp, crisp passes.

This year, Berry will finally unveil a field general recruited specifically for his system. Reggie Nevels, a six-foot, 180-pound sophomore is set to take charge under center, providing the Black Knights with that electrifying playmaker they've so desperately needed.

"He's really more our style of quarterback," Berry said. "He's the Marcus Crandell kind of guy. This is the first time that we've had a quarterback that we've recruited that's going to be the starter.

"We're really excited about Reggie. He was a heavily recruited young man from Big 10 country. He makes things happen. He's a guy that's very, very creative — the Michael Vick, Charlie Ward-style of quarterback. He can do it with his arm and he can do it with his legs."

With three starters returning from an offensive line that yielded a league-low nine sacks last year, Nevels should have plenty of time to find top returning receiver Aris Comeaux downfield. However, when the pocket does collapse, the former prep standout will look to turn it up field, no doubt producing major migraines for opposing defensive coordinators this season.

Away from the field, the past three years have been quite a whirlwind for Berry. There was an adaptation to Academy life, one that Berry says not only affected the members of the coaching staff, but their families as well.

Since then, there have been experiences that the 41-year old coach admittedly can't do justice with words.

Berry has met a Who's Who in the world of politics, including President George W. Bush and former Washington big-wigs Alexander Haig and Henry Kissinger — and all of the rarified encounters of this sort have been frozen in a photo diary in the Army Media Guide. Another snapshot shows Berry front-and-center with the Division Generals from Operation Desert Storm, which he suggests is no less an honor than posing with Washington's head honchos.

The West Point experience has also given Berry the opportunity to suit up in camouflage and handle a different type of hardware. He's fired anti-tank weapons at West Point and trained in the infantry simulator at Ft. Lewis. Berry has even been to the demilitarized zone in Korea and Airborne School at Ft. Bragg.

Those experiences have given him a greater admiration and respect for his players, whose everyday training is intense to the extreme, a necessity to prepare them for life after the Academy.

"It's phenomenal," Berry said. "At my age and to be all the places I've been, I think I've got a greater appreciation for them now than I would have 15 years ago.

"I look at their day, and I look at the sacrifices that they make — some of the sacrifices I make on a daily basis kind of pale in comparison. They're a great motivating factor for me."

But perhaps no experience has made a bigger impact than the incidents of September 11th. Following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, West Point went on full-scale alert, as many considered the 200-year old military academy a prime target for another attack.

And with America on the brink of war, there was also the fear that many of the Cadets would be called into battle. That fear wasn't shared by Berry, however.

"After 9/11 last year, I had several questions asked about what it was like being at the Academy, and how nervous I was about the young people that I deal with potentially going into a conflict where one of them might be injured," Berry said. "Obviously, it's a concern, but I take great comfort for my family — my wife and my daughters — in knowing that these young people are at the Academy.

"I sleep better at night having been at the Academy, knowing that while I don't want to see our young people to be in harm's way, I feel very calm knowing that they are well-prepared, and my family is going to be okay. The country is going to be okay and everything is going to be all right in the future because they are going to take care of things."

Berry still remembers his first trip to West Point. It was back in 1995 when he was the offensive coordinator at East Carolina.

That year, the Pirates beat a tough Army team 31-25 in what ECU head coach Steve Logan has labeled a major milestone in his career.

It wasn't the victory so much that made it an indelible memory for Berry as it was the atmosphere that day at picturesque Michie Stadium. It was the first week in November and Michie, perched high above the Hudson river, was surrounded by a tapestry of red-and-gold autumn leaves.

As he boarded the team bus following the Pirates' victory, an awe-inspired Berry remembers telling his wife that he would like to one day coach at Army. In 14 years of coaching, no facility had made a bigger impression than Michie.

"I've been to all of the SEC venues, and I was in the Big 12, so I've been to Nebraska and Oklahoma," he said. "I've been to some great stadiums.

"But you know, (Michie) is not the biggest stadium, but it certainly has some history. The pageantry of the Academy, the parade, and all those things that go along with it — the cannon blasts and the beauty of the place. What I hear from people that come into West Point for the first time, is it's not just Michie Stadium, it's the aura of the place, it's the surreal feeling to the past, the present, and the future."

It's the type of feeling that makes you reflect proudly on the heroic military leaders of our nation's past — men like Lee, Grant, Patton, MacArthur.

Most of all, though, gameday at Michie, complete with its Walt Whitman setting, offers pride in one simple fact — that you're an American.