Feinstein's Findings: A Team on a Mission

It was James Lane Allen, the Kentucky novelist born in 1851, who wrote, "Adversity doesn't build character, it REVEALS it." There may be no better example of that than the 2016 Army football team. As Coach Jeff Monken pointed out in the days leading to Saturday night's game against UTEP, no one would be critical of the Black Knights if they were unable to pour heart and soul into the game. When they gathered last Sunday afternoon to begin their preparation for the trip to El Paso, they were rocked by the impossibly sad news that their teammate, starting cornerback Brandon Jackson, had died in a car accident early that morning. "Never, have I been part of something like that, something filled with so much heartfelt emotion," said Athletic Director Boo Corrigan, who was there when Monken delivered the news to his players. "It was something that will stay with me for the rest of my life." No doubt that was true of everyone in the room: players, coaches, staff. There was no practice that day and the next morning Monken met with his 14-man leadership counsel and put the question to them directly: "Do you want to play the game Saturday?" The answer, according to Monken, was "unanimous and emphatic." Full Story»