Top 5 college football coaches who are worth every penny of their salaries
By Dante Pryor
2. Jeff Monken, Army
One has to go all the way back to the Red Blaik era to find an Army coach that has been as successful as Jeff Monken. Although Blaik had three consecutive undefeated seasons, he never won 10 games and Monken has done that twice.
This past season, the Black Knights finished ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since 1996 which was also the last time they finished ranked in the AP Poll.
Army’s won 35 games in Monken’s first five seasons and is 3-for-3 in bowl games. The Black Knights won 20 the previous five with one bowl victory. Monken has found a way to recruit the type of player he needs while convincing these young men to make a commitment to serve their country’s armed forces.
The triple-option offense has been a godsend for Army football. Although Monken and Ken Niumatalolo are rivals, they are both from the Paul Johnson, triple-option coaching tree. That offense along with a scrappy defense has Army relevant along the Hudson.
There are two things that matter in Army football: the Commander-in-Chief trophy and beating Navy. The Black Knights have beaten Navy three years in a row and are 4-2 over the last six against the Midshipmen.
Although Army has won the Commander-in-Chief trophy the fewest times (8) they’ve won the trophy for the last two seasons.