Big Rapids teammates and a West Point weekend

PHOTO: Somebody doesn't belong in the this group. L-R: Me; Rollie Stichweh, Army Hall of Fame QB, rival of Navy's Roger Staubach in epic 1963 and 1964 Army-Navy Games, served in Vietnam; Robert Jones, a Stichweh classmate and teammate, Vietnam War POW for five years at Hanoi Hilton torture chamber same years as John McCain; and (Ret.) Col. Rick Steinke, West Point grad and Big Rapids High QB. Visit my website homepage, TomShanahan.Report By TOM SHANAHAN  WEST POINT…

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Rollie Stichweh offers pointers for playing in Army-Navy Game altered by history but no points for his old rivals

PHOTO: Rollie Stichweh (16) follows blocks to score a fourth-quarter touchdown in the 1963 Army-Navy Game. America's Game had been postponed a week following President John. F. Kennedy's assassination. By TOM SHANAHAN The Army-Navy Game is a time for the old warriors of America’s Game to make friendly wagers, but Rollie Stichweh says 2020 is different. The Army Hall-of-Famer explained his old Navy rivals want homefield advantage points -- commonly worth three. The COVID-19 pandemic, like everything in…

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My NFF story: Rollie Stichweh serving Army then and now

My National Found Foundation "Football Matters" story from March 12, 2017 By TOM SHANAHAN History links Army football’s 1964 and 2016 wins over Navy as two of the more emotional triumphs in the rivalry’s 117 meetings. Although separated by a half-century-plus, Rollie Stichweh enjoyed a hand in both victories. First, he was West Point’s senior quarterback directing the Black Knights’ 11-8 victory. Army’s only touchdown was Stichweh’s 5-yard pass to tight end Sam Champi. The win avenged a…

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