Army-Navy Game
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This game has always had inter-service "bragging rights" at stake; in past decades, when both Army and Navy were often national powers, the game occasionally had national championship implications. However, as top-level college football has developed into primarily a training ground for the National Football League, the military commitment required of West Point and Annapolis graduates has reduced the overall competitiveness of both academies. In fact, only once in the last 40 years have Army and Navy both entered the game with a winning record (1996).
Despite the fact that Army and Navy are no longer nationally competitive on a regular basis, the tradition of the game has ensured that it remains nationally televised to this day. One of the great appeals of this game to many fans is that its players are largely playing for the love of the game, since almost none will ever play in the NFL. The game is especially emotional for the seniors, called "first classmen" by both academies, since it is typically the last competitive football game they will ever play. (The 1996 game was an aberration, as both Army and Navy went to bowl games afterwards.) During wartime the game is even more emotional because of the fact that some seniors will not return once they are deployed. For instance, in the 2004 game, at least one senior from the class of 2003 who was killed in Iraq, Navy's J.P. Blecksmith, was remembered. The players placed their comrade's pads and jerseys on chairs on the sidelines. Much of the sentiment of the game goes out to those who share the uniform and who are overseas.
Occasionally, the Commander in Chief's Trophy, awarded to each season's winner of the triangular series between Army, Navy, and Air Force, will be at stake in this game. Since the late 1980s, this inter-academy competition has mainly been dominated by Air Force; however, Navy has won the trophy the last two seasons.
At the end of the game the alma maters of the losing team and then the winning team are played and sung. The winning team with the losing team faces the losing academy students; then the losing team with the winning team faces the winning academy students. This is done in a show of respect and solidarity.
The rivalry between Annapolis and West Point, while friendly, is intense. Cadets live and breathe the phrase "Beat Navy", while Midshipmen have the opposite dinned into them. Even the weight plates in the Navy weight room are stamped with the phrase "Beat Army". They have become a symbol of competitiveness, not just in the Army-Navy Game, but in the service of their country, and are often used at the close of (informal) letters by graduates of the two academies. Cadets and midshipmen alike have an intense dislike, bordering at times on hatred, of the Air Force Academy.
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Results
Overall
As of 2004 game:
- Army: 49 wins
- Navy: 49 wins
- 7 ties
- 105 total games played
- 10 years in which game was not played
By year
- 1890 Navy 24–0 at West Point, New York
- 1891 Army 32–16 at Annapolis, Maryland
- 1892 Navy 12–4 at West Point
- 1893 Navy 6–4 at Annapolis
- 1894 No game
- 1895 No game
- 1896 No game
- 1897 No game
- 1898 No game
- 1899 Army 17–5 at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1900 Navy 11–7 at Franklin Field
- 1901 Army 11–5 Franklin Field
- 1902 Army 22–8 Franklin Field
- 1903 Army 40–5 Franklin Field
- 1904 Army 11–0 Franklin Field
- 1905 Tie 6–6 at Princeton, New Jersey
- 1906 Navy 10–0 Franklin Field
- 1907 Navy 6–0 Franklin Field
- 1908 Army 6–4 Franklin Field
- 1909 No game
- 1910 Navy 3–0 Franklin Field
- 1911 Navy 3–0 Franklin Field
- 1912 Navy 6–0 Franklin Field
- 1913 Army 22–9 Polo Grounds, New York
- 1914 Army 20–0 Franklin Field
- 1915 Army 14–0 Polo Grounds
- 1916 Army 15–7 Polo Grounds
- 1917 No game
- 1918 No game
- 1919 Navy 6–0 Polo Grounds
- 1920 Navy 7–0 Polo Grounds
- 1921 Navy 7–0 Polo Grounds
- 1922 Army 17–14 Franklin Field
- 1923 Tie 0–0 Polo Grounds
- 1924 Army 12–0 Municipal Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
- 1925 Army 10–3 Polo Grounds
- 1926 Tie 21–21 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- 1927 Army 14–9 Polo Grounds
- 1928 No game
- 1929 No game
- 1930 Army 6–0 Yankee Stadium, New York, New York
- 1931 Army 17–7 Yankee Stadium
- 1932 Army 20–0 Franklin Field
- 1933 Army 12–7 Franklin Field
- 1934 Navy 3–0 Franklin Field
- 1935 Army 28–6 Franklin Field
- 1936 Navy 7–0 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1937 Army 6–0 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1938 Army 14–7 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1939 Navy 10–0 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1940 Navy 14–0 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1941 Navy 14–6 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1942 Navy 14–0 Thompson Stadium
- 1943 Navy 13–0 Michie Stadium at West Point, New York
- 1944 Army 23–7 Municipal Stadium, Baltimore
- 1945 Army 32–13 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1946 Army 21–18 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1947 Army 21–0 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1948 Tie 21–21 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1949 Army 38–0 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1950 Navy 14–2 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1951 Navy 42–7 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1952 Navy 7–0 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1953 Army 20–7 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1954 Navy 27–20 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1955 Army 14–6 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1956 Tie 7–7 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1957 Navy 14–0 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1958 Army 22–6 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1959 Navy 43–12 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1960 Navy 17–12 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1961 Navy 13–7 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1962 Navy 34–14 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1963 Navy 21–15 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1964 Army 11–8 John F. Kennedy Stadium (formerly Municipal Stadium), Philadelphia
- 1965 Tie 7–7 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1966 Army 20–7 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1967 Navy 19–14 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1968 Army 21–14 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1969 Army 27–0 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1970 Navy 11–7 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1971 Army 24–23 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1972 Army 23–15 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1973 Navy 51–0 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1974 Navy 19–0 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1975 Navy 30–6 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1976 Navy 38–10 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1977 Army 17–14 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1978 Navy 28–0 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1979 Navy 31–7 J.F.K. Stadium
- 1980 Navy 33–6 Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia
- 1981 Tie 3–3 Veterans Stadium
- 1982 Navy 24–7 Veterans Stadium
- 1983 Navy 42–13 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
- 1984 Army 28–11 Veterans Stadium
- 1985 Navy 17–7 Veterans Stadium
- 1986 Army 27–7 Veterans Stadium
- 1987 Army 17–3 Veterans Stadium
- 1988 Army 20–15 Veterans Stadium
- 1989 Navy 19–17 Giants Stadium, New Jersey
- 1990 Army 30–20 Veterans Stadium
- 1991 Navy 24–3 Veterans Stadium
- 1992 Army 25–24 Veterans Stadium
- 1993 Army 16–14 Giants Stadium
- 1994 Army 22–20 Veterans Stadium
- 1995 Army 14–13 Veterans Stadium
- 1996 Army 28–24 Veterans Stadium
- 1997 Navy 39–7 Giants Stadium
- 1998 Army 34–30 Veterans Stadium
- 1999 Navy 19–9 Veterans Stadium
- 2000 Navy 30–28 PSINet Stadium, Baltimore
- 2001 Army 26–17 Veterans Stadium
- 2002 Navy 58–12 Giants Stadium
- 2003 Navy 34–6 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
- 2004 Navy 42–13 Lincoln Financial Field
See also
Civil War: Army Vs. Navy–A Year Inside College Football's Purest Rivalry, by John Feinstein, ISBN 0788157779