This past weekend of college football brought with it one of the most deep-seated rivalries, the Army vs. Navy game. The game is one of the longest running rivalries in sports dating back to 1890. It all began when Cadet Dennis Mahan Michie, who was also the coach of the Army football team, accepted a challenge from the Naval Academy. The game has been played nearly every year since then with only a few years missed due to war or a dispute between the two academies.
This years 125th anniversary of the rivalry saw the continuation of the Navy’s win streak of 14 games against Army. The win streak is the longest in the history of a rivalry that has consistently gone back and forth between two great teams. Three games into their current winning streak Navy took over the series lead against Army. The Series record now stands at 60-49-7 with Navy winning 60 games, Army winning 49 games, and 7 ties.
The game holds a particularly important spot in college football marking the end of the regular season. It was originally played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, which was the end of most college regular season games, but it has been moved to the weekend following the conference championship games. It marks the final game of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy which is awarded to the winner of the triangular series between the Military Academy, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy. The winner of the Army v. Navy game also receives the Thompson Cup.
