Army-Navy Game
Learn more about Army-Navy Game
- "The Army-Navy Game" redirects here. For the episode of M*A*S*H, see The Army-Navy Game (M*A*S*H episode).
| Army | Ties | Navy |
|---|---|---|
| (49) | (7) | (51) |
| 1891 1899 1901 1902 1903 1904 1908 1913 1914 1915 1916 1922 1924 1925 1927 1930 1931 1932 1933 1935 1937 1938 1944 1945 1946 1947 1949 1953 1955 1958 1964 1966 1968 1969 1971 1972 1977 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1998 2001 | 1905 1923 1926 1948 1954 1965 1981 | 1890 1892 1893 1900 1906 1907 1910 1911 1912 1919 1920 1921 1934 1936 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1950 1951 1952 1954 1957 1959 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1967 1970 1973 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1985 1989 1991 1997 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 |
The Army-Navy Game, an annual college football game generally played on the last weekend of the regular season in early December, pits the football teams of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York (Army), and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland (Navy), against one another. It is one of the most traditional and enduring rivalries in college football, and is televised every year by CBS. It was in the 1963 Army-Navy game that instant replay made its debut. Navy won the most recent contest on December 2, 2006, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and the 2005 win by Navy broke a 49-49 tie in victories all time between the academies. Navy also became the first of the two teams to win 50 games in the series, and simultaneously winning the Commander in Chief's Trophy for the third year in a row after the 2005 win.
Contents |
[edit] History and Importance
The Army-Navy Game 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. Until the recent advent of conference championship games, it was the last regular-season game played in Division I-A football. With the permanent expansion of the regular season to 12 games starting in 2006, many regular-season games will now be held on the same weekend.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 high academic entrance requirements, height and weight limits, and the military commitment required of West Point and Annapolis graduates has reduced the overall competitiveness of both academies. In fact, the 1996 game was the only one since the aforementioned 1963 game in which both Army and Navy entered with winning records.
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. Arguably, one of the great appeals of this game to many fans is that since few, if any, of the participants will ever play in the NFL, they're playing solely for the love of the game. Due to commitments to serve in their respective branches of the armed services after graduation, many players are simply deemed too old and or out of "playing shape" to even consider playing competitively again, much less in the professional ranks. Many have other post-service ambitions that would preclude such a career or they simply don't want to pursue it. A small number have tried; most are out of the NFL within two or three seasons. However, quarterback Roger Staubach (Navy, 1965) went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys that included being named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl VI. Wide receiver and kickoff/punt returner Phil McConkey (Navy, 1979) was a popular player on the New York Giants' squad that won Super Bowl XXI. Running back Napoleon McCallum (Navy, 1985) was able to concurrently serve his commitment to the Navy and play for the then-Los Angeles Raiders. After satisfying his Navy commitment, he joined the Raiders full time. Sadly, his career was ended by a gruesome knee injury suffered in a game against the San Francisco 49ers in 1994.
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, and Navy has played in a bowl game in each season since 2003.) During wartime the game is even more emotional because some seniors will not return once they are deployed. For instance, in the 2004 game, at least one senior from the class of 2003 who was killed in Iraq, Navy's J.P. Blecksmith, was remembered. The players placed their comrade's pads and jerseys on chairs on the sidelines. Much of the sentiment of the game goes out to those who share the uniform and who are overseas.
At the end of the game the alma maters of the losing team and then the winning team are played and sung. The winning team stands alongside the losing team and faces the losing academy students; then the losing team accompanies the winning team, facing their students. This is done in a show of mutual respect and solidarity.
The rivalry between Annapolis and West Point, while friendly, is intense. Cadets live and breathe the phrase "Beat Navy", while Midshipmen have the opposite dinned into them. Even the weight plates in the Navy weight room are stamped with the phrase "Beat Army". They have become a symbol of competitiveness, not just in the Army-Navy Game, but in the service of their country, and are often used at the close of (informal) letters by graduates of the two academies.
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. For most of the 1970s, Navy had held the trophy. After a period of flux for most of the 1980s, Air Force dominated the competition until the early 2000s. Navy has now reestablished itself as the dominant team in the rivalry, having won the trophy in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
The rivalries Army and Navy have with the Air Force Academy are much less intense than the Army-Navy rivalry, primarily due to the relative youth of the Air Force Academy, and the physical distance between Air Force and the other two schools. The Army-Air Force and Navy-Air Force games are played at the academies' regular home fields, rather than at a neutral site.
