What happened at the Army Navy game?

The Army–Navy game is one of the most traditional and enduring rivalries in college football. It has been frequently attended by sitting U.S. presidents.[2] 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 2028.[3] Instant replay made its American debut in the 1963 Army–Navy game.[4] Since 2009, the game has been held on the second Saturday of December and following FBS conference championship weekend.[5]

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What happens at the Army
What happens at the end of the Army
What was the line on the Navy Army game?
Who won Army or Navy today?

Through the 2021 meeting, Navy leads the series 62–53–7.

Army and Navy first met on the field on November 29, 1890, and have met annually since 1930. The game has been held at several locations throughout its history, including New York City and Baltimore, but has most frequently been played in Philadelphia, 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.

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, since 1963, only the 1996, 2010, 2016 and 2017 games have seen both teams enter with winning records. Nonetheless, the game is considered a college football institution. It has aired nationally on radio since 1930, and has been nationally televised on a broadcast network every year since 1945.

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 USAFA, established in 1954, and the physical distance between the USAFA 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.

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.[10]

The American national anthem is sung by members of the United States Military Academy and the United States Naval Academy choirs.[11] 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.[12] 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.

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.[13]

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 West Point had only lost to Notre Dame, so the game would decide the National Championship. Played before a crowd of over 100,000, the teams fought to a 21–21 tie, but Navy was awarded the national championship.[14]

In both the 1944 and 1945 contests, Army and Navy entered the game ranked #1 and #2 respectively.[15] The 1945 game was labeled the "game of the century" before it was played. Army defeated a 7–0–1 Navy team 32–13. Navy's tie was against Notre Dame.[16]

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.[17] In front of a crowd of 102,000 people in Philadelphia's 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 on television. 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.[18] 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.[19][20]

On December 10, 2016, Army defeated Navy for the first time since 2001 with a 21–17 victory, snapping its 14-game losing streak against Navy.

Philadelphia has been the traditional home of the Army–Navy game. Through the 2021 meeting, 89 of the 122 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. Philadelphia is typically selected as the site due to the historic nature of the city and the fact that it is approximately halfway between West Point and Annapolis. 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.[21][22]

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.

Only seven games have ever been held on the campus of either academy, primarily because neither team plays at an on-campus stadium large enough to accommodate the large crowds that attend. Army's Michie Stadium seats only 38,000, and Navy's Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium 34,000. The rivalry's first four games were hosted on the parade grounds of the respective academies, two games were held on campus due to World War II travel restrictions (1942 at Navy's old Thompson Stadium, 1943 at Michie Stadium), and the 2020 game was held at Michie Stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions in Philadelphia.

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, as 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, with MetLife Stadium scheduled to host again in 2026.

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, with four games being held at M&T Bank Stadium since 2000. In Landover, FedExField was the site of the 2011 game. FedExField and M&T Bank Stadium have been announced as future hosts, respectively in 2024 and 2025.

The Rose Bowl is the only site west of the Mississippi River where an Army–Navy game has been played, in 1983. The city of Pasadena, California, home to the Rose Bowl, paid for the travel expenses of all the students and supporters of both academies – 9,437 in all. The game was held at the Rose Bowl that year because there are a large number of military installations and servicemen and women, along with many retired military personnel, on the West Coast.[23] The game has been held one other time in a non-East Coast venue, at Chicago's Soldier Field, which hosted the 1926 game.

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	November 29, 1890	West Point, NY	Navy	24–0
2	November 28, 1891	Annapolis, MD	Army	32–16
3	November 26, 1892	West Point, NY	Navy	12–4
4	December 2, 1893	Annapolis, MD	Navy	6–4
5	December 2, 1899	Philadelphia, PA	Army	17–5
6	December 1, 1900	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	11–7
7	November 30, 1901	Philadelphia, PA	Army	11–5
8	November 29, 1902	Philadelphia, PA	Army	22–8
9	November 28, 1903	Philadelphia, PA	Army	40–5
10	November 26, 1904	Philadelphia, PA	Army	11–0
11	December 2, 1905	Princeton, NJ	Tie	6–6
12	December 1, 1906	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	10–0
13	November 30, 1907	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	6–0
14	November 28, 1908	Philadelphia, PA	Army	6–4
15	November 26, 1910	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	3–0
16	November 25, 1911	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	3–0
17	November 30, 1912	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	6–0
18	November 29, 1913	New York, NY	Army	22–9
19	November 28, 1914	Philadelphia, PA	Army	20–0
20	November 27, 1915	New York, NY	Army	14–0
21	November 25, 1916	New York, NY	Army	15–7
22	November 29, 1919	New York, NY	Navy	6–0
23	November 27, 1920	New York, NY	Navy	7–0
24	November 26, 1921	New York, NY	Navy	7–0
25	November 25, 1922	Philadelphia, PA	Army	17–14
26	November 24, 1923	New York, NY	Tie	0–0
27	November 29, 1924	Baltimore, MD	Army	12–0
28	November 28, 1925	New York, NY	Army	10–3
29	November 27, 1926	Chicago, IL	Tie	21–21
30	November 26, 1927	New York, NY	Army	14–9
31	December 13, 1930	New York, NY	Army	6–0
32	December 12, 1931	New York, NY	Army	17–7
33	December 3, 1932	Philadelphia, PA	Army	20–0
34	November 25, 1933	Philadelphia, PA	Army	12–7
35	December 1, 1934	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	3–0
36	November 30, 1935	Philadelphia, PA	Army	28–6
37	November 28, 1936	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	7–0
38	November 27, 1937	Philadelphia, PA	Army	6–0
39	November 26, 1938	Philadelphia, PA	Army	14–7
40	December 2, 1939	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	10–0
41	November 30, 1940	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	14–0
42	November 29, 1941	Philadelphia, PA	No. 11 Navy	14–6
43	November 28, 1942	Annapolis, MD	Navy	14–0
44	November 27, 1943	West Point, NY	No. 6 Navy	13–0
45	December 2, 1944	Baltimore, MD	No. 1 Army	23–7
46	December 1, 1945	Philadelphia, PA	No. 1 Army	32–13
47	November 30, 1946	Philadelphia, PA	No. 1 Army	21–18
48	November 29, 1947	Philadelphia, PA	No. 12 Army	21–0
49	November 27, 1948	Philadelphia, PA	Tie	21–21
50	November 26, 1949	Philadelphia, PA	No. 4 Army	38–0
51	December 2, 1950	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	14–2
52	December 1, 1951	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	42–7
53	November 29, 1952	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	7–0
54	November 28, 1953	Philadelphia, PA	No. 18 Army	20–7
55	November 27, 1954	Philadelphia, PA	No. 6 Navy	27–20
56	November 26, 1955	Philadelphia, PA	Army	14–6
57	December 1, 1956	Philadelphia, PA	Tie	7–7
58	November 30, 1957	Philadelphia, PA	No. 8 Navy	14–0
59	November 29, 1958	Philadelphia, PA	No. 5 Army	22–6
60	November 28, 1959	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	43–12
61	November 26, 1960	Philadelphia, PA	No. 7 Navy	17–12
62	December 2, 1961	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	13–7

