The 123rd game in a rivalry is about to go down.
This year, the game will be played at Lincoln Financial Field. In the future, we’ll see the game played at Gillette Stadium (2023), FedEx Field (2024), etc. Army and Navy first met on the field on November 29th, 1890, and have met regularly since 1930. Army is known as the Black Knights, and Navy as the Midshipmen.
President Truman with the coin toss (photo, U.S. Army)
Since 1901, ten sitting presidents of the United States have attended the Army-Navy game. The first was Theodore Roosevelt, who attended the game in 1901 and 1905. Others followed him, including Presidents Kennedy, Wilson, Coolidge, Truman (at left), and Ford.
The rivalry between Annapolis and West Point is friendly but intense. This year, Army will be wearing uniforms inspired by the 1st Armored Division. The 1st Armored Division was formed in 1940 at Fort Knox in Kentucky. Navy will wear NASA-themed uniforms to honor the space program, and United States Naval Academy graduates have become astronauts. Navy’s helmets today will feature an astronaut on one side and the NASA logo on the other. Their cleats will mimic shoes worn in space.
I, for one, am looking forward to the game. One reason is that a good friend and former teammate played for Navy in the early 2000s.
May the players be safe, and may the best team win.
