Army football Hall of Famer Bob Novogratz passes away at 89

Hall of Fame and All-American Army lineman Bob Novogratz passed away late last week at age 89. A 1959 graduate of Wesst Point, he was a 2026 inductee into the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame.

Bob Novogratz played lineman for Army football in the late 1950s. He is a 2026 College Hall of Fame inductee. NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION

He joins teammates Bob Anderson (who played the 1963 season with the New York Giants), Heisman Trophy winner Pete Dawkins and "Lonely End'' Bill Carpenter as Hall of Famers from the 1958 Army team that went 8-0-1 and was ranked No. 3 in the nation. On December 8 in Las Vegas, he will be the 28th player or coach from West Point to be inducted.

"It is a somber day for the college football community with the passing of Bob Novogratz," said NFF chairman Archie Manning. "Bob Novogratz was the kind of player who made everyone around him better, blocking for Hall of Famers Pete Dawkins, Bob Anderson, and Bill Carpenter while anchoring one of the most dominant defenses of his era.

"After his college playing days, he served our country for 28 years, earning some of our nation's highest military honors. We are deeply saddened that he will not be with us for his formal induction in December, and we will ensure his accomplishments are permanently enshrined in the NFF College Football Hall of Fame."

Novogratz, who turned 89 last month, played at a time when athletes played on both offense and defense in college football. He was viewed as one of the most dominant linemen of his time, earning first team All-American honors at offensive guard in 1958 - he also won the Knute Rockne Lineman of the Year award from the Touchdown Club of Washington, D.C. and lineman of the year by the Los Angeles Times. On the other side of the ball, Army allowed just 5.4 points per game.

Legendary NFF Hall of Fame coach Earl "Red" Blaik described Novogratz as the "sword and flame" of the Army defense.

Novogratz was also a two-year letterwinner with the Army wrestling team, placing third at the 1959 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association tournament.

"West Point had a great impact,'' he said during a 2014 interview. "All my life I've been affiliated with or associated with guys that we played together, we went to school together and we had great times together. We had great achievements as a group. ... These are some of the best friends I ever made.''

"West Point is very important to me. It's had a big effect on me, the way I live, the way I've conducted my life, the things that I've been able to do.''

In fall 1958, Novogratz played a central role on Army's undefeated 8–0–1 squad that finished the season ranked No. 3 nationally. That season included a signature 14-2 victory over fourth-ranked Notre Dame. In that contest, Novogratz played 56 minutes and recorded 18 tackles. Over two seasons, he helped lead Army to a 15–2–1 record.

He concluded his college career playing in the East-West Shrine Game.Following graduation from West Point, Novogratz was commissioned as a second lieutenant and went on to serve 28 years in the United States Army, including two tours of duty in Vietnam and one in Korea. A highly decorated officer, he received the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters and the Vietnamese Honor Medal before, eventually retiring with the rank of colonel.Novogratz was a 2011 inductee to the Army Athletics Hall of Fame.Born March 28, 1937, in Northampton, Pennsylvania, Novogratz got his start at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey.

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Army in the College Football Hall of Fame

(name, graduating year, status (year inducted)

Charles Daly 1905, played 1901-02 (1951)

Christian Cagle, played 1926-29 (1954)

Edgar Garbisch '25, played 1921-24 (1954)

Lawrence Jones 1917, coached 1926-29 (1954)

Elmer Oliphant 1918, played 1915-17 (1955)

Felix Blanchard '47, played 1944-46 (1959)

Glenn Davis '47, played 1943-46 (1961)

John McEwan '1917, played 1913-16 (1962)

Earl Blaik 1920, coached 1941-58 (1964)

Paul Bunker 1903, played 1899-1902 (1969)

Mortimer Sprague '29, played 1925-28 (1970)

Harry Wilson '28, played 1924-27 (1973)

Alexander Weyand 1916, played 1911-15 (1974)

George Poole, played 1944-46 (1974)

Pete Dawkins '59, played 1957-58 (1975)

Harvey Jablonsky '34, played 1931-33 (1978)

William Carpenter '60, played 1958-59 (1982)

Arnold Galiffa '50, played 1947-49 (1983)

Edgard Kenna '45, played 1942, 1944 (1984)

Robert Olds '43, played 1941-42 (1985)

Donald Holleder '56, played 1953-55 (1985)

Joseph Steffy '49, played 1945-47 (1987)

John Green '46, played 1943-45 (1987)

Francis Merritt '44, played 1942-43 (1996)

Jim Young, coached 1983-90 (1999)

Robert Anderson '60, played 1957-59 (2004)

Arnold Tucker '47, played 1945-46 (2008)

Army 1958 season (8-0-1)

Sept. 27 - Beat No. 18 South Carolina 45-8

Oct. 4 - Beat Penn State 26-0

Oct. 11 - Won at No. 4 Notre Dame 14-2

Oct. 18 - Beat Virginia 35-6

Oct. 25 - Tied at Pittsburgh 14-14

Nov. 1 - Beat Colgate 68-6

No. 8 - Won at No. 13 Rice 14-7

Nov. 15 - Beat Villanova 26-0

Nov. 29 - Beat Navy 22-6

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army football Hall of Fame lineman Bob Novogratz dies at 89