Army-Navy football game



         


The Army-Navy Game, an annual game that pits the football teams of the United States Military Academy (Army) and United States Naval Academy (Navy) against one another, is one of the most traditional and enduring rivalries in college football. It has been held at several locations throughout its history, but has most frequently been played in Philadelphia, roughly equidistant from the two academies. The game is traditionally the last game of the season for both teams; in recent years, it has also been the last regular-season game, not counting conference championship games, in Division I-A football.

This game has always had inter-service "bragging rights" at stake; in past decades, when both Army and Navy were often national powers, the game occasionally had national championship implications. However, as top-level college football has developed into primarily a training ground for the National Football League, the military commitment required of West Point and Annapolis graduates has reduced the overall competitiveness of both academies. In fact, only once in the last 40 years have Army and Navy both entered the game with a winning record (1996).

Despite the fact that Army and Navy are no longer nationally competitive on a regular basis, the tradition of the game has ensured that it remains nationally televised to this day. One of the great appeals of this game to many fans is that its players are largely playing for the love of the game, since almost none will ever play in the NFL. The game is especially emotional for the seniors (called "first classmen" by both academies), since it is typically the last competitive football game they will ever play. (The 1996 game was an aberration, as both Army and Navy went to bowl games afterwards.)

Occasionally, the Commander in Chief's Trophy, awarded to each season's winner of the triangular series between Army, Navy, and Air Force, will be at stake in this game. However, since the early 1980s, this inter-academy competition has mainly been dominated by Air Force.

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