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The Army vs Navy Game: College Football’s Greatest Tradition
- Navy won the most recent game with Army and leads the series 63-55-7.
- The teams were ranked first and second in the 1944 and 1945 games.
- The 126th meeting between the Cadets and the Midshipmen is set for Dec. 13 in Baltimore.
There was a time when the Army and Navy football programs produced Heisman Trophy winners and were in the running for national titles.
Army was among the teams recognized as national champions in 1914 and 1916. From 1944 to 1946, Army was 27-0-1. Navy has the longest winning streak in the Army vs Navy game, beating rival Army 14 times in a row from 2002 to 2015.
Some of the greatest games in college football’s history have been the Army vs. Navy game. The 126th Army vs. Navy game is set for December 13 in Baltimore.
Let’s check in on the Navy vs Army football rivalry.
Hard to Top The Pageantry In the Army-Navy Game
A Look At The Rivalry
The first four Army vs. Navy games were held on campus. The first game was at West Point, New York, in 1890, with Navy winning 24-0. Army returned the favor with a 32-16 victory at Navy the following year.
After Navy won four of the first six meetings, Army went 5-0-1 over the next six meetings. There was a 10-game stretch ending in 1933 when Army was 8-0-2 in the Army vs. Navy game.
The most dominant run in the series started in 2002 when Navy won the first of 14 games in a row. The first nine games were double-digit point wins by the Midshipmen. However, four of the last five games were decided by seven points or less.
Although Army has won six of the last nine games, Navy leads the all-time series 63-55-7.
Where Are the Army vs Navy Games Played?
Many of the top college football rivalries alternate between the home fields of the two teams. That is how things are done in West Virginia’s and Pittsburgh’s historic rivalry. That is not the case in the Army vs. Navy football game. Only four games have been played at West Point, with three being held at Navy, the last coming in 1942.
Ninety of the Navy vs. Army games have been played in Philadelphia. Navy is 45-41-4 in those matchups. From 1913 to 1931, 11 Army-Navy games were held in New York.
The 2025 game will be held in Baltimore, followed by a 2026 matchup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The rivalry will return to Philadelphia in 2027.
Are There Trophies Associated With the Army-Navy Game?
With Air Force beginning to have annual games with both Army and Navy, the idea for the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy was born with the team having the best record in the round-robin matchups of the three service academies playing major college football.
Army won the inaugural trophy in 1972. Air Force won the trophy 16 times from 1982 to 2002. Since 2003, Navy has been presented with the Trophy 12 times.
Ten sitting U.S. Presidents have attended the Army-Navy game, adding to the pomp and circumstance of this rivalry.
Why Is This Such A Special Rivalry?
The requirements of players and students at Army and Navy are different from those of other top college football rivalries.
While there may be a bowl game after the annual Army vs Navy contest, very few players from Army and Navy will embark on professional football careers. Their focus will be on continuing their military service.
There is something special at home Army and Navy games. When the teams get together, it is a scene no other rivalry can match.
Looking At The Most Meaningful Army-Navy Games
Highlighting just a handful of Army-Navy matchups is no easy task. We will do our best.
The 1926 Army-Navy football game was held in Chicago for the dedication of Soldier Field to pay tribute to servicemen who fought in World War I. The game fittingly ended in a 21-21 tie. That would give Navy a share of the national title.
In something unthinkable in modern-day college football, the Cadets and Midshipmen were ranked first and second in the national polls. The 1945 contest was dubbed the Game of the Century, with Army winning 32-13.
There was talk of not having a game in 1963 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. His widow encouraged the academies to hold the game. The Army vs Navy game was pushed back from Nov. 30 to Dec. 7.
Led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach, Navy won 21-15.
The first overtime game was in 2022 with Army winning 20-17.
With Army joining the American Athletic Conference, the teams were in the same conference in 2024.
Navy won its first six games, and Army started 9-0 as the game attracted much more attention than most recent Army-Navy games. Navy would win 31-13.
