Latest news with #Moosbrugger
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What could Michael Carroll 'turn into' with Alabama football? 'An absolute savage'
Kalen DeBoer didn't want to single out Alabama football freshman offensive lineman Michael Carroll. Yes, DeBoer said, the 6-foot-6, 315-pound guard was 'versatile' in his first spring with the Crimson Tide when Carroll spent many practices outside at tackle to assuage the lack of Kadyn Proctor, who was limited due to injury. But DeBoer said there is a learning curve for any freshman, especially those on the offensive line. Advertisement 'Michael made steps you'd really hope a player would make throughout the spring, much like many of our guys did,' DeBoer said. DeBoer didn't want to heap further expectations on a player like Carroll, who arrived with a five-star title next to his name and has already generated ample buzz in his short time in Tuscaloosa. Mike Moosbrugger is not DeBoer. On April 24, within seconds of Alabama guard Tyler Booker becoming a first-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys, Moosbrugger, who coached Carroll at Central Bucks East High School in Pennsylvania and played offensive line at Wake Forest, sent the Crimson Tide freshman a text. Advertisement ''Three years from now,'' Moosbrugger said, ''that's going to be you.'' Moosbrugger said it took him all of 30 seconds for him to be sold on Carroll initially, looking at a raw, two-star recruit with a handful of offers looking to transfer to Central Bucks East and 'salivating' about what he could do with a player like that. Carroll was a quick learner, one who would pick up high-level techniques instantly, who Moosbrugger said could have made 'the practice squad on NFL teams' in high school. Carroll was different, something Moosbrugger saw right away. 'I'm going to laugh when people ask, 'Did you ever think?'' Moosbrugger told the Tuscaloosa News. 'Yeah, I knew it from the day I met him.' The 'man on the mission' becomes Michael Carroll Mike Carroll didn't have the college football options his son had. Advertisement Carroll played at Penn State, but admits now he 'probably should have gone somewhere smaller to get more playing time.' But he always knew his son was going to surpass him. Michael Carroll was initially a lacrosse player, a face-off specialist who could keep up with the opponent's fastest and most-skilled players. One year of wrestling turned him into a finisher, one who developed his tenacity and aggression on the mat. 'I think he always approached it as a 'man on a mission,' if you will,' Mike Carroll said. 'He had bought his own weight set with the money he had saved up, just started lifting weights at seventh, eighth grade. (He) just knew he wanted to make something of himself.' Moosbrugger remembers that exact moment when the 'man on a mission' became the man who caught Alabama football's attention. Offensive lineman Michael Carroll (#64) during practice on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024 on IMG Academy Football Media Day in Bradenton, Florida. In a rivalry game against Central Bucks West, Central Bucks East needed momentum. The team had just finished an offensive drive, and Michael Carroll was taking the field to play defensive line. Moosbrugger got in his face. While he doesn't remember the exact words he used, he remembers the message. Advertisement ''Look, you're going to be an All-American,'' Moosbrugger said. ''Act like it.'' On the very next play, Michael Carroll took one hand and threw the Central Bucks West tackle 4 yards into the backfield. He sacked the quarterback and ran halfway to the opposing sideline, pumping his chest. It was the moment Michael Carroll, the hilarious, wonderful kid, Moosbrugger said, found his confidence, found that he belonged. It was the moment he turned into an 'absolute savage.' 'It was just that moment, that was (Michael),' Moosbrugger said. Why Alabama football was always the goal for Michael Carroll It always made sense to Mike Carroll that his son was always fascinated with Alabama. Advertisement 'He was born the same year (Nick) Saban took the job,' Carroll said. 'So every holiday season, at the end of the season, he's watching Alabama play in a national championship or the top tier of the playoffs.' Early in the recruiting process, Moosbrugger talks with each of his offensive linemen to find out their 'dream school,' the offer to aim for. While Moosbrugger admits some players have to recalibrate their picks and become more realistic, he didn't have to do that with Michael Carroll. 'When (Michael) said Alabama, I said, 'OK,'' Moosbrugger said. Michael Carroll's conversations with Alabama started in his junior season at Central Bucks East with then-Crimson Tide offensive line coach Eric Wolford. But before this Alabama staff had a chance to offer, Saban announced his retirement and Wolford moved to Kentucky. Advertisement But Carroll's connection to Alabama was only about to get stronger. More: 2026 5-star WR Cederian Morgan is at top of Alabama football list. Is Crimson Tide at top of his? The Crimson Tide hired Chris Kapilovic, the former Michigan State offensive line coach who extended an early offer to Carroll, maintained a relationship and told him 'wherever he goes, that he would have a spot for him on the roster,' Michael Carroll's father said. 'He's very easy to talk to,' Mike Carroll said of Kapilovic. 