[edit] Results
[edit] Overall
As of 2006 game:
- Army: 49 wins
- Navy: 51 wins
- 7 ties
- 107 total games played
- 10 years in which game was not played
[edit] By year
Army victories are shown in ██ gold, Navy victories in ██ blue, and tie games in ██ silver.
| Year | Winner | Score | Location | City | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | Navy | 24–0 | U.S. Military Academy | West Point, NY | Navy 1-0 |
| 1891 | Army | 32–16 | U.S. Naval Academy | Annapolis, MD | Tied 1-1 |
| 1892 | Navy | 12–4 | U.S. Military Academy | West Point, NY | Navy 2-1 |
| 1893 | Navy | 6–4 | U.S. Naval Academy | Annapolis, MD | Navy 3-1 |
| 1894 | No game played | ||||
| 1895 | No game played | ||||
| 1896 | No game played | ||||
| 1897 | No game played | ||||
| 1898 | No game played | ||||
| 1899 | Army | 17–5 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 3-2 |
| 1900 | Navy | 11–7 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 4-2 |
| 1901 | Army | 11–5 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 4-3 |
| 1902 | Army | 22–8 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Tied 4-4 |
| 1903 | Army | 40–5 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Army 5-4 |
| 1904 | Army | 11–0 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Army 6-4 |
| 1905 | Tie | 6–6 | Osborne Field | Princeton, NJ | Army 6-4-1 |
| 1906 | Navy | 10–0 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Army 6-5-1 |
| 1907 | Navy | 6–0 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Tied 6-6-1 |
| 1908 | Army | 6–4 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Army 7-6-1 |
| 1909 | No game played | ||||
| 1910 | Navy | 3–0 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Tied 7-7-1 |
| 1911 | Navy | 3–0 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 8-7-1 |
| 1912 | Navy | 6–0 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 9-7-1 |
| 1913 | Army | 22–9 | Polo Grounds | New York, NY | Navy 9-8-1 |
| 1914 | Army | 20–0 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Tied 9-9-1 |
| 1915 | Army | 14–0 | Polo Grounds | New York, NY | Army 10-9-1 |
| 1916 | Army | 15–7 | Polo Grounds | New York, NY | Army 11-9-1 |
| 1917 | No game played | ||||
| 1918 | No game played | ||||
| 1919 | Navy | 6–0 | Polo Grounds | New York, NY | Army 11-10-1 |
| 1920 | Navy | 7–0 | Polo Grounds | New York, NY | Tied 11-11-1 |
| 1921 | Navy | 7–0 | Polo Grounds | New York, NY | Navy 12-11-1 |
| 1922 | Army | 17–14 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Tied 12-12-1 |
| 1923 | Tie | 0–0 | Polo Grounds | New York, NY | Tied 12-12-2 |
| 1924 | Army | 12–0 | Municipal Stadium | Baltimore, MD | Army 13-12-2 |
| 1925 | Army | 10–3 | Polo Grounds | New York, NY | Army 14-12-2 |
| 1926 | Tie | 21–21 | Soldier Field | Chicago, IL | Army 14-12-3 |
| 1927 | Army | 14–9 | Polo Grounds | New York, NY | Army 15-12-3 |
| 1928 | No game played | ||||
| 1929 | No game played | ||||
| 1930 | Army | 6–0 | Yankee Stadium | New York, NY | Army 16-12-3 |
| 1931 | Army | 17–7 | Yankee Stadium | New York, NY | Army 17-12-3 |
| 1932 | Army | 20–0 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Army 18-12-3 |
| 1933 | Army | 12–7 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Army 19-12-3 |
| 1934 | Navy | 3–0 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Army 19-13-3 |
| 1935 | Army | 28–6 | Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | Army 20-13-3 |
| 1936 | Navy | 7–0 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 20-14-3 |
| 1937 | Army | 6–0 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 21-14-3 |
| 1938 | Army | 14–7 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 22-14-3 |
| 1939 | Navy | 10–0 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 22-15-3 |
| 1940 | Navy | 14–0 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 22-16-3 |
| 1941 | Navy | 14–6 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 22-17-3 |
| 1942 | Navy | 14–0 | Thompson Stadium | Annapolis, MD | Army 22-18-3 |
| 1943 | Navy | 13–0 | Michie Stadium | West Point, NY | Army 22-19-3 |
| 1944 | Army | 23–7 | Municipal Stadium | Baltimore, MD | Army 23-19-3 |
| 1945 | Army | 32–13 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 24-19-3 |
| 1946 | Army | 21–18 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 25-19-3 |
| 1947 | Army | 21–0 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 26-19-3 |
| 1948 | Tie | 21–21 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 26-19-4 |
| 1949 | Army | 38–0 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 27-19-4 |
| 1950 | Navy | 14–2 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 27-20-4 |
| 1951 | Navy | 42–7 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 27-21-4 |
| 1952 | Navy | 7–0 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 27-22-4 |
| 1953 | Army | 20–7 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 28-22-4 |
| 1954 | Navy | 27–20 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 28-23-4 |
| 1955 | Army | 14–6 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 29-23-4 |
| 1956 | Tie | 7–7 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 29-23-5 |
| 1957 | Navy | 14–0 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 29-24-5 |
| 1958 | Army | 22–6 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 30-24-5 |
