Army West Point Athletics
Plumstead Selected For Black Lion Award
December 04, 2008 | Football
WEST POINT, N.Y. In a week of milestones, Tuesday marked a very special day at Michie Stadium as head coach Stan Brock announced the winner of this year’s Black Lion Award to his team.
One of the most prestigious and important awards Army’s coaching staff hands out every year, the Black Lion Award is presented in memory of former Army football great Don Holleder, who was killed in combat in Vietnam on Oct. 17, 1967, and the men of the 28th Infantry Regiment (nicknamed the "Black Lions"), who died with him that day. Brock announced that senior linebacker John Plumstead is the fifth Army player to earn the award.
“The Black Lion Award is really a prestigious award here at West Point,” stated Brock. “It talks about leaders on the field and leaders off the field. It’s about total dedication to a team and to a concept.
“We had seven guys that were nominated for the award and any of them would have been great recipients. But John Plumstead is a very worthy honoree. As one of the team captains, he played a huge role with the team staying together even through the real difficult times. He’s a true warrior and very deserving of the award.”
Holleder was an All-American end as a junior at West Point in 1954 and appeared headed for an even more successful senior season before head coach Earl "Red" Blaik approached him the following spring and asked if he would begin learning the quarterback position for the 1955 season. Blaik knew that Holleder had never played the position before, but felt his team’s best all-around athlete could learn to handle the ball well. He also wanted someone to provide a match for Navy’s brilliant quarterback George Welsh, so that Army would have a decent chance to beat the Mids at year’s end.
Blaik left the final decision to Holleder, with the provision that if he became truly unhappy with the experiment, he could return to his end position. Holleder agreed, foregoing All-America honors and the personal notoriety that it brought.
The "Great Experiment" or "Blaik’s Folly," as it became known, was not well received by the Academy or its administrators. While Holleder struggled at times at quarterback during the season, he engineered a season-ending 14-6 upset of heavily favored Navy.
Holleder would go on to a decorated military career before that fateful day in October 1967.
On that day, a savage battle between a 1st Infantry Division battalion and the Viet Cong was fought in a thick jungle about 40 miles north of Saigon. Holleder, second in command, assumed control of the troops after battalion commander Col. Terry de la Mesa Allen Jr. was killed during the early stages of the skirmish. Holleder and several other solders boarded a helicopter and flew over the area of conflict. After viewing wounded in the field, Holleder ordered the copter to land. Holleder raced into the heat of the battle in an attempt to recover the wounded men, but was killed by enemy sniper fire.
The Black Lion Award was first established in 2001, the 100th anniversary of the forming of the 28th Infantry Regiment the famed Black Lions of Cantigny who were the first Americans to see combat duty oversees, engaged in World War I. It has been presented to high school and college players of various teams since that time, but never to an Army football player prior to 2004. Plumstead, who follows Will Sullivan, Scott Wesley, Mike Viti and Ryan Brence as previous Army Black Lion Award winners, becomes the fourth senior chosen for the award, which is selected annually by the coaching staff just prior to the Navy contest.
The award is intended to go to the player "who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder: leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self sacrifice, and above all an unselfish concern for the team ahead of himself."
“Being a captain of this football team means the world to me,” said Plumstead. “Having the coaches back me and give me the Black Lion Award is a huge honor. I have the utmost respect for Don Holleder and the 28th Infantry Division. It’s just a huge honor.
“We’ve got a great senior class and there were many deserving candidates. When I heard my name called I was very honored that the coaching staff would pick me as the Black Lion Award recipient. The Black Lion Award was founded in memory of Don Holleder. And knowing Don Holleder’s story he was the ultimate team player. He made all the sacrifices for his team. That will be in my head on Saturday. I will do everything I can for my team on Saturday.”
A four-year letterwinner, Plumstead embodies those qualities.
One of Army’s mainstays on special teams since his freshman season, Plumstead has been a member of the Black Knights’ starting unit at “sam” linebacker in 10 of 11 contests this fall. The native of Honor, Mich. (Benzie H.S.), currently ranks sixth on the team with 58 tackles and sixth with four tackles for loss. He racked up a career-high 14 stops during Army’s service academy showdown against Air Force, the highest total by a Black Knight this season.
The Black Lion Award is presented with the approval of the 28th Infantry Association and with the permission and approval of Holleder’s former wife, Caroline.
As this year’s honoree, Plumstead will wear a patch representing the "Black Lions" (the 28th Infantry Regiment) during Saturday’s Army-Navy Classic in Philadelphia. The game will be televised nationally by CBS Sports with kickoff scheduled for 12:10 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field. President George W. Bush is slated to attend the contest.
Army Black Lion Award Winners
2004 DE Will Sullivan (senior)
2005 RB Scott Wesley (senior)
2006 FB Mike Viti (junior)
2007 DB Ryan Brence (senior)
2008 LB John Plumstead (senior)
