Army Head Football Coach Emerges as Candidate for Top Coaching Award

The Dodd Trophy Watch List was just posted and the Army West Point Black Knights announced that their head football coach, Jeff Monken, is on it. 

The award was established in 1976 in memory of the Georgia Tech head football coach Bobby Dodd. He stressed the importance of success on the field and in the classroom while also giving back to the community as much as possible. 

Monken etched himself into the Black Knights record book leading his team to the first ever 12-win season in a 135-year old program last season.

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Army took home the first conference title in program history in its first year in the American Athletics Conference. The AAC also named him coach of the year. 

Along with the AAC honor, he was also awarded the Paul "Bear" Bryant Group of Five Coach of the Year, the Andy Talley Regional Coach of the Year from the Maxwell Football Club, the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year and the ECAC Division I Coach of the Year.

"I don’t know if there’s any award more prestigious than the Bobby Dodd Award because it stands for more than just winning football games," 2006 winner and former Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. "It’s all about the student athlete and how you treat your players and the values that your’e teaching so it’s a great honor for me to win the award.”

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The Dodd Trophy honor is different than most college coach’s awards in the way that whoever is the one to take home the accolade is honored on his own campus with his athletes, friends, family, etc. 

The award is an annual award given to the coach who is the best in three categories — scholarship, leadership, and integrity.

Scholarship includes ensuring academic success for the members of the team. Leadership includes strong leaders who help inspire success on the field. Integrity includes a coach who makes sure that their players are demonstrating good sportsmanship and have high ethical standards. 

2025 Army Football Schedule

Date, Time, Opponent (TV)

(all times local)

Aug. 29: vs. Tarleton State, 6 p.m., CBSSN

Sept. 6: at Kansas State, 7 p.m., ESPN

Sept. 20: vs. North Texas*, 12 p.m., CBSSN

Sept. 25: at East Carolina*, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Oct. 4: at UAB*, TBD, TV TBA

Oct. 11: vs. Charlotte*, noon, CBSSN

Oct. 18: at Tulane*, TBD/ TV TBA

Nov. 1: at Air Force, noon, CBS

Nov. 8: vs. Temple*, noon, CBSSN

Nov. 27: vs. Tulsa*, noon p.m., CBSSN

Nov. 28/29: at UTSA*, TBD, TV TBA

Dec. 13: vs. Navy, 3 p.m., CBS

(note: Army-Navy game at Baltimore, Md.)

(if Army qualifies for AAC title game, it will be played Friday, Dec. 5, at site of higher seed)

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