10 incredible facts about the Army-Navy game

The Army-Navy game is one of the most historic and iconic rivalries in college football. With countless traditions (march on, prisoner exchange, Sing Second), it really is a special event.

Here are 10 fun facts to drop at your Army-Navy watch party:

1. The first game was played on November 29, 1890, at West Point on “The Plain.” While Army had a newly established team, Navy had been playing organized football since 1879. It wasn’t a huge shock Army won 24-0.

2. Each of the 271 members of the Corps of Cadets contributed 52 cents in order to cover half of the Navy’s traveling costs for the 1890 game. 

3. While the Army-Navy game is an annual tradition (and has been played uninterrupted since 1930), there have been 10 occurrences when the game wasn’t played. The longest interruption was from 1894-1898, after an argument following the 1893 game occurred between an Army general and a Navy admiral. The dispute was so heated they reportedly almost held a duel. Instead, they called the game off. Seems reasonable. 

4. In 1909, Army canceled the rest of their season following their match up against Harvard in October, where Cadet Eugene Byrne suffered an injury that ultimately led to his death. 

5. In 1917 and 1918, games were canceled on orders from the War Department. Makes sense considering there was a World War happening. In 1928 and 1929 the academies could not agree on player eligibility standards. But after that, the game has been held every year, through wars, a pandemic, snow; nothing stops this game. 

6. On Nov. 27, 1926, the game was played in Chicago, as part of the formal dedication of Soldier Field in honor of the American servicemen who had fought in World War I. Navy had an undefeated season going into the game and Army had only lost to Notre Dame (who was also undefeated until they lost to Carnegie Tech on the same day as Army-Navy). Navy entered the game undefeated, and Army’s only loss that season was to Notre Dame (which was undefeated until a 19-0 loss to Carnegie Tech on the same day). Consequenty, the Army-Navy game would decide the national championship. Army was down 14-0 but came back in the third quarter to take the lead 21-14. Navy battled back, scoring again in the 4th quarter. Army had an opportunity to win the game with a field goal and missed. (That poor kicker!) The game ended in a 21-21 tie, but since Navy finished the season with the best record, they became the National Champions. The game drew an unprecedented 600,000 ticket requests with 110,000 people in attendance.

7. This is only the second time the game is being held in Washington, D.C. (the other occurrence was in 2011, and technically, the game is in Landover, Maryland, this weekend, but you get it). Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia has hosted the most Army-Navy games, with a record-number 41 from 1936 to 1979. Franklin Field (fun fact: the oldest operating football stadium in the country and former home to the Philadelphia Eagles) has hosted 18 times, Veterans Stadium (also in Philly) has hosted 17, and Lincoln Financial Field (you guessed it, in Philadelphia) has seen 14 Army-Navy games. 

8. A 1973 episode of “M*A*S*H” referenced a fictional Army-Navy game that ended 42-36 Navy. To this day, no Army-Navy game has ended with that score. 

9. This is only the fifth time since 1963 that both teams enter the game with a winning record. But as USAA’s CEO Wayne Peacock told WATM at USAA’s Media Row, “It’s Army-Navy. You never know what’s going to happen. Both teams have really good defenses and I think we’re going to have a really good football game.” 

10. Speaking of USAA, this is the 16th year everyone’s favorite military-focused insurance and banking company has sponsored the game. USAA was the first (and has been the only) presenting sponsor, and earlier today extended their contract for five more years, through 2030. It’s an interesting question, “How did an insurance company become a sponsor of a football game?” Peacock explained, “It really started with CBS. They were looking to get the game back to a level of prominence and moved it to the second Saturday in December. We had just opened up our membership eligibility; prior to that time we were a direct mail shop, but we didn’t do anything at a broadcast level. Sponsoring a football game was not the norm for us, but because it was Army-Navy, it was a pretty easy sell for us. We really focus on asking ourselves every year, ‘How do we make it more special this year than last year?’ It’s that pursuit of excellence that we bring to everything we do.” So, what will make this year more special than last year? Peacock shared, “In general, it’s a really special year. It’s the 125th game, and it’s in D.C. at a time when there is so much transition going on. Being able to showcase America’s game and being able to showcase what is right and just is really special. We’re also showing America that competition is a good thing and coming together as one is even better.” 

We couldn’t agree more. No matter who you’re cheering for this weekend, go ‘Merica!

You can catch the 125th running of the game on Saturday, December 14, at 3:00 pm ET on CBS or streaming on Paramount+.

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