The Army Navy Rivalry is defined by the annual college football Army-Navy Game that is held between the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. As one of the most traditional and prestigious rivalries in college football, the Army Navy rivalry game debuted over a century ago in 1890.

History of the Army Navy Game:

The Army Navy rivalry began when Cadet Dennis Mahan Michie accepted a “challenge” from the Naval Academy in which the Navy won on The Plain at West Point in 1890. From then on the rivalry bloomed and is now the source of extreme fan passion. Out of the last 120 years, there were 10 times that the Army Navy game was not played. It wasn’t played in 1909 when Army canceled its entire schedule after the death of Cadet Eugene Byrne during the game against Harvard. The 1917 and 1918 games were canceled due to World War I by the War Department, and the 1928 and 1929 games were canceled due to the dispute between academies over player eligibility standards. The largest time gap that the two teams did not match up was from 1894 until 1898, when fury between Rear Admiral and a Brigadier General erupted after the 1893 Army Navy game and the two nearly agreed to a duel. A meeting between President Cleveland and his Cabinet was called in 1894 and concluded with general orders to the Army and Navy Academies in which they were only allowed to play on their home field and not permitted to travel for games, thus making it impossible for them to play each other. Philadelphia was chosen to be the neutral host of the 1899 Army Navy game, and has since hosted the majority of the games at what is now called Lincoln Financial Field.

Standout Army Navy Games:

As of the most recent 2009 Army Navy game, the record goes to Navy with 54 wins, 49 losses, and 7 ties. Navy has won 11 of the last 13 games, claiming the last 8 victories in a row. And out of those 110 games played, some have stuck out in history for one reason or another. The 1893 Army Navy Game is known for being the game of the first helmet ever worn. Navy Midshipman Joseph Mason Reeves had been warned by his doctor that another kick to his head would result in death or “instant insanity”, so Reeves got a helmet made out of leather for him by an Annapolis shoemaker. In 1926, both teams met in Chicago, Navy undefeated and Army only previously losing one game to Notre Dame. Over 100,000 spectators showed up for this game that would decide who was the 1926 National Champion. The score ended in a tie, but Navy was awarded the National Championship. The 1945 Army Navy Game was named the “game of the century” before it was played, as Army and Navy showed up to the game ranked #1 and #2 for the second year in a row. Army took home the victory that year with a 32-13 win over Navy. Another one of history’s standout Army Navy games occurred in 1963, when the national television aired the game and introduced “instant replay” to the world – a brand new phenomenon where viewers could see the televised football play again after it already happened.

Rival Army Navy Pranks:

A week before the 1953 Army Navy game, a group of West Point cadets snuck onto the Navy grounds and kidnapped Bill the Goat, Navy’s mascot. The goats horns were said to have shredded the convertible top that the group drove the goat away in. After successfully making it back to West Point, the cadets presented the goat to the entire Corps at a pep rally and news of the kidnapping reached the press. Navy midshipmen, as a result of the prank, refused to go to classes until Bill was returned to Annapolis and even President Dwight D. Eisenhower – an Army alum himself – got involved, ordering Army to return Bill the goat. The Army went on to win the Army Navy 1953 game a week later 20 to 7.

The Army Navy rivalry is so historical and such a staple in the sport of college football that many may call it the greatest football rival of all time. The fact that those who enroll in the Army and Navy are not using college football as a stepping stone to get to the NFL like other university football players shows that the Army Navy game is truly played for the pure love of the sport itself. The athletes play for pride in their respected academies, making the Army Navy rivalry stand out amongst the rest of those top football rivalries out there.