South Bend, Ind. (May 5, 2004) --- The College Football Hall of Fame today unveiled its newest exhibit -- a sculpture of Hall of Fame Coach Earl "Red" Blaik, Army's winningest coach and one of the founders of The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

The sculpture of Blaik, who died in 1989, was dedicated in ceremonies at The Hall preceding a talk at The Hall's KeyBank Gridiron Legend Luncheon Series by Army's new head football coach, Bobby Ross. Future plans call for the exhibit to feature other memorabilia and photos of Army's great football history.

The eight-foot bronze sculpture and pedestal of Blaik kneeling, his face framed by his ever-present baseball cap, is the work of accomplished
sculptor Glenna Goodacre who designed and created the Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C. Goodacre is renowned for capturing emotion in sculpture form. Her works include a seven and a half-foot standing portrait of Ronald Reagan for the Reagan Library in California. She is also a successful painter of portraits and Native American subjects.

Goodacre's rendering of Sacagawea appears on the dollar coin issued by the U.S. Mint in 2000.

Blaik was the first of many outstanding coaches to play football at Miami University (Ohio), where he was on an undefeated team in 1916. He then won an appointment to the U. S. Military Academy, graduating in 1920. He left the Army in 1922 and went to work for his father, but also worked as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin and Army.

In 1934, Blaik took his first head-coaching job at Dartmouth, enjoying a 45-15-4 record during his seven years coaching with The Big Green. His 1937 team was undefeated.

Blaik returned to Army as head coach in 1941. Led by "Doc" Blanchard and Glenn Davis, Army went undefeated from 1944 through 1946, posting a 27-0-1 record. He finished his career with six consecutive winning seasons. His last team, in 1958, went 8-0-1. That team used the "Lonesome End" formation, in which one end was split very wide and never entered the Cadet huddle. He was given the plays through hand signals from the quarterback.

Earl Blaik's overall record was 166-48-14. He was Named Coach of the Year in 1946. Nineteen of his players and assistant coaches went on to become
head coaches in college or professional football.
Blaik was inducted into The College Football Hall of Fame in 1964, received The National Football Foundation's highest award, The Gold Medal, in 1966 and was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1986 by Ronald Reagan.

Former President Gerald R. Ford, who was an assistant football coach at Yale when Blaik coached at Dartmouth, contributed to the dedication ceremony with some remarks he forwarded to The College Football Hall of Fame about the legendary coach:

"Coach Blaik used football to teach life and those valuable components that make an officer, a gentleman and a winner. Coach Blaik preached commitment and teamwork, and the lessons his players learned were taken onto the battlefields around the world. Their contributions to the United States of America will never be forgotten."

Former President George Bush contributed remarks to the dedication ceremony, as well:

"Red Blaik did so much for football; but even more important, he did a great deal when it came to developing character for the young men who
played for him. Barbara and I both feel very close to Red Blaik. We knew him well. He was one of Barbara's father's best friends. The College Football Hall of Fame has chosen well in honoring Red Blaik with a sculpture by the great sculptress Glenna Goodacre. I am sorry I cannot be with you for this very special celebration."

The dedication ceremony also included remarks by Bob Blaik, son of the legendary coach who played for his father at West Point, and Doug Kenna, a
Hall of Famer who played and coached at West Point for Blaik and was one of the principal donors of the Blaik Sculpture.

In his welcoming remarks, Hall of Fame Executive Director Bernie Kish noted:

"We are honored to showcase the Coach Blaik Sculpture here at The Hall. It is truly fitting since he and his mentor, General Douglas
MacArthur, were instrumental in creating The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame."

In addition to members of the Blaik family, also in attendance at the dedication ceremony were several of Coach Blaik's players and coaches.

These luminaries included General Bennie Davis, Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, Major Generals Ray Murphy, Ed Rafalko and Dick Stephenson,
plus Hall of Famers Bob Anderson (elect), Doug Kenna, Joe Steffy, and Bill Yeoman.

The College Football Hall of Fame in downtown South Bend, Ind., combines football's nostalgia since the game's beginning in 1869 with state-of-the-art exhibits.