Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Admiral Ted Carter, USN, announced today at the annual Navy football banquet that senior quarterback Keenan Reynolds (Antioch, Tenn.) will be the last Navy football player to ever wear #19. Reynolds joins the illustrious list of Roger Staubach (#12), Joe Bellino (#27) and Napoleon McCallum (#30) whose numbers have been retired.
“This is quite an honor and something that I never dreamed would happen,” said Reynolds. “I give all the credit to my teammates. This is a group honor and without my teammates over the past four years none of this would have been possible. I would like to thank Vice Admiral Carter, Mr. Gladchuk and Coach Niumatalolo for this unbelievable honor that I will never forget.”
Reynolds finished his career with a 32-13 record, which are the most wins in school history by a quarterback. He finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting this year and was named a Third-Team All-American by the Associated Press.
He was 7-1 in Service Academy games, including a 4-0 mark against Army. He is the only quarterback in the history of the Army-Navy game to win four games. His seven career touchdowns scored are the most in the history of the Army-Navy game.
Reynolds scored 88 touchdowns in his career (all rushing), which are the most rushing touchdowns in Division I history and the most total touchdowns in FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) history. He scored three or more touchdowns in a game 17 times in his career, the most in FBS history. He is the first player in FBS history to score 23 or more rushing touchdowns in a season three different times. His 530 career points scored are the most in FBS history.
His 4,559 career rushing yards are the most in FBS history by a quarterback and the most in school history by any player. He is just the sixth player in FBS history to rush and pass for 4,000 yards in a career. His 22 career 100-yard rushing games are the most in school history.
Reynolds also set the school record for passing touchdowns with 31, while throwing just eight interceptions in 462 career attempts giving him the lowest interception percentage in school history.
Besides having his jersey retired, Reynolds won three major awards on Sunday as he was named the winner of the E.E. “Rip” Miller Award, which is presented to the season’s most valuable player as voted on by his teammates. He is the first player in school history to win the award all four years.
He was named the winner of the Roger Staubach Award, which is presented to the varsity football player who demonstrated consistent, outstanding leadership and an “Expect to Win” attitude in contributing to the team’s success during the season and embodied honor, courage and commitment on and off the playing field. He was also the recipient of the Napoleon McCallum Award, which is presented to the Navy varsity football player of the graduating class who has gained the most all-purpose yards in his career. Reynolds gained 4,559 (all rushing) in his career.
Senior offensive lineman E.K. Binns (Cape Coral, Fla.) took home the Jeffrey R. Korn Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award, which is given annually to the first classman on the team who has demonstrated excellence both in the classroom and on the football field.
Binns was a three-year starter at guard for the Mids, logging 34 career starts. He was a two-time First Team All-East selection and was named First-Team All-American Athletic Conference as a senior. He was one of 12 finalists for the Campbell Trophy, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award, and was named a Second-Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Director’s of America this fall.
Senior fullback Chris Swain (Macon, Ga.) won the Cooke Award, which is given to the player who has done the most to promote team spirit through outstanding leadership.
Swain was a starter in 20 games at fullback over his career, including each of the 13 games this year. He rushed for 2,290 yards in his career, including 1,023 yards as a senior. He and Reynolds became just the second duo in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Swain was named All-East and became just the fourth player in school history to be invited to the Senior Bowl.
Senior tackle Joey Gaston (Knoxville, Tenn.) was awarded the George Fritzinger Memorial Award, presented annually to a member of the graduating class who, as a football interior lineman, has excelled as a student-athlete and contributed to the overall team leadership and spirit.
Gaston was a leader on the offensive line and started the final 29 games of his career. He was named honorable mention all-conference and helped Navy lead the nation in red zone offense (.948) and fourth down conversions (.923) and finish second in the country in rushing yards (326.7).
Senior wide receiver Thomas Wilson (Brandenburg, Ky.) was named the winner of the Cmdr. Ralph Sentmann Award, which honors the member of the graduating class from the varsity football team who has achieved the highest ranking in academic order of merit.
Wilson, who is majoring in political science (honors), carries a 3.80 grade-point average and earned a 4.0 during the fall semester. He was named a First-Team Academic All-American in the fall by the College Sports Information Directors of America, making him just the ninth First-Team Academic All-American in school history.
Senior defensive end Will Anthony (Jacksonville, Fla.) was named the recipient of the First Lieutenant Ron Winchester Unsung Hero Award, which is presented to an unheralded senior recognized as an overachiever and role model as selected by a vote of his teammates.
Anthony had an incredible career, starting the final 27 games of his career, and was named first team all-conference as a senior and First-Team All-East as a junior and senior. Anthony finished his career with 161 tackles, 24 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks. He led the defense in 2015 with 11.5 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks.
Senior nose guard Bernard Sarra (Monessen, Pa.) was the recipient of the Joe Bellino Award, which is presented to the varsity football player whose inspiring on-the-field performance made a significant impact on the team and contributed to its overall success during the season.
Sarra was the anchor of one of the best defensive lines at Navy in recent memory. The senior co-captain started games, including the final 26 contests of his career. He consistently forced the opposition to double-team him, which freed up other members of the defense to make plays.
Freshman fullback Anthony Gargiulo (Freehold, N.J.) was awarded the Collins/Roos Class of 1949 Junior Varsity MVP Award, presented annually to the most valuable player on the junior varsity football team as chosen by a vote of his teammates.
Gargiulo was the leading rusher on the junior varsity team and is expected to compete for playing time this fall. A 2014 graduate of Colts Neck High School, Gargiulo attended the Naval Academy Prep School during the 2014-15 academic year. He earned First-Team All-State (N.J.) honors as a senior, finishing fifth in the state in rushing (1,666 yards), fourth in rushing touchdowns (27) and second in tackles (139). He finished his high school career with 3,436 rushing yards.
Navy finished the 2015 campaign with a school record 11 wins against just two losses, qualified for a bowl game for the 12th time in the last 13 years, won a bowl game for the 10th time in school history (beat Pittsburgh, 44-28, in the Military Bowl), won a bowl game for a third-straight year for the first time in school history, defeated Army for a series-record 14th consecutive year, won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy for the third time in the last four years, won the Lambert Trophy as the best team in the East for the first time since 1963, finished 18th in the country in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls and shared the West Division title of the American Athletic Conference with Houston in Navy’s first year of being in a conference after being an Independent for 134 years.
Navy’s senior class finished with a 36-16 (.692) record over four seasons in Annapolis, qualified for four bowl games, won three bowl games and won three Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies. The 36 career wins are tied for the most in school history over a four-year time period.
Source: USNA Athletic Association
[do action=”blackwall-hitch”/]
