Bobby Ross had nothing to prove to anybody regarding his merit as a football coach.
Whether it was at the collegiate or professional level, Ross had won wherever he has coached. He guided Maryland to three Atlantic Coast Conference titles and Georgia Tech to a national championship. He also has a Super Bowl appearance with the San Diego Chargers
Ross has accomplished just about everything possible in his profession. So he felt at peace with retirement after a mostly successful three-and-a-half year run with the Detroit Lions. However, in December 2003, his love of competition ? and, more importantly to him, a love of his country ? lured him back to the sidelines at Army, where he hoped to resurrect a struggling football program.
Three years into Ross? tenure at West Point, reviews are mixed. Prior to his arrival, the Black Knights had won just once in 25 games. They looked poised to make a move in the latter half of 2005 after winning their final four games and starting off this year 3-3. But since then, Army (3-8) has lost five straight heading into its Dec. 2 meeting against Navy (8-3) at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Army is 9-24 under Ross.
“This is the toughest job I?ve had in coaching,” Ross said. “I?m learning things at West Point each day that are different to me. I?ve been through two superintendents, three commandants and two athletic directors since I?ve been here.
“It?s a tough job. It takes you longer at West Point. I was trying to put together a three-year plan like we had at Georgia Tech, where we won 25 out of 27 games or something like that. I don?t know if we?ll ever do that, but I was looking for a little more improvement this year than what we had in the win-loss record.”
Ross said Army is a more physical team than it was three years ago and believes that it has a chance to be a pretty good defensive squad next year. Senior defensive end Cameron Craig concurs. While disappointed that he won?t be around to reap the fruits of Ross? hard work, he feels Army is much better off than it was when he arrived as a freshman.
“We were 0-13 the year before Coach Ross arrived, and he came in and changed the mentality of the players on the team,” Craig said. “He knows what it takes to win, and he has us looking at every game like we have a chance to win.”
THE ROSS FILE
» Age: 69
» Hometown: Richmond, Va.
» Career coaching record: 103-100-2 in 18 college seasons, 77-68 in nine NFL seasons.
» Did you know? Ross coached Maryland to a 31-26-1 record and four bowl game appearances in five seasons at College Park ? He led Georgia Tech to a share of the national title in 1990 after going 11-0-1, including a 45-21 rout of Nebraska in the Florida Citrus Bowl ? Ross? son, Chris, graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1984, while another son, Kevin, graduated from the Naval Academy in 1988.
