The Army VS. The Navy game is one of the biggest games of the college football regular season. Its mix of history and intensity ensures a hard fought game year in and year out. It is usually played the second week of December in Philadelphia due to its central location. It’s also called “Americas Game,” and if you are an Army fan you call it “The Army – Navy game” and as a Navy supporter “The Navy – Army game.” The winner of the game gets the commander in chief trophy and is usually presented by the president of the United States.
The game ball is usually delivered by the Army marathon team after a 150-mile journey from Army West Point Academy. Then the Navy runs a 150 mile marathon from their Academy in Annapolis with a game ball. Then, the two teams exchange game balls before the March on, when cadets [Army] and midshipmen [Navy] march onto the field in a structured formation. Then the pre-game flyover with military aircraft occurs as the “Leap Frogs” from the Navy and “Black Knights” from the Army jump out of planes onto the field.
The first game was played in 1890 at West Point Academy with a Navy 24-0 win. The game has been played 125 times as of 2025. Navy has been dominant with a 60-49-7 record, while Army stands at 49-60-7. The game has been cancelled ten times in 1917-1918 because of WWI and the longest break from the game was in 1894 to 1898 due to a dispute between the two teams after the 1993 game.
Most Memorable Games
1963: The game was delayed by a full week due to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It’s also famous because it was the first college game that used instant replay. Navy managed to pull it out, with a 21-15 win, but eventually went on to lose the Cotton Bowl to the University of Texas 28-6.
1945: The game was dubbed “Game of the century,” Army ranked #1 and Navy #2 Army won just like the previous year, 32-13 in 1945 and 23-7 in 1944. Army secured their 4th national championship and won the next Army-Navy game and the next national championship.
1926: The game was held at Soldier field in Chicago in commemoration of the soldiers who fought in world WWI. This game was yet another national championship game and ended in a tie. The final was 21-21, but Navy took home the trophy and national championship, they were the undefeated team in the matchup and Army’s only loss was to Notre Dame.
The Army-Navy game is definitely one of the most entertaining games in college football, usually resulting in a dog fight. There have been many horrible blowouts: One in 1973 when Navy blew out Army with a 51-0 victory and one in 1949 when Army blew out Navy with a score of 38-0. However, Navy also held the longest winning streak of 14 consecutive wins between 2002 and 2015. The Army and Navy game in 2025 will be held in Baltimore at M and T Bank stadium. Kickoff will be on Dec. 13 at 2:00pm CST, viewable on CBS or Paramount+.
