Ralph Robert Wensinger

West Point, 1959

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Brad Johnson, 150 pound Team Captain on January 30, 2002:

This is about the weigh-in requirements and about Ralph in the Army-Navy 150-lb game in 1957, the first season for Army to field a 150-lb team. We had to weigh in the day before the game at 153.999. Needless to say, most of us spent hours in the steam room shedding those last ounces. Our team would have averaged over 180 under normal circumstances. We only had a couple of guys who could eat during the week. Our corps squad tables were next to the regular football team, which they loved, because they got to eat our food too. We had a number of players who had played B-squad and at least one, Jude Theibert, who had been on A-squad and even started some games as a yearling. Almost our entire first team had been all state in high school, and Jude was a high school All-American. Ralph, by the way, had played football in the army before he came to West Point and was an all-army quarterback. I noticed a reference to the winning TD against Navy being a quarterback sneak. I know that was in some publication. He ran that right behind me as I was the center. A good friend of mine, Ordell Braisse was the starting defensive end for the Baltimore Colts at that time. He called me up to congratulate me, as the story said Army won the game when Ralph scored the winning TD with a quarterback sneak over Brad Johnson. Unfortunately I don't remember what publication that was. As to the touchdown that beat Navy, I can guarantee that it was a quarterback sneak. The Navy nose tackle that played over me the whole game was the roommate of my best friend from high school who was Navy 58. We beat up his roommate so bad, he still talks about it every time we get together, which is at least twice a year. That touchdown went right over him. Bill Shely, my classmate, and Dick Welch, 59, were the guards. I am sure they will also confirm it, as their blocks were instrumental in this happening. President Eisenhower was at that game, and it was the second one of our games he came to see.

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