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
63	December 1, 1962	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	34–14
64	December 7, 1963	Philadelphia, PA	No. 2 Navy	21–15
65	November 28, 1964	Philadelphia, PA	Army	11–8
66	November 27, 1965	Philadelphia, PA	Tie	7–7
67	November 26, 1966	Philadelphia, PA	Army	20–7
68	December 2, 1967	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	19–14
69	November 30, 1968	Philadelphia, PA	Army	21–14
70	November 29, 1969	Philadelphia, PA	Army	27–0
71	November 28, 1970	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	11–7
72	November 27, 1971	Philadelphia, PA	Army	24–23
73	December 2, 1972	Philadelphia, PA	Army	23–15
74	December 1, 1973	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	51–0
75	November 30, 1974	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	19–0
76	November 29, 1975	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	30–6
77	November 27, 1976	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	38–10
78	November 26, 1977	Philadelphia, PA	Army	17–14
79	December 2, 1978	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	28–0
80	December 1, 1979	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	31–7
81	November 29, 1980	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	33–6
82	December 5, 1981	Philadelphia, PA	Tie	3–3
83	December 4, 1982	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	24–7
84	November 25, 1983	Pasadena, CA	Navy	42–13
85	December 1, 1984	Philadelphia, PA	Army	28–11
86	December 7, 1985	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	17–7
87	December 4, 1986	Philadelphia, PA	Army	27–7
88	December 5, 1987	Philadelphia, PA	Army	17–3
89	December 3, 1988	Philadelphia, PA	Army	20–15
90	December 9, 1989	East Rutherford, NJ	Navy	19–17
91	December 8, 1990	Philadelphia, PA	Army	30–20
92	December 7, 1991	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	24–3
93	December 5, 1992	Philadelphia, PA	Army	25–24
94	December 4, 1993	East Rutherford, NJ	Army	16–14
95	December 3, 1994	Philadelphia, PA	Army	22–20
96	December 2, 1995	Philadelphia, PA	Army	14–13
97	December 7, 1996	Philadelphia, PA	No. 23 Army	28–24
98	December 6, 1997	East Rutherford, NJ	Navy	39–7
99	December 5, 1998	Philadelphia, PA	Army	34–30
100	December 4, 1999	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	19–9
101	December 2, 2000	Baltimore, MD	Navy	30–28
102	December 1, 2001	Philadelphia, PA	Army	26–17
103	December 7, 2002	East Rutherford, NJ	Navy	58–12
104	December 6, 2003	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	34–6
105	December 4, 2004	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	42–13
106	December 3, 2005	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	42–23
107	December 2, 2006	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	26–14
108	December 1, 2007	Baltimore, MD	Navy	38–3
109	December 6, 2008	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	34–0
110	December 12, 2009	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	17–3
111	December 11, 2010	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	31–17
112	December 10, 2011	Landover, MD	Navy	27–21
113	December 8, 2012	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	17–13
114	December 14, 2013	Philadelphia, PA	Navy	34–7
115	December 13, 2014	Baltimore, MD	Navy	17–10
116	December 12, 2015	Philadelphia, PA	No. 21 Navy	21–17
117	December 10, 2016	Baltimore, MD	Army	21–17
118	December 9, 2017	Philadelphia, PA	Army	14–13
119	December 8, 2018	Philadelphia, PA	No. 22 Army	17–10
120	December 14, 2019	Philadelphia, PA	No. 23 Navy	31–7
121	December 12, 2020	West Point, NY	Army	15–0
122	December 11, 2021	East Rutherford, NJ	Navy	17–13
Series: Navy leads 62–53–7[1]

What happens at the Army

Every Army-Navy Game is going to see one loser and one winner. No matter what the outcome of the game, the players sing both teams' alma maters. The winners will join the losing team, facing the losing side's fans. Then, the two groups will do the same for the winning team.

What happens at the end of the Army

“Sing Second.” It refers to how, at the end of a game, the victorious team in a contest between two of the military academies—Army, Navy, and Air Force—sings their alma mater second, after the losing team has sung theirs.