Ross retires; Brock named new Army football coach

Jan 29, 2007 - 10:24 PM WEST POINT, New York (Ticker) -- After just three seasons with Army, Bobby Ross has decided to walk away.

Ross retired as the football coach of the Black Knights on Monday, leaving the service academy without a victory over rival Navy.

Ross, 70, finished just 9-25 with Army and will be succeeded by former NFL player and offensive line coach Stan Brock.

"I think there's a point in time when you feel like it's your time to retire, and I think I've reached that time," Ross said. "I think there is an issue of having a certain degree of energy, which I feel is very important for anyone leading a college football program. I feel that I was lacking in that area as well."

Inheriting a program that won just four games in the previous four seasons, Ross guided the Black Knights to a 4-7 mark in his second year in 2005 before losing the last six games of last season to finish at 3-9.

Included in that late slide was a 26-14 loss to Navy in December, Army's fifth straight defeat to its historic rival.

A longtime coach in both the NFL and college ranks, Ross guided the San Diego Chargers for nine seasons, culminating in a Super Bowl appearance in 1995. He also coached the Detroit Lions from 1997-2000.

Collegiately, Ross coached four schools, including Maryland from 1982-86 and Georgia Tech from 1987-91. In 1990, he guided the Yellow Jackets to a 11-0-1 record and a piece of the national championship with Colorado.

An NFL player for 13 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Brock, 48, served the past three seasons under Ross before being named the 35th coach in Army history.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to serve as coach at Army," Brock said. "I'm honored that the administration at the academy offered me the position and thinks enough of me to lead this program.

"When you're at West Point, you're not only the coach of the team, but you're also a role model for the Corps of Cadets. The Corps has to be able to connect with you, and I think it's very important to have a good relationship with them. I arrived with very little knowledge of West Point. In three years I've gained a great understanding of the Military Academy."