Army Coach Jim Young Will Retire

Jim Young, Army football coach for the last seven years, said today that he will retire after this season because of personal reasons.

Young, 55, will be replaced next year by Bob Sutton, 39, the associate head coach and defensive coordinator. Sutton, who came to Army in 1983, the same year as Young, has never been a head coach.

Young, who has resurrected the Army football program, has compiled a record of 45-34-1. Overall, including stints at Purdue and Arizona, his record is 114-66-2.

After this season, Young will remain at West Point as a member of the Performance Enhancement Program staff.

Since 1984, when Young installed the wishbone offense, the Cadets have ranked no lower than fifth in rushing offense in the nation. In the first year of the wishbone, they were No. 1 in rushing.

Young has also taken the Cadets to their only three bowl games in history--1984, when they upset Michigan State 10-6; 1985, when they upset Illinois 31-29, and 1988, when they were edged by favored Alabama 29-28.

In 1985 and 1988, Army posted records of 9-3, the victory total matching the best in the school’s history.