Army–Navy Game

History

Background and cultural context

The early development of the Army–Navy Game coincided with the evolution of American football and its embrace by military institutions as a tool for building leadership, discipline, and physical readiness. American football in this era was widely viewed as a direct surrogate for warfare training and a means of instilling martial virtues in young men following the American Civil War.

President Theodore Roosevelt, a staunch advocate of the "strenuous life," strongly supported the sport as essential for developing physical courage and "war-ready" leaders. As Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt played a key role in restoring the suspended Army–Navy series in 1899. He later became the first sitting U.S. president to attend the game in 1901 and personally intervened in 1905, convening a White House meeting with coaches—including Walter Camp (1859–1925), known as the "Father of American Football"—to reform the increasingly brutal game while preserving its rugged character. During World War I, Camp served as an athletic adviser to the U.S. military. Concerned about recruit fitness, he created the "Daily Dozen" exercise program that was adopted by both the Army and Navy.

Early games and establishment

The first game between Army and Navy was on November 29, 1890. Since then, the two academies have played annually in all but ten years, and have played in consecutive annual games every season since 1930. Throughout its history, the game has been played in several neutral locations, including New York City and Baltimore, but it is most commonly played in Philadelphia, which is roughly equidistant from the two academies.

The games between 1890 and 1893 alternated between the campus of each academy. The series was suspended after 1893 due to objections of the academy superintendents. Through the efforts and diplomacy of Philadelphia surgeon and sportsman Dr. J. William White, the University of Pennsylvania gained the agreement of the academies to resume the series in 1899 at recently constructed Franklin Field inaugurating the tradition of playing the game in Philadelphia.

Soldier Field had its formal dedication on November 27, 1926, when it hosted the Army–Navy Game. The game was attended by over 110,000 people including Knute Rockne who attended instead of coaching Notre Dame that day.

Prominence and evolution

For much of the first two thirds of the 20th century, both Army and Navy were often national powers, and the game occasionally had national championship implications. However, as the level of play in college football increased, both academies' stringent admissions standards and height and weight limits made it difficult for them to compete. Since 1963, only the 1996, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2024, and 2025 games have seen both teams enter with winning records. Nonetheless, the game is considered a college football institution. The tradition associated with the annual game has kept it airing nationally on radio since 1930 and television since 1945. It has remained an over-the-air broadcast even in the age of cable, satellite, and streaming.

The game is especially emotional for the seniors, called "first classmen" by both academies, since it is typically the last competitive regular season football game they will ever play (though they sometimes play in a subsequent bowl game). However, some participants in the Army–Navy Game have gone on to professional football careers. For example, quarterback Roger Staubach (Navy, 1965) went on to a Hall of Fame career with the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys that included starting at quarterback in two Super Bowl victories (including being named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl VI), and Alejandro Villanueva (Army, 2010) was later an offensive tackle with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.

The game is the last of three contests in the annual Commander-in-Chief's Trophy series, awarded to each season's winner of the triangular series among Army, Navy, and Air Force since 1972. The rivalries Army and Navy have with Air Force are much less intense than the Army–Navy rivalry, primarily due to the relative youth of the Air Force Academy, established in 1954, and the physical distance between the Air Force Academy and the other two schools. The Army–Air Force and Navy–Air Force games are usually played at the academies' regular home fields, although on occasion they have been held at a neutral field.

Since 1901, there have been ten sitting presidents of the United States to attend the Army–Navy Game. The first was Theodore Roosevelt, who attended the game in 1901 and 1905. Harry S. Truman attended all but one edition during his eight years in office (1945–1953), missing the 1951 game due to vacation. George W. Bush attended three times in 2001, 2004, and 2008. President Donald Trump attended three times in 2018, 2019, and 2020 during his first presidency, and one time in 2025 during his second presidency. Trump also attended two games as president-elect in 2016 and 2024. John F. Kennedy attended both games played during his presidency in 1961 and 1962; he was assassinated fifteen days before the 1963 game. Presidents who each attended once include Woodrow Wilson (1913), Calvin Coolidge (1924), Gerald Ford (1974), Bill Clinton (1996), and Barack Obama (2011).

Traditions

The rivalry between Annapolis and West Point, while friendly, is intense. The phrases "Beat Navy!" and "Beat Army!" are ingrained in the respective institutions and have become a symbol of competitiveness, not just in the Army–Navy Game, but in the service of the country. The phrases are often used at the close of (informal) letters by graduates of both academies.

A long-standing tradition at the Army–Navy football game is to conduct a formal "prisoner exchange" as part of the pre-game activities. The prisoners are the cadets and midshipmen currently spending the semester studying at the sister academy. After the exchange, students have a brief reprieve to enjoy the game with their comrades. During the pre-game ceremony, the invocation is followed by the American national anthem sung by members of the Military Academy and Naval Academy choirs rather than a notable recording artist or marching band. At the end of the game, both teams' almae matres are performed. The winning team stands alongside the losing team and faces the losing academy's students; then the losing team accompanies the winning team, facing their students. This is done in a show of mutual respect and solidarity. Since the winning team's alma mater is always played last, the phrase "sing second" has become synonymous with winning the rivalry game.

