NEW YORK – Another Army football legend took his place among the all-time greats on Thursday when Arnold Tucker was announced as a member of the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2008.
Tucker received the Sullivan Award in 1946 as the nation’s top amateur athlete. As a part of the famed Army backfield that featured Tom McWilliams and Heisman Trophy winners Glenn Davis and Felix “Doc” Blanchard, Tucker earned first-team All-America honors that same season.
Tucker quarterbacked the Cadets to a 27-0-1 record and three national championships from 1944-46. Army also won three Lambert Trophies as the top team in the East during his tenure. Tucker tallied 1,127 passing touchdowns and 10 touchdowns in his three seasons at West Point after playing at the University of Miami in 1943.
With Tucker under center, Army went 5-0-1 versus traditional powers Notre Dame (2-0-1), Michigan (2-0) and Oklahoma (1-0), outscoring those three teams by a combined 176-27 margin. Tucker was also undefeated against arch-rival Navy.
Tucker is the sixth member of the 1946 team to receive the highest honor bestowed upon a college football player. In addition to Davis and Blanchard, head coach Earl “Red” Blaik was elected in 1964, end George Poole was chosen in 1974 and guard Joe Steffy was elected in 1987.
After graduating from West Point and flight training, Tucker returned to the Academy as an assistant backfield coach. He served in several capacities for both the Army and the Air Force, including Deputy Chief of Operations for the 5th AF in Japan from 1968-70 and Commanding Officer of the 16th Special Operations Squadron in Thailand in 1970. From 1971-74, Tucker acted as the Commanding Officer of the Army ROTC program at the University of Miami.
Tucker was not on the NFF’s national ballot, but instead was chosen for induction by the Honors Review Committee which examines unique circumstances, including cases such as Tucker’s where a player finished his career more than 50 before the induction year.
Joining Tucker in the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2008 are Troy Aikman, quarterback, UCLA; Billy Cannon, halfback, LSU; Jim Dombrowski, offensive tackle, Virginia; Pat Fitzgerald, linebacker, Northwestern; Wilber Marshall, linebacker, Florida; Rueben Mayes, running back Washington State; Randall McDaniel, offensive guard, Arizona State; Don McPherson, quarterback, Syracuse; Jay Novacek, tight end, Wyoming; Dave Parks, split end, Texas Tech; Ron Simmons, nose guard, Florida State; Thurman Thomas, running back Oklahoma State; John Cooper, coach Tulsa, Arizona State and Ohio State; and Lou Holtz, coach, William & Mary, N.C. State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina.
Induction ceremonies are scheduled for Dec. 9, 2008 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. The class will be officially enshrined at the Hall in South Bend, Ind. in ceremonies during the summer of 2009.
Tucker is the 27th Army player or coach to gain entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame based on their football careers at the Academy. Two other West Point graduates – Bob Neyland and Bill Yeoman – were inducted into the hall of fame based on coaching careers at other schools. Running back Bob Anderson ’60 was the last Army representative to be enshrined when he gained entrance to the hall of fame in 2004.
Army’s previous Hall of Fame inductees list includes Charles Daly ’05, player and coach, selected in 1951; Christian “Red” Cagle, running back, 1954; Edgar Garbisch ’25, center, 1954; Lawrence McC. Jones ’17, coach, 1954; Elmer Oliphant, June ’18, back, 1955; Felix “Doc” Blanchard ’47, back, 1959; Glenn Davis ’47, back, 1961; John McEwan, April ’17, center, 1962; Earl “Red” Blaik ’20, coach, 1964; Paul Bunker ’03, tackle/back, 1969; Mortimer “Bud” Sprague ’29, tackle, 1970; “Lighthorse” Harry Wilson ’28, back, 1973; Alexander Weyand ’16, lineman, 1974; Barney Poole, end, 1974; Pete Dawkins ’59, back, 1975; Harvey Jablonsky ’34, guard, 1978; Bill Carpenter ’60, end, 1982; Barney Poole, end, 1974, Arnold Galiffa ’50, back, 1983; Doug Kenna ’45, back, 1984; Robin Olds, June ’43, tackle, 1985; Don Holleder ’56, end/quarterback, 1985; Joe Steffy ’49, guard, 1987; John Green ’46, guard, 1989; Frank Merritt ’44, tackle, 1996; Jim Young, coach, 1999; and Anderson.
