It was commonplace last fall to see Connor McMahon limp off the field after aggravating the ankle injuries he dealt with throughout the season. Remarkably, McMahon usually went right back into the game a couple plays or a series later.
Despite being hobbled by bad ankles that never fully healed, McMahon managed to start all 12 games at either right or left tackle in 2023.
“I’ve always tried to be the toughest kid on the offensive line and be the leader they need me to be for the position group,” McMahon said last week. “I’ve been through a ton of injuries and played through a lot of pain. No matter how I feel physically, I still try to dominate as best I can in every game.”
That attitude explains why McMahon was chosen to wear the No. 68 jersey in honor of former Navy football player David Forney. He is the fifth offensive lineman selected to represent Forney, who tragically died a few months after completing a stellar senior season for the Midshipmen.
Forney was preparing to audition for NFL scouts at various combines when he was found unresponsive in his Bancroft Hall dormitory room on Feb. 20, 2020. The 22-year-old Walkersville resident died of sudden cardiac arrest, the state medical examiner ruled after an autopsy.
Navy football did not issue the No. 68 during the 2020 season out of respect for Forney and his family. All the players wore a No. 68 sticker on their helmets in remembrance of their lost brother. Billy Honaker, Navy’s other starting guard in 2019, wore the number in the Army-Navy game to pay homage to his close friend.
Since then, Navy has selected one offensive lineman who best embodies the traits displayed by Forney to wear No. 68. McMahon becomes the fourth player to do so, following in the footsteps of Pierce Banbury (2021), Kip Frankland (2022) and Lirion Murtezi (2023).
“It’s a huge honor and I take it very seriously. I feel really proud to have been selected by the coaching staff to represent David and his family,” McMahon said.
McMahon spoke in-depth with Frankland and Murtezi to learn more about Forney and to gain a better understanding of what the number represents.
“They said you have to be the best player on the field at all times. You have to be the toughest kid out there and you have to execute at a high level,” McMahon said. “You definitely have to live up to the standard of No. 68 at all times out on the field.”
Ashley Ingram was the Navy offensive line coach for 16 years was a mentor for Forney.Ingram was devastated by Forney’s death and became even closer with his family afterward. He was instrumental in the decision to remember Forney by having an offensive lineman wear the No. 68.
Ingram relished showing the current crop of offensive linemen tape of the 2019 unit that was so dominant. His favorite clips showed Forney repeatedly pulling on a trap play and destroying unsuspecting linebackers that attempted to fill the hole.
“It was the perfect execution for what a trap should look like as an offensive guard,” McMahon said.
During August training camp each position captain is tasked with preparing a slideshow to the entire Navy football team. McMahon dedicated his offensive line presentation to Forney and used still images from a highlight tape of Forney that Ingram put together for professional scouts.
“I wanted to let the entire team know who David Forney was, what No. 68 means and why the tradition is so important,” McMahon said.
Passing the torch
Ingram left Navy this past offseason to become head coach at Carson-Newman and one wondered whether the program would carry on the tradition. Brian Newberry, in his second season as Navy head coach, was not about to allow Forney’s memory to fade.
“I was here in 2019 when David Forney was a senior and I understand what he did for this program, the impression he left on so many people,” Newberry said. “I think the offensive linemen that have been selected take great pride in wearing that jersey. That is something we want to keep going to honor David.”
Newberry said McMahon was a unanimous selection among the coaching staff to don that jersey number and expressed confidence that he would “wear it well.”
Forney’s parents, Rick and Erika, helped establish the David Forney Memorial Run on the Naval Academy campus in honor of their son. This past sprint, Ford Higgins, the starting center in 2019, spoke to the team about his fallen friend.
That is when first-year Navy offensive line coach Jay Guillermo first learned about Forney. Guillermo listened to Higgins speak about Forney then sought out longtime Navy offensive assistants Ivin Jasper and Mick Yokitis to learn more about the story behind No. 68.
“They took me on a deep dive about what it means to wear that jersey, what David Forney meant to this program and the tremendous growth he made as both a football player and a person while at the Naval Academy,” Guillermo said. “Naval Academy offensive line units past, present and future are one big family. I feel a great responsibility to uphold that tradition and keep David’s legacy alive.”
Guillermo made a list of the characteristics he felt the individual wearing No. 68 needed to embody. It starts with being a great football player, a great teammate and a great leader. He noted that being a Navy offensive lineman means doing hard things over and over again without expecting any sort of praise or recognition. It’s about consistently doing your job.
“I think it’s someone who shows up to work every day and doesn’t complain,” Guillermo said. “Someone who comes into the meeting room and can command the attention of his teammates day in and day out. Someone who truly embodies all the core values we have as an offensive line unit.”
McMahon, by nature, is an unassuming sort who does not say a whole lot. He brings a lunch pail mentality on a daily basis and a sharp understanding of the game of football.
“I really challenged Connor to be the guy within our room that sets the standard every day and he has done just that,” Guillermo said. “Connor’s willingness to come out of his shell and get uncomfortable for the betterment of our unit shows how much he cares.
“Connor is a tough, tough kid who plays with great effort — a really good football player who deserves to wear that No. 68.”