Army–Navy Game

The Army–Navy Game is an annual college football game played by the Army Black Knights, of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the Navy Midshipmen, of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. The Black Knights (or Cadets) and Midshipmen each represent their service's oldest officer commissioning sources. As such, the game has come to embody the spirit of the interservice rivalry of the United States Armed Forces. The game marks the end of the college football regular season and the third and final game of the season's Commander-in-Chief's Trophy series, which also includes the Air Force Falcons of the United States Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The series has been uninterrupted since 1930. Through the 2025 meeting, Navy leads the series 64–55–7.

Branded as "America's Game," the Army–Navy Game is one of the most traditional and enduring rivalries in college football. It has been frequently attended by the president of the United States. The game has been nationally televised each year since 1945 on either ABC, CBS, or NBC. CBS has televised the game since 1996 and has the rights to the broadcast through 2038. The December 2024 announcement of CBS Sports' extension will also give their international channels rights in the United Kingdom and Australia. Instant replay made its American debut in the 1963 Army–Navy game. Since 2009, the game has been held on the second Saturday of December and following FBS conference championship weekend. The game has been primarily played in Philadelphia, but the game has also been held in multiple locations including the New York area, the Baltimore–Washington area, Chicago, Pasadena, California and the Boston area.

History

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. Historically played on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (a date on which most other major college football teams end their regular seasons), the game is now played on the second Saturday in December and is traditionally the last regular-season game played in NCAA Division I football.

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.

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 game has kept it airing nationally on radio since 1930 and on 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. 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).

From the 2024 season, Army joined Navy in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in football. As part of the arrangement, the Army–Navy Game remains an out-of-conference date for both schools, and still played on an annual basis in the week after the AAC Championship game. It is therefore conceivable that Army and Navy could contest an AAC Championship game followed by their annual game in consecutive weeks.

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.