usma

The photographer left his bag in the shot...

The photo is dated 11-25-13 -- evidently the date that the Bain News Agency circulated copies of it to their subscribers. It was not taken then, but in October, along with several others in this series that bear the date 10-23-13. Another annoyingly-underexposed shot of West Point football players:

how is it underexposed?

The photographer did not time his exposures properly, so they turned out too damned dark. But at least he was consistent . . .

Could also be a problem with the scanning of the negative.

Do you think he could make the team today? Come to think of it, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was a kicker on the 1915 Army team probably was not much bigger.

He weighed only 165 pounds. In 1913, Benjamin F. Hoge was captain of the football team at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, N. Y. Here he is again, with another player: New York Times story, December 7, 1912: query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B01E0DC1E3AE6...

Wystan: Thanks for the information on Capt. Hoge. We will add to the record when we update.

Given the discrepancy in resemblance (or lack thereof) between the Hoge photos, I suspect this is not Benjamin F. Hoge (USMA Class of 1914), but his younger brother, William M. Hoge, Jr. (USMA Class of 1916). Both were on the Army football team in the fall of 1913.

I am a granddaughter of Benjamin F. Hoge, USMA '14. I would like to correct an error that is reported here. Capt. Hoge's full name was Benjamin FIERY Hoge. As far as that 2nd photo is concerned, it is not Ben. It looks nothing like him! I have the photo of the Army '13 team, taken after their defeat over Navy. My grandfather holds the football, which has been inscribed "Army 22 Navy 7" It is a treasure. As an aside, his son, Benjamin Whiting Hoge survives him, his 2 daughters are deceased. Col. Hoge died in 1985, in Alexandria, VA.

Another ridiculously underexposed Bain/LOC photo of West Point football players:

Hey Tully, you look cute in that outfit.....................................

cool :|