History of army navy football game

Photo source: JFK Library. The Army and Navy first met on the field of play on November 29, , however the game has only been played annually since Now in it's nd edition the game was even held during World War II.

There have, however, been cancellations on some occasions. The game was not during a four year period from to Additionally the game was also not held once again in when the Army canceled all remaining games for their season following the death of a cadet who suffered an injury in an October game against Harvard.

There was also and when the game was canceled due to participation in World War I. Last but not least the game was canceled for the seasons when the two academies could not agree on eligibility requirements for players and so the game was not staged. Across their past meetings it's the Navy who is actually on top with a record of 61 wins compared to the Army who have come out victorious 53 times.

There have been 7 tied games. Traditionally played on neutral territory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this is the first time the game will be played at the Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Of course while traditions and stadiums are all well and good, one has to wonder what about mascots and trophies?

Yes, both teams do in fact have their own mascots in case you were wondering. For the most part, the game has been held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The one-time United States capital has often been the main neutral location for this Army-Navy game since because it's sandwiched in-between West Point N.

In fact, of the time the academies have played, 89 of those games were in Philly. The Black Knights have won four of the last five games against the Midshipmen following a victory in Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. The forward pass was not legal yet and players wore limited gear during games.

The first Navy teams wore uniforms made of canvas in an effort to make themselves more difficult to tackle. With minimal protective equipment, teams ran at each other in the form of a flying V that resulted in huge, bone-jarring collisions. Harvey, noted in a New York Times article that during the season, there were 97 cases of injury from sports treated in the cadet hospital, with the bulk of them a result from playing football.

By the fourth contest in the series in , the game was already seen as an opportunity to win bragging rights between the entire military.

Unfortunately, the crowd became extremely rowdy and a free-for-all slugfest broke out in the stands. A brigadier general even punched a rear admiral in the nose. The admiral then challenged the general to a duel, according to a book by Bruce Nash. Different accounts contradict whether an actual duel occurred, but the actions of the crowd and even those of general officers upset President Grover Cleveland so much that he called a special cabinet meeting with the secretary of the Navy and secretary of War.

The result: Cancellation of the series for the next several years by forcing each team to only play home games, making it impossible to play each other.

It was not until then-Assistant Secretary of the Navy Teddy Roosevelt wrote Secretary of War Russell Alger in lobbying for the reinstatement of the game did the rivalry resume. Roosevelt liked the game of football so much, he took measures to preserve football by reducing the brutality with established rules, mandatory equipment, and sanctioning bodies.

Each cadet and midshipman will go on to military service once their playing days are over. Some will make the utmost sacrifice in the defense of our nation. The early stars of this rivalry were no exception to this fact.

Michie of Army and Worth Bagley for Navy were two of those early stars.