'He's relatable. I believe he knows his Xs and Os. I mean, first and foremost, he was a teacher before he was a coach. Being able to teach kids or teach players, … not all of them learn the same way. And I think you can just tell he really had our son's best interest at heart.' Advertisement Michael Carroll committed to Alabama during his June official visit, picking the Crimson Tide over Georgia, Michigan and Penn State and joining a class that would eventually include California four-star tackle Jackson Lloyd, Alabama four-star tackle Micah DeBose and Alabama four-star guard Mal Waldrep. Kapilovic, Moosbrugger said, was the 'tipping point' for Michael Carroll and Alabama, who hired an offensive line coach who 'knows exactly how to get the best out of (him).' 'I knew Kap would take care of my guy,' Moosbrugger said. 'And he has, and has continued to do so.' What could Michael Carroll 'turn into' with Alabama football? Mike Carroll knows what his son can do, and he's not shy about it. Advertisement Ohio State never offered Michael Carroll, even after a game day visit when the Buckeyes faced Michigan State, and even after a two-hour conversation with then-offensive line coach Justin Frye. When then-Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles came to follow up, Mike Carroll didn't hide his feelings toward the Buckeyes. I go, 'Listen: 'Tell Frye he must like short, fat, slow, weak kids, because my kid is better than every one that he's offered,'' Carroll said. It's why Moosbrugger felt Michael Carroll, the Alabama commit, had to go to IMG Academy for his final season: to go somewhere where 'he had to really try,' to compete against the type of athletes he would eventually see in the SEC. Advertisement 'If he had stayed up here, legitimately, we would have had multiple ambulances and traumatic injuries in every game,' Moosbrugger said. From afar at IMG and at Alabama, Moosbrugger sees the Michael Carroll who belongs, the Carroll who believes he is one of the top dogs. That's why Moosbrugger sent him that text after Booker was selected. It's why he says what DeBoer can't. Whenever Moosbrugger watches Michael Carroll reps from Alabama spring practices, Moosbrugger said he beams with pride. 'That's the guy I knew,' Moosbrugger said. 'I knew he was going to turn into that.' Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What could Michael Carroll 'turn into' with Alabama football?
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
In WWII, the ‘Tokyo Express' was tough to beat. One man changed that.
World War II was marked by numerous technical advances and battles in which they played a pivotal role. Relatively overlooked but having an importance of its own was the destroyer as used in the Solomons campaigns of 1942 to 1943. The naval struggle was generally fought at night, pitting Japanese destroyers ferrying reinforcements to contested islands or evacuating forces from untenable posts, versus American counterparts trying to intercept them. Nicknamed the 'Tokyo Express' by their opponents, the Japanese 'tin cans' acquired the grudging respect of the Americans for their daring and ingenuity, their deadly 24-inch Type 93 'Long Lance' torpedoes and what seemed to be an uncanny Japanese talent for operating by night. In 1943, however, American destroyers began receiving a new, more effective centimetric screen grid radio detection and ranging, or SG radar, along with a new generation of captains adjusting their tactics to take advantage of the new developments. In the vanguard of those adopting the new weapons systems to challenge the Tokyo Express anew was Cmdr. Frederick Moosbrugger. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 9, 1900, Moosbrugger entered the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, on June 25, 1919, graduating on June 8, 1923. His subsequent assignments included two three-year stints as an instructor at the academy and service aboard the heavy cruiser Houston starting June 1, 1934, with then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a passenger and attending the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on May 28, 1937. On April 28, 1941, he got command of his first ship, the destroyer McCall. McCall was escorting the aircraft carrier Enterprise toward Wake Island on Dec. 7, 1941, when word came in of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The small carrier task force did not return to Pearl until Dec. 10, but it was time enough for Enterprise's aircraft to catch the Japanese submarine I-70 still snooping in the area and summarily sink it. Between May 1942 and September 1943, Moosbrugger led destroyers in the Solomon Islands. In early August 1943 he led Destroyer Division 12 (DesDiv 12) aboard Dunlap, whose captain was Lt. Cmdr. Clifton Iverson, along with destroyers Craven and Maury. Munda had been the latest objective, and the last previous attempt to derail the Express using patrol torpedo (PT) boats on the night of August 1-2 had failed — the only result being PT-109 rammed and sunk by destroyer Amagiri, although its skipper, Lt. