Tiger-Eye Review—Inside-Outside Edition

Are we in or out? It depends on perspective.In 1944, legendary West Point head coach Earl Blaik began two successive national championship seasons in three years with the help of two remarkable players—speedster Glenn Davis and bruising fullback Felix “Doc” Blanchard. The duo was nicknamed “Mr. Outside and Mr. Inside,” and behind their superb and remarkable play on both sides of the ball (Blanchard at linebacker, Davis at safety), Army amassed a scoring mark for the season that stands to this day as an NCAA record (56 points per game for a season). Notre Dame coach Edward McKeever said after losing to West Point 59–0 that year, “I’ve just seen Superman in the flesh. He wears number 35 and goes by the name of Blanchard.” Later both players would be awarded the Heisman trophy, Doc Blanchard in 1945 and Glenn Davis in 1946, after amassing undefeated records for three straight years (27–0–1; the tie was a famous 0–0 game in Yankee Stadium against Notre Dame in 1946). The scoring average of 56 points per game in a nine-game season in 1944 has stood the test of time for nearly three quarters of a century.

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