10 incredible facts about the Army-Navy game

Get We Are The Mighty’s Weekly Newsletter

Military culture and entertainment direct to your inbox with zero chance of a ‘Reply All’ incident

Email address Sign Up Thank you!

Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

The Army-Navy game is one of the most historic and iconic rivalries in college football. With numerous traditions (march on, prisoner exchange, and Sing Second), it truly is a special event. Even if you’re not into the sport, there’s a lot to enjoy. You just need to know what to look out for. Here are 10 fun facts to drop at your Army-Navy watch party, so you too can join in on the fun:

1. The first game was played on November 29, 1890, at West Point on “The Plain.” While Army had a newly established team, Navy had been playing organized football since 1879. It wasn’t a huge shock that Army won 24-0.

2. Each of the 271 members of Army’s Corps of Cadets contributed 52 cents in order to cover half of the Navy team’s traveling costs for the 1890 game. 

3. While the Army-Navy Game is an annual tradition (and has been played uninterrupted since 1930), there have been 10 occurrences when the game wasn’t played. The longest interruption was from 1894 to 1898, following an argument that occurred between an Army general and a Navy admiral after the 1893 game. The dispute was so heated that they reportedly came close to dueling. Instead, they called the game off. Seems reasonable. 

4. In 1909, Army canceled the rest of their season following their match-up against Harvard in October, where Cadet Eugene Byrne suffered an injury that ultimately led to his death. 

5. In 1917 and 1918, games were canceled on orders from the War Department. Makes sense, considering a World War was happening. In 1928 and 1929, the academies were unable to agree on player eligibility standards. But after that, the game has been held every year, through wars, a pandemic, and snow. Nothing stops this game. 

6. On Nov. 27, 1926, the game was played in Chicago as part of the formal dedication of Soldier Field, in honor of the American servicemen who fought in World War I. Navy had an undefeated season going into the game, and Army had only lost to Notre Dame (who was also undefeated until they lost to Carnegie Tech on the same day as the Army-Navy Game). Consequently, the Army-Navy Game would decide the national championship.

Army was down 14-0 at the half but came back in the third quarter to take the lead, 21-14. Navy battled back, scoring again in the 4th quarter. Army had an opportunity to win the game with a field goal and missed. The game ended in a 21-21 tie, but since Navy finished the season with the best record, they became the National Champions. The game drew an unprecedented 600,000 ticket requests with 110,000 people in attendance.

7. This is only the second time the game was held in Washington, D.C. The other occurrence was in 2011, and technically, the game was in Landover, Maryland. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia has hosted the most Army-Navy Games, with a record 41 games from 1936 to 1979.

Franklin Field (fun fact: the oldest operating football stadium in the country and former home to the Philadelphia Eagles) has hosted 18 times, Veterans Stadium (also in Philly) has hosted 17, and Lincoln Financial Field (you guessed it, in Philadelphia) has seen 14 Army-Navy Games. 

8. A 1973 episode of “M*A*S*H” referenced a fictional Army-Navy Game that ended 42-36 in favor of Navy. To this day, no Army-Navy Game has finished with that score. 

9. The 2024 game was only the fifth time since 1963 that both teams entered the game with a winning record.

“It’s Army-Navy. You never know what’s going to happen. Both teams have really good defenses, and I think we’re going to have a really good football game,” USAA CEO Wayne Peacock told WATM at USAA’s Media Row.

10. USAA was the first (and has been the only) presenting sponsor. USAA extended its contract for five more years, through 2030.

“It really started with CBS. They were looking to get the game back to a level of prominence and moved it to the second Saturday in December.” USAA’s CEO said. “We had just opened up our membership eligibility; prior to that time, we were a direct mail shop, but we didn’t do anything at a broadcast level. Sponsoring a football game was not the norm for us, but because it was Army-Navy, it was a pretty easy sell for us. We really focus on asking ourselves every year, ‘How do we make it more special this year than last year?’ It’s that pursuit of excellence that we bring to everything we do.”

Army-Navy Game Results Since 1890

Don’t Miss the Best of Mighty Sports

We Are The Mighty is a celebration of military service, with a mission to entertain, inform, and inspire those who serve and those who support them. We are made by and for current service members, veterans, spouses, family members, and civilians who want to be part of this community. Keep up with the best in military culture and entertainment: subscribe to the We Are The Mighty newsletter.

• 5 sports stars who saw heavy combat in the US military
• Adopting North Korean basketball rules would be a literal game-changer for the NBA
• The top 10 most patriotic moments in sports history