A second consecutive 6-4 season started horribly with a 77-7 loss to powerhouse Nebraska. The Cadets rallied enough through the remainder of the schedule to get blown out only against Penn State (45-0) and managed to defeat both Air Force and Navy. QB Kingsley Fink set new Army passing records and the defense held its own relative to the competition. Coach Cahill made a very noticeable change to the old gold shell with one-inch black center stripe for the 1972 and '73 seasons. The black three-inch "LSU-style" Angelus-Pacific numbers were moved to the back of the helmet and Cahill added a distinctive Black Knight logo to each side and this was worn for all but the October 7th Lehigh and October 14th Penn State games. Entering '73 with optimism, a schedule that included an opener with Tennessee and games with Georgia Tech, Penn State, and Notre Dame and the continuing lack of depth as the Viet Nam War dragged on and made the Academy a less desired college choice, conspired to yield West Point's all-time worst record. The winless 0-10 affair was marked by offensive inability that had the team scoring ten points or less in all but one game and a defense that gave up fifty or more points in four. QB Fink played gallantly and Willie Thigpen led the rushers but the defense was on the field much too often. At the conclusion of the season, Tom Cahill, who had served admirably for eight seasons, was released.

If interested in any of these ARMY helmets please click on the photos below.