Hall of Fame Notes

Former Army football players Clennie Brundidge, Mike McElrath, Pete Vann and Al Rushatz will be honored with induction into the Army Sports Hall of Fame. Induction will take place on Sept. 17, 2010. These honorees will be singled out at halftime of the North Texas game

These former Cadet football players will be joined in the honor by Jon Aaronsohn (gymnastics), Melody Smith (basketball and tennis), Teresa Sobiesk (cross country and track and field), Gen. Joseph Stilwell (basketball player and coach). I love finding news on Army Pointer View, they have earned the link on the left sidebar with their coverage of West Point non-revenue/club sports and they deserve frequent visits from TUL readers. Pointer View has blurbs on the football players mentioned above:

A 1979 graduate, Brundidge started on the football field and on the basketball court and earned a combined eight letters. Thanks to his stellar exploits as a wide receiver, he was selected as a second-team All-America choice by United Press International as a sophomore and junior and named All-East by the Associated Press, UPI and the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference during those same seasons. The 1979 winner of the Army Athletic Association Award graduated as Army’s all-time receiving leader with 147 receptions for 2,279 yards—two numbers that now rank second all-time in school history. His eight 100-yard receiving games still stands as an academy career record.

Brundidge established a single-game record with 167 receiving yards against Pittsburgh in 1977, a total that has been surpassed just twice. Brundidge listed nationally in receptions and yards and was invited to the 1978 Hula Bowl. As a forward on the basketball team, he racked up 632 points in 76 games and graduated third with a 51.4 shooting percentage, a number that now ranks 10th. He is 20th on the career rebounding list with 433 and was a member of the 1977-78 squad that played in the National Invitational Tournament, Army’s last postseason appearance.

McElrath, a lieutenant colonel who is now serving as an Associate Athletic Director at West Point, was a four-year starter at free safety for the football team. A member of the Class of 1993, he remains Army’s career leader in tackles with 436 and stands tied for second with 10 career interceptions. He graduated as the career leader in pass deflections with 19, a number that now lists fourth. McElrath posted 157 tackles during his firstie season, a total that stands third all-time on the Army list and won the prestigious Army Athletic Association Award in 1993.

He was a team captain as a senior, a three-time first team All-East selection and a third-team All-America choice by "Football News" as a senior.

A standout in the classroom as well, McElrath was a Dean’s List student in each of his eight semesters, a first team Academic All-America choice as a senior and a second team selection as a junior. He was one of 15 players nationally to receive the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award as a senior and was chosen to speak on behalf of that group at the awards dinner. McElrath received the NCAA Football Scholarship and NACDA/Disney Postgraduate Scholarship and was recognized as a Hitachi/College Football Association Scholar-Athlete.

Rushatz collected the prestigious Army Athletic Association Award in 1962 following a standout career in football and wrestling in which he won three letters in each sport. He led the football team in rushing for two seasons and currently stands 25th on the career rushing ledger with 1,414 yards. He was chosen as an Eastman Kodak All-American by the American Football Coaches Association in 1961.

A 1962 graduate, Rushatz was an All-America wrestler in 1960 when he finished third at 177 pounds after capturing an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championship. He was a three-time EIWA finalist and lost just once in a dual meet during his three-year career before embarking on a military career that included 28 years as a commissioned officer.
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Vann was a three-time letterwinner as a quarterback and graduated in 1956 as Army’s all-time passing leader.

He compiled academy records for completions (174), attempts (372), yards (2,937) and touchdowns (24) while guiding the team to an 18-7-2 mark. His 24 career touchdowns stood as an academy record for 23 years, which presently ranks third.

A big hat tip goes to the Pointer View as they provided most of the text for this post.