One of the most anticipated games in college football is next weekend and the hype is building. The Army Black Knights from West Point stand at 8-3, while the Navy Midshipmen from Annapolis are at 6-5. Both teams have beaten the Air Force Academy, so the winner of next week’s game takes home the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
Shy of the obvious rivalry aspect between soldiers versus sailors and Marines, another fun aspect of the game is the uniform. Even the annoying coworker who jokingly cheers “yay sportsball” gets excited about the new uniform unveiling. This year, the Navy Midshipmen are donning a blue and gold uniform as an homage to the beloved Navy Blue Angels at the 118th Army-Navy game.
Last year they wore throwback jerseys to 1963, when the Navy Midshipmen made it to the Cotton Bowl and when Roger Staubach won the Heisman Trophy before serving in Vietnam and eventually Super Bowl VI MVP. Although, the Navy also marked their helmets with fourteen gold stars and a single white star, symbolizing the now-broken 14 game winning streak against the Army Black Knights.
The year before that in 2015, they wore helmets depicting famous Naval ships in the fleet. The helmets were beatifully hand-painted for the position of the player given a different class of ship, with linebackers wearing cruisers, wide receivers wearing submarines, and quarterbacks wearing aircraft carriers. The rationale behind each being that the player represented the purpose behind each ship.
No word yet on what the Army Black Knights will be wearing, but We Are The Mighty will be at the game to give an insider prospective.
Go Navy! Go Army!
