WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) - Bobby Ross retired Monday as Army's football coach, and without a victory over Navy in his three seasons with the Black Knights.
The former NFL coach, who had a 9-25 record at Army, will be succeeded by offensive line coach Stan Brock."I think there's a point in time when you feel like it's your time to retire, and I think I've reached that time," the 70-year-old Ross said in a statement. "I think there is an issue of having a certain degree of energy, which I feel is very important for anyone leading a college football program. I feel that I was lacking in that area."
Army athletic director Kevin Anderson said Ross told him of his decision on Thursday night.
"He came back from a recruiting trip and had to go home because he was ill," Anderson said. "He looked at me in the eye and said, 'I can't give the energy.' He didn't want to shortchange the academy or the cadets."
The 48-year-old Brock, who played for Ross on the 1995 San Diego Chargers team that reached the Super Bowl, said he was surprised, even though he and Ross had talked about the future.
"He knew it was my ultimate goal, but the timing was a shock," said Brock, who has never been a head coach at the Division I level but had five years of head coaching experience in the Arena Football League before coming to West Point with Ross. "I thought coach was going to be here."
Ross came out of retirement to coach a team that had been on a 15-game losing streak and was the first in NCAA history to finish a season 0-13 (2003).
Speculation that Ross might leave began shortly after Army's 26-14 loss to the Midshipmen in December. The Black Knights finished the season on a six-game losing streak. Ross' son, Kevin, the offensive coordinator, took much of the blame for the Black Knights' sputtering offense.
Before his arrival at West Point, Ross was 77-68 in the NFL with the Chargers and Detroit Lions and spent 15 years as a college coach, including stints with The Citadel (1973-77), Maryland (1982-86) and Georgia Tech (1987-91). His 1990 Georgia Tech team went 11-0-1, sharing the national title with Colorado. His college record was 94-76-2 before he accepted the Army job.
The former NFL coach, who had a 9-25 record at Army, will be succeeded by offensive line coach Stan Brock."I think there's a point in time when you feel like it's your time to retire, and I think I've reached that time," the 70-year-old Ross said in a statement. "I think there is an issue of having a certain degree of energy, which I feel is very important for anyone leading a college football program. I feel that I was lacking in that area."
Army athletic director Kevin Anderson said Ross told him of his decision on Thursday night.
"He came back from a recruiting trip and had to go home because he was ill," Anderson said. "He looked at me in the eye and said, 'I can't give the energy.' He didn't want to shortchange the academy or the cadets."
The 48-year-old Brock, who played for Ross on the 1995 San Diego Chargers team that reached the Super Bowl, said he was surprised, even though he and Ross had talked about the future.
"He knew it was my ultimate goal, but the timing was a shock," said Brock, who has never been a head coach at the Division I level but had five years of head coaching experience in the Arena Football League before coming to West Point with Ross. "I thought coach was going to be here."
Ross came out of retirement to coach a team that had been on a 15-game losing streak and was the first in NCAA history to finish a season 0-13 (2003).
Speculation that Ross might leave began shortly after Army's 26-14 loss to the Midshipmen in December. The Black Knights finished the season on a six-game losing streak. Ross' son, Kevin, the offensive coordinator, took much of the blame for the Black Knights' sputtering offense.
Before his arrival at West Point, Ross was 77-68 in the NFL with the Chargers and Detroit Lions and spent 15 years as a college coach, including stints with The Citadel (1973-77), Maryland (1982-86) and Georgia Tech (1987-91). His 1990 Georgia Tech team went 11-0-1, sharing the national title with Colorado. His college record was 94-76-2 before he accepted the Army job.
