1996 Navy Midshipmen football team

The 1996 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by second-year head coach Charlie Weatherbie.^[1]

1996 Navy Midshipmen football
Aloha Bowl champion
Aloha Bowl, W 42–38 vs. California
Conference	Independent
Record	9–3
Head coach	Charlie Weatherbie (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Paul Johnson (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Triple option
Defensive coordinator	Dick Bumpas (2nd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
MVP	Ben Fay
Captains	Clint Bruce Ben Fay
Home stadium	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 25 Army			–						10	–	2
Navy			–						9	–	3
No. 19 Notre Dame			–						8	–	3
East Carolina			–						8	–	3
Louisiana Tech			–						6	–	5
UAB			–						5	–	6
UCF			–						5	–	6
Southwestern Louisiana			–						5	–	6
Northeast Louisiana			–						5	–	6
Arkansas State			–						4	–	7
Northern Illinois			–						1	–	10
Rankings from AP Poll

This was the Midshipmen's first winning season since 1982, and their first bowl appearance since 1981, with their first bowl win since 1978.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7		at Rutgers	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ		W 10–6
September 21		SMU	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD (rivalry)		W 19–17	26,798
September 28		at Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA		L 38–43	44,500
October 5		Duke	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD		W 64–27	31,365	[2]
October 12		at Air Force	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)		W 20–17
October 26		at Wake Forest	Groves Stadium Winston-Salem, NC		W 47–18	17,307	[3]
November 2	8:00 a.m.	vs. Notre Dame	Croke Park Dublin, Ireland (Emerald Isle Classic, rivalry)	CBS	L 27–54	38,651
November 9		Delaware	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD		W 30–14
November 16		Tulane	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD		W 35–21	24,952	[4]
November 23	1:00 p.m.	at Georgia Tech	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA		W 36–26	44,415	[5]
December 7		vs. Army	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA (Army–Navy Game)	CBS	L 24–28
December 25		vs. California	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI (Aloha Bowl)	ABC	W 42–38	30,411
Homecoming

Roster

1996 Navy Midshipmen football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 84 LeBron Butts QB 8 Ben Fay Sr WR 11 Astor Heaven QB 7 Chris McCoy Jr RB 34 Pat McGrew Jr FB 26 Tim Cannada Jr FB 5 Omar Nelson Sr WR 87 Neal Plaskonos WR 20 Cory Schemm G 66 Mike Wahle So OT 70 Jeff Zimmerman Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 51 Clint Bruce Sr LB 50 Travis Cooley Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 78 Thomas Vanderhorst	Head coach Charlie Weatherbie Coordinators/assistant coaches Todd Wright Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt