There was a time when Cincinnati was a major recruiting territory for Navy football.
Roger Staubach, arguably the greatest player in program history, was born and raised in Cincinnati and came out of Purcell High. Staubach was the 1963 Heisman Trophy winner and garnered national publicity as a flashy scrambling quarterback — opening the door for the Midshipmen to get more prospects from southeast Ohio.
Tom O’Brien, a defensive end from St. Xavier High in Cincinnati, remembers watching Staubach play for Purcell in annual season-ending Catholic League doubleheader. O’Brien was recruited to the Naval Academy by an assistant named Lee Corso, best known as an analyst for College GameDay on ESPN.