Army Strong: Monken Leads Cadets in Record-Setting Season

@ Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Experienced and ambitious coach Jeff Monken led the No. 22 Army Black Knights (11-1, 8-0 American Athletic Conference) to the AAC championship in the service academy's inaugural season in the league and aspires to accomplish more before the year's end. He and his Corps of Cadets look to beat Navy (8-3, 6-2), take home the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, win the Independence Bowl and finish a remarkable season with 13 wins.

This is only the second time in program history that the Black Knights have won 11 games in a season. With the Army-Navy game and an appearance in the Independence Bowl remaining on the team's docket, Monken is on the cusp of setting a new highwater mark at West Point, N.Y.

Monken's Background

Born in 1967, Monken is 57 years old. After graduating from Millikin University in Decatur, Ill., he began his coaching career in 1989 as a graduate assistant for the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (5-6, 3-4 Mountain West Conference) under the tutelage of the team's offensive coordinator, Paul Johnson, beginning a long connection between the two on numerous teams, including Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech. Johnson went on to become a highly decorated coach, getting named as Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year three times.

Following in Johnson's footsteps, Johnson was head coach at Georgia Southern from 2010 to 2013 before assuming the lead position at Army.

In a recent interview with The Athletic, Monken's drive to succeed was on display. The coach said, "I want to go play for a national championship. I’m not sure that can be done at an academy. Maybe it can. Maybe we can be the top Group of 5 and get into the playoff. But I can’t control that." He elaborated that perfection is necessary in his current role. Army typically faces opponents whose rosters consist of athletes who are more highly recruited and talented than those enrolled in the service academies. However, he said he cherishes the opportunity to instill in his players skills and values they can incorporate in the primary careers for which they receive training at West Point.

Monken Named AAC Coach of the Year

After leading the Black Knights to a perfect 8-0 record in conference play, the AAC tabbed Monken as the league's coach of the year. Before entering the AAC, Army had competed as an Independent program since its inception in 1890. That is except for a seven-year stretch between 1998 and 2004, during which the Black Knights were a member of Conference USA.

In Army's remarkable inaugural season in the AAC, Monken's team outscored opponents by an average score of 35.5 to 13.38 in conference play. The Black Knights' elite defense is ranked among the FBS top 10 in categories including scoring defense and red zone defense.

The 125th Army-Navy Game

Every year, the biggest game for the Black Knights and the Midshipmen is the traditional Army-Navy Game. Navy leads the all-time series 62-55-7. This year's matchup between the service academies will kick off at 3:00 p.m. EST on Dec. 14 at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., and will be broadcast on CBS and Paramount+.

In a recent interview on ESPN's Pat McAfee Show, Monken good-heartedly poked fun at the Midshipmen and the upcoming annual game, asking, "Do they still have a football program at that school?"

On the line in this year's Army-Navy game is the Commander-in-Chief's trophy, awarded every year since 1972 to the winner of the season series between the Black Knights, the Midshipmen and the Air Force Falcons (5-4, 3-7 Mountain West Conference). Since Army and Navy both beat Air Force earlier in the season, the outcome of the game on Dec. 14 will determine who takes home the prize this year. The Falcons have won the trophy 21 times, while the Midshipmen have claimed it on 16 occasions and the Black Knights have seized the award 10 times.

Independence Bowl

The Black Knights' remarkable season will conclude on Dec. 28 when Monken leads the team into a matchup with the champion of the Sun Belt Conference, the Marshall Thundering Herd (10-3, 7-1), in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.

If Monken leads his Black Knights to victories over the Midshipmen and the Thundering Herd, Army will finish the season ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 2018, when the team was ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll after an 11-2 season.

Against Navy, Army is favored by 6.5 points. Likewise, the Black Knights are favored by 6.5 points over the Thundering Herd.