Notable games

Navy Midshipman (and later Admiral) Joseph Mason Reeves wore what is widely regarded as the first football helmet in the 1893 Army–Navy Game. He had been advised by a Navy doctor that another kick to his head would result in intellectual disability or even death, so he commissioned an Annapolis shoemaker to make him a helmet out of leather.

On November 27, 1926, the Army–Navy Game was held in Chicago for the National Dedication of Soldier Field as a monument to American servicemen who had fought in World War I. Navy came to the game undefeated, while Army had only lost to Notre Dame. Played before a crowd of over 100,000, the teams fought to a 21–21 tie, resulting in Navy being awarded a share of the national championship.

In both the 1944 and 1945 contests, Army and Navy entered the game ranked #1 and #2 respectively. The 1945 game was labeled the "game of the century" before it was played. Army (9–0) defeated Navy (7–0–1) with a score of 32–13. Navy's tie was against Notre Dame.

In 1963, shortly after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy urged the academies to play after there had been talk of cancellation. Originally scheduled for November 30, 1963, the game was played on December 7, 1963, also coinciding with the 22nd anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day. In front of a crowd of 102,000 people at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, later renamed John F. Kennedy Stadium, junior (second class midshipman) quarterback Roger Staubach led number two ranked Navy to victory which clinched a Cotton Bowl national championship matchup with Texas. Army was led by junior (second class cadet) quarterback Rollie Stichweh. Stichweh led off the game with a touchdown drive that featured the first use of instant replay. Army nearly won the game after another touchdown and two point conversion, Stichweh recovered the onside kick and drove the ball to the Navy 2 yard line. On 4th down and no timeouts, crowd noise prevented Stichweh from calling a play and time expired with the 21–15 final score. Staubach won the Heisman Trophy that year and was bumped off the scheduled cover of Life magazine due to the coverage of the assassination. Stichweh and Staubach would meet again in 1964 as seniors where Stichweh's Army would defeat Staubach's Navy. In that game, Calvin Huey of Navy became the first African-American to play in the series. Staubach went on to serve in the Navy and afterward became a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys. Stichweh served five years in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Stichweh was inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

Venues

Only seven games have ever been held on the campus of either academy, primarily because neither team has ever played at an on-campus stadium large enough to accommodate the large crowds that attend. The rivalry's first four games were hosted on the parade grounds of the respective academies. For all but three years since 1899, it has been held at a neutral site. Two were held on campus due to World War II travel restrictions (1942 at Navy's old Thompson Stadium and 1943 at Michie Stadium), and the 2020 game was held at Michie Stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia has been the traditional home of the Army–Navy game, due to the historic nature of the city and its location approximately halfway between West Point and Annapolis. Through the 2023 meeting, 90 of the 124 games in the series have been contested in Philadelphia, including every game from 1932 to 1982 except three games that were relocated due to World War II travel restrictions. For decades, the Pennsylvania Railroad and its successors offered game-day service to all Army–Navy games in Philadelphia using a sprawling temporary station constructed each year near Municipal Stadium on the railroad's Greenwich freight yard. The service, with more than 40 trains serving as many as 30,000 attendees, was the single largest concentrated passenger rail movement in the country.

All games contested in Philadelphia through 1935 were played at Franklin Field, the home field of the University of Pennsylvania. From 1936 through 1979, all games contested in Philadelphia were held at Municipal Stadium, renamed John F. Kennedy Stadium in 1964. From 1980 to 2001, all games contested in Philadelphia took place at Veterans Stadium. Since 2003, all games contested in Philadelphia have been played at Lincoln Financial Field.

Outside of Philadelphia, the New York area has been the most frequent Army–Navy site. The Polo Grounds holds the record for most games hosted outside of Philadelphia with nine. It was the location of all New York City games through 1927. Yankee Stadium was the site of the game in 1930 and 1931. Six games have been hosted in New Jersey: 1905 at Osborne Field at Princeton University, four games at Giants Stadium from 1989 to 2002, and 2021 at MetLife Stadium.

A number of games throughout the history of the series have also been hosted in Maryland. In Baltimore, Municipal Stadium was the location of the 1924 and 1944 games. Four games were played at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore since 2000. In 2011 and 2024, the game was played at FedExField in Landover, Maryland.

Future venues

December 12, 2026 – MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey

December 11, 2027 – Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia

Total games by venue and geography

Stadiums

Cities

Metropolitan areas

States

Game results

Rankings are from the AP Poll.

Note: there were no games for the following years; 1894–1898, 1909, 1917–1918 & 1928–1929