The first game between Army /Navy was played in 1880, with Navy emerging as the winner. They have played every year since, with the following 10 exceptions. In 1893, following a Navy victory, an incident after the game almost led to a duel between a Rear Admiral and Brigadier General. As a result of that event, President Cleveland called a cabinet meeting, after which, the Secretary of the Navy, Hillary A. Herbert and Secretary of War, Daniel S. Lamont, issued orders that the respective Academies could play only home game. These orders effectively defused the situation, as the game was placed on hold (1894-1898) for five years . In 1909, a cadet, Eugene Byrne, died in a game against Harvard and as a result, Army cancelled the rest of their season. During WW I, the game was put on hold in 1917 and again, in 1918 and finally, in 1923-24, the games were cancelled when the Academies could not agree on eligibility rules for the players.
“The Event” was moved to Philadelphia in 1899 and has been played in the “City of Brotherly Love” (Greek Origins) for most of the 20th and 21st Centuries. When not in Philly, other host sites include the following cities and number of games played in these respective venues: (Philly: 83 games), 11 times in New York, Baltimore hoasted 4 contests, East Rutherford: 4 games, Annapolis & West Point: 4 each, & Chicago, Pasadena, & Princeton each have hosted a game.
This weekend’s game marks the 114th meeting between the Acadamies, Navy leads the series 57 (wins) 49 (loses) and 7 (ties). Sadly, since 1963, the teams have entered their annual battle with both squads having winning records only twice, 1996 and again, in 2010. The days of this game having national championship implications or the teams being national powers have long since faded into history. High academic standards, potential NFL career opportunities, weight and height limits, and military commitment upon graduation have greatly diminished the talent pool for the Academies.
Navy has won this game 12 straight times and five of the past seven have not been very close; 2006, 26-14; 2007, 38-3; 2008, 34-0; 2009, 17-3; & in 2010, 31-17. That said, the last 2 have been close, in the 2011 the game was 24-21 in the 4th Quarter, before Navy kicked a field goal to secure a 27-21 win & last year Army lost a hard fought game 17-13, a coastly fumble by the Cadets, on Navy’s 14 yard line … late in the 4th quarter ended Army’s hopes! This year, Navy is bowl eligible for the ninth time in ten years and has won 4 of its last 5 games, their only loss in this stretch was to Notre Dame, 38-34. Meanwhile, Army has lost 4 of their last 5 games, with only win in this stretch coming against, a weak, Eastern Michigan team, 50-25! Navy beat Air Force earlier in thwe season, 28-10 while Army fell to the Fly Boys, 42-24! This means that Navy, with a W, could win the Commander – in – Chief’s Trophy …. Army has not won the trophy since 1996!
Las Vegas has made Navy a 13 point favorite and I, for one, hope they got this one wrong!
I was really happy that the NCAA agreed to move this game back a week. America needs to celebrate the young men and women, who are willing to make the commitment and sacrifice a military career demands. It is absolutely fitting that the last regular season college football game be played between Army & Navy and played on a weekend, when all other FBS programs are idle and, hopefully, honoring their gridiron peers!
Yet, for the game to remain one of sport’s greatest rivalries,….. Army needs to stand up this year and put an end to this 11 year nose-bleed…. or sadly…. the rivalry may go the way of national championships and top ten rankings. Go Army!
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