| Army-navy Football Game |
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Information AboutArmy-navy Football Game |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ARMY-NAVY GAME | |
| college football rivalries | |
| army black knights football | |
| navy midshipmen football | |
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HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE It has been held at several locations throughout its history, but has most frequently been played in Philadelphia , roughly equidistant from the two academies. The game is traditionally the last game of the season for both teams. Until the recent advent of conference championship games, it was the last regular-season game played in Division I-A football. , Navy in dark and Army in white]] 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 high academic entrance requirements, height and weight limits, and 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 both Army and Navy entered the game with winning records ( 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 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. For most of the 1970s , Navy had held the trophy. After a period of flux for most of the 1980s , Air Force dominated the competition until the early 2000s. As of 2005 , Navy looks to be reestablishing itself as the dominant team in the rivalry, having won the trophy in 2003, 2004, and 2005. At the end of the game the Alma Mater s of the losing team and then the winning team are played and sung. The winning team stands alongside the losing team and faces the losing academy students; then the losing team accompanies the winning team, facing their students. This is done in a show of mutual 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. Annapolis and West Point have a somewhat less friendly rivalry with Colorado Springs . Feelings of cadets and midshipmen alike toward Air Force show their disdain for a 'new' academy which is perceived to have neither the history nor level of discipline exemplified at either Army or Navy. RESULTS Overall As of 2005 game:
By year Army victories are shown in ██ gold, Navy victories in ██ blue, and tie games in ██ silver. ]] FUTURE DATES The 2006 game will be played on December 2nd at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. The 2007 game will be played on December 8th at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD. The 2008 game will be played on December 7th at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. SEE ALSO SEE ALSO
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