| 1959 | Navy | 43–12 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 30-25-5 |
| 1960 | Navy | 17–12 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 30-26-5 |
| 1961 | Navy | 13–7 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 30-27-5 |
| 1962 | Navy | 34–14 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 30-28-5 |
| 1963 | Navy | 21–15 | Municipal Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 30-29-5 |
| 1964 | Army | 11–8 | John F. Kennedy Stadium (formerly Municipal Stadium) | Philadelphia, PA | Army 31-29-5 |
| 1965 | Tie | 7–7 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 31-29-6 |
| 1966 | Army | 20–7 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 32-29-6 |
| 1967 | Navy | 19–14 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 32-30-6 |
| 1968 | Army | 21–14 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 33-30-6 |
| 1969 | Army | 27–0 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 34-30-6 |
| 1970 | Navy | 11–7 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 34-31-6 |
| 1971 | Army | 24–23 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 35-31-6 |
| 1972 | Army | 23–15 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 36-31-6 |
| 1973 | Navy | 51–0 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 36-32-6 |
| 1974 | Navy | 19–0 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 36-33-6 |
| 1975 | Navy | 30–6 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 36-34-6 |
| 1976 | Navy | 38–10 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 36-35-6 |
| 1977 | Army | 17–14 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 37-35-6 |
| 1978 | Navy | 28–0 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 37-36-6 |
| 1979 | Navy | 31–7 | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Tied 37-37-6 |
| 1980 | Navy | 33–6 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 38-37-6 |
| 1981 | Tie | 3–3 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 38-37-7 |
| 1982 | Navy | 24–7 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 39-37-7 |
| 1983 | Navy | 42–13 | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, CA | Navy 40-37-7 |
| 1984 | Army | 28–11 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 40-38-7 |
| 1985 | Navy | 17–7 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 41-38-7 |
| 1986 | Army | 27–7 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 41-39-7 |
| 1987 | Army | 17–3 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 41-40-7 |
| 1988 | Army | 20–15 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Tied 41-41-7 |
| 1989 | Navy | 19–17 | Giants Stadium | East Rutherford, NJ | Navy 42-41-7 |
| 1990 | Army | 30–20 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Tied 42-42-7 |
| 1991 | Navy | 24–3 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 43-42-7 |
| 1992 | Army | 25–24 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Tied 43-43-7 |
| 1993 | Army | 16–14 | Giants Stadium | East Rutherford, NJ | Army 44-43-7 |
| 1994 | Army | 22–20 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 45-43-7 |
| 1995 | Army | 14–13 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 46-43-7 |
| 1996 | Army | 28–24 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 47-43-7 |
| 1997 | Navy | 39–7 | Giants Stadium | East Rutherford, NJ | Army 47-44-7 |
| 1998 | Army | 34–30 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 48-44-7 |
| 1999 | Navy | 19–9 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 48-45-7 |
| 2000 | Navy | 30–28 | PSINet Stadium | Baltimore, MD | Army 48-46-7 |
| 2001 | Army | 26–17 | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | Army 49-46-7 |
| 2002 | Navy | 58–12 | Giants Stadium | East Rutherford, NJ | Army 49-47-7 |
| 2003 | Navy | 34–6 | Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, PA | Army 49-48-7 |
| 2004 | Navy | 42–13 | Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, PA | Tied 49-49-7 |
| 2005 | Navy | 42–23 | Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 50-49-7 |
| 2006 | Navy | 26–14 | Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, PA | Navy 51-49-7 |
Note: On a 1973 episode of the TV series M*A*S*H, set during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, the characters spend much of the day listening, or trying to listen, to the Army-Navy Game on Armed Forces Radio. On the show, Army blows a 14-0 lead and Navy wins, 42-36. This does not match the score of any actual Army-Navy Game ever played, whether before, during, or after the war (although Navy did win the 1951 game 42-7). Had such a game actually been played, it would have been the highest-scoring Army-Navy game ever, with the two teams combining for 78 points. The highest-scoring Army-Navy game in real life thus far was Navy's 58-12 win in 2002, with a total of just 70 points. It would not be until 25 years after this episode that an Army-Navy game saw each team score 30 or more points—the 1998 game, a 34-30 Army win, which is the only such game to date in the rivalry.
[edit] Future dates
The 2007 game will be played on December 8th at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.
The 2008 game will be played on December 7th at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Civil War: Army Vs. Navy–A Year Inside College Football's Purest Rivalry, by John Feinstein, ISBN 0-7881-5777-9
