Army-Navy Game: A Rivalry That Almost Wasn't
Oct 30, 2012
What has become revered as "America's Game" got off to a rough start that nearly ended the contest before it became legendary.
Who doesn't love a good football rivalry? It has drama. It has passion. It has last-second scores and mind-numbing blowouts.
And it has history. Lots of it.
USC-Notre Dame, Michigan-Ohio State, Stanford-Cal, Georgia-Florida, Oklahoma-Texas and Auburn-Alabama all have tales of bitter rivalries and devoted fans who take winning seriously. But none of these esteemed schools were ever ordered by our nation's leaders to cease playing because of a near duel between high-ranking officials.
Only Army-Navy carries that kind of history.
And, while there is no longer a threat of armed conflict between the academies, make no mistake: The midshipmen and cadets are prepared for a gridiron battle and bragging rights that last a lifetime when they meet for the 113th time, this year in Philadelphia (Dec. 8, CBS, 3 p.m. EST).
An Argument That Made History
But one of college football's most storied rivalries almost wasn't.
It all started back in 1890 when Cadet Dennis Mahan Michie and his newly formed Army football team agreed to play the Naval Academy. The experienced Navy team had been going strong for more than a decade when the two academies met for the first time on the gridiron at West Point on Nov. 29, 1890.
They played one other game before the fateful third contest in 1893, when Navy beat Army 6-4 at Annapolis.
The emotional climax led to a reputed dust-up between a Navy rear admiral and an Army brigadier general. That near-duel prompted President Grover Cleveland to call a Cabinet meeting in late February 1894. That discussion ended with the Secretary of the Navy Hillary A. Herbert and Secretary of War Daniel S. Lamont issuing orders to prohibit the Army and Navy teams from "engaging in games elsewhere."
In other words, Army and Navy were restricted to home games and, consequently, from playing each other. The ban lasted five years, the longest interruption in the game's history.
You Can't Keep a Good Rivalry Down
Fast forward to 1899. With the moratorium lifted, Philadelphia emerged as the neutral locale for the Army-Navy Game, and the rivalry began anew. Since then, the game has been played at Franklin Field, Municipal Stadium (later JFK Stadium), Veterans Stadium and Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia continues to be the primary host and the home of what has become known as "America's Game."
Few football contests call to mind the pomp and circumstance of the Army-Navy matchup. From the March On and the pregame cadet-midshipmen exchange to the tradition of the commander-in-chief changing sides at halftime, the game is a great display of ceremonial grandeur and rich, military tradition.
Whether you take sides or watch for the sheer excitement of the game, you're sure to feel the shared sense of fervor and patriotism as fans shout throughout the stadium: "Beat Navy!" and "Beat Army!"
Army-Navy Football Facts:
Navy leads series 56-49-7
Largest margin of victory: Navy 51–0 (1973)
Highest scoring game: Navy 58–12 (2002)
Last 10 match-ups:
2002: Navy 58–12, Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2003: Navy 34–6, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
2004: Navy 42–13, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
2005: Navy 42–23, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
2006 Navy 26–14, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
2007 Navy 38–3, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
2008 Navy 34–0, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
2009 Navy 17–3, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
2010 Navy 31–17, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
2011 Navy 27–21, FedEx Field, Landover, MD
