An about-face for Ellerson

It’s a trendy catch phrase for new coaches taking over losing teams.

When Rich Ellerson was hired at Army in 2009, however, it was his job to embrace the culture of West Point. After coaching eight seasons at idyllic Cal Poly, it was Ellerson who needed to get with the program.

It wasn’t easy. Last year one Army senior called Ellerson “a hippie football coach,” compared to predecessors Bobby Ross and Stan Brock. It wasn’t the first time Ellerson had been characterized as such. As a teenager, instead of following the footsteps of his father and two older brothers, all Army grads, he opted for the University of Hawaii.

But Ellerson has adapted. In his first year at West Point, he guided Army to its best record (5-7) in a decade. This fall he has delivered the Black Knights their first bowl game since 1996. Saturday when Army (6-5) plays Navy (8-3) in the 111th edition of their storied rivalry, Ellerson will try to achieve another breakthrough — ending the Mids’ series-record, eight-year winning streak.

“We know it’s an uphill fight and we expect it to be hard,” Ellerson said. “But we expect to win.”

According to players, Ellerson insists that they are cadets first and football players second.

“He’s done a great job at using the things we go through at the academy and applying them to the football field,” said senior running back Pat Mealy (DeMatha). “The mental toughness aspect of the game, the physical part, that’s what we go through on a daily basis. We’re always stressed, constantly. That’s going to get us ready for what’s down the road.”

In addition to embracing academy life, Ellerson has embraced his senior class. It’s a group that has been through a lot. Most were recruited by Ross, who retired in 2007. For the next two seasons, both 3-9 under Brock, the program was stuck in neutral.

But through the changes, the program has been steadied by the exceptionally close class of 2011. The bonding process began at the Army prep school in Fort Monmouth, N.J.

“We were all thrown together, not knowing if this is what we really wanted to do,” senior linebacker Stephen Anderson said. “The longer we stuck with it, the closer we became and the more determined we were to put our stamp on the program.”

The group includes Mealy, defensive ends Josh McNary and Marcus Hilton, offensive linemen Seth Reed, Zach Peterson and Anees Merzi, and defensive backs Richard King, Donovan Travis and Donnie Dixon.

None of them have participated in an Army-Navy game where the Black Knights scored a touchdown. That will be one aspect of their mission Saturday. The other will be to win.

“They’ve done so many things on the field and behind the scenes in terms of our team’s voice, our team’s culture, and they’ve proved that it works on the football field,” Ellerson said. “Can they make that part of their legacy? Can they lead us on the big stage, under the bright lights and play our best football, play Army football — precise, disciplined, great effort, in the moment?”

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