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, survived to later become president. Munda fell into Allied hands on Aug. 5, but word came in about another Express departing Port Vila for Kolombangara Island, and this time the job of interception was handed to Moosbrugger. He was reinforced with three more ships of Destroyer Division 15 (DesDiv 15), led by Cmdr. Rodger Whitten Simpson aboard the destroyer Lang (Cmdr. John Lester Wilfong as captain), with destroyers Sterett and Stack. For the first time in the war, U.S. Navy destroyers were not escorting cruisers, giving them independence to work out their own tactics. Moosbrugger's were to enter Vella Gulf with DesDiv 12 in column to the left of the formation and DesDiv 15 two miles to the right and a little farther behind. If they spotted enemy destroyers, DesDiv 12, which had long been zealously training at night fighting, would fire torpedoes while DesDiv 15, whose ships had new 40 mm anti-aircraft gun batteries, would follow up with gunfire. At 1130 hours the force departed Tulagi and when it reached Kula Gulf, Moosbrugger ordered all ships into battle formation. Reaching and probing Blackett Strait, it headed due north following Kolombangara's coast, on a rainy night that would have handicapped both sides if not for the Americans' radar advantage. Shortly before midnight, Dunlap's radar made first contact with the enemy 10 miles away, which soon materialized into four 'pips' on the screen. As Moosbrugger's torpedo crews readied their weapons, he deactivated his unreliable magnetic exploder devices, while relying on the flash hiders of his improved 'fish.' Moosbrugger got on the talk-between-ships system and ordered his division to 'Stand by to fire torpedoes!' Approaching from the north was Japanese Destroyer Division 4 (DesDiv 4) comprised of Hagikaze — flying the pennant of Capt. Kaju Sugiru — Kawakaze and Arashi, trailed by Shigure. The latter, under Cmdr. Tameichi Hara, was a relatively old ship and had been falling behind the formation. Its navigation officer, Lt. Yoshio Tsukihara, asked Hara, as the commander later recalled in his book 'Japanese Destroyer Captain': 'Sir, we are lagging 1,000 meters behind Kawakaze. Shall we use the overboost to gain back our lost 500 meters?' 'No,' the veteran Hara replied. 'This is good enough. To hell with the described 500-meter distance. Don't overboost the engine!' Suspecting trouble, Hara ordered Shigure ready for action with guns and torpedoes trained left, where visibility was worst. Just then a lookout cried out: 'White waves! Black objects! … Several ships heading toward us!' At 4,000 yards distance, Moosbrugger ordered his DesDiv 12 ships to fire and 24 torpedoes — eight per ship — were loosed in 63 seconds. Two hit Hagikaze, knocking out its radio and throwing the column into confusion. Three torpedoes struck Arashi and two more hit Kawakaze, after which Moosbrugger pulled back to let Simpson's destroyers finish the targets with gunfire. Firing ceased as all three Japanese destroyers went down, along with 356 seamen and 685 troops. Behind them, Shigure dodged to the right, letting lose eight torpedoes, but hitting nothing. In contrast, three or four American torpedoes bore on Shigure and put a two-by-two-foot hole in its rudder. It failed to explode, but it and the soldiers on board handicapped its further usefulness, so Hara made smoke and withdrew, requesting further instructions from headquarters at Rabaul. 'Return to base,' came the reply. 'Ask Kolombangara to rescue survivors.' Remarkably, 310 Japanese troops, including Capt. Sugiura, drifted to shore on Vella Lavella, from which they were transferred to Kolombangara. Henceforth, however, there would be no more Tokyo Express troop runs to that island. Of the 24 torpedoes Moosbrugger's destroyers launched, one-third had struck their targets. 'The hits on Arashi and Kawakaze were phenomenal,' Hara wrote after the war in what he called 'a perfect American victory.' 'Never before had I seen such marksmanship by the enemy,' he continued. The U.S. Navy agreed. On Sept. 10, 1943, Adm. William Frederick Halsey awarded Moosbrugger the Navy Cross, which was also presented to Dunlap's Lt. Cmdr. Iverson and Sterett's Lt. Cmdr. Frank Gardner Gould. Adm. Chester William Nimitz, commander in chief of U.S. Pacific Fleet, dubbed the Vella Gulf battle 'a little classic of naval warfare.' Moosbrugger also got congratulations from an Annapolis classmate, Lt. Cmdr. Arleigh Albert Burke: 'Dear Moose, your battle the other night will go down in history as one of the most successful actions ever fought. It was splendidly conceived and marvelously executed.' Burke was more than just inspired by the precedent it set. On the night of Nov. 25, 1943, he led his own squadron in an equally successful ambush off Cape St. George that sank another three out of five Japanese destroyers engaged. Moosbrugger fought no comparable action again, but rose steadily in his career, reaching the rank of captain at the U.S. Naval School, General Line, Naval Base at Newport, Rhode Island, on April 5, 1946. He made rear admiral on June 1, 1951, and in 1952 he served as commander of the Military Sea Transportation Service, Pacific Area, based at San Francisco, California. He retired as a vice admiral on Oct. 1, 1956. Besides the Navy Cross, he received the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit with 'Valor' device. Moosbrugger died at the San Diego Naval Hospital on Oct. 1, 1974. He was buried alongside his wife, Dorothy (Britt), at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, leaving behind three sons, Frederick Britt, Edward Arthur and David Britt. His name was given to destroyer DD-980.
