Future Army-Navy Games Set For Philly, D.C., Baltimore
Courtesy Army, Navy Athletic Communications
June 10, 2009
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The city of Philadelphia has been synonymous with the Army-Navy football classic over the years, hosting 81 of the previous 109 service-academy battles. Army and Navy will build on that rich tradition in the years ahead with today's announcement that Philadelphia and Lincoln Financial Field will serve as the host of "America’s Game" five times during an eight-year span (2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017).
In making the announcement, U.S. Military Academy Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson and U.S. Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk also announced that for the first time in series history the game will be played on the doorstep of the nation’s capital. The 2011 Army-Navy game is slated to be played at FedEx Field, located just outside Washington, D.C. The game will carry added significance as it will mark the 10-year anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on our country.
Additionally, the 2014 and 2016 Army-Navy classics will be played at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium. The 2014 Army-Navy game will coincide with the city’s celebration of the 200th anniversary of Francis Scott Key’s writing of "The Star Spangled Banner" while stationed at Fort McHenry in Baltimore.
"I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the representatives from the cities of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., who assisted in this process," stated Anderson. "Their extraordinary efforts made the selection process extremely difficult and presented our committee several outstanding options. The Army-Navy game is ‘America’s Game’ and remains one of the most treasured spectacles in all of college football. That was very evident by the interest displayed in hosting the game. We are excited about bringing the game back to Philadelphia and Baltimore, and for the first time, holding the game in our nation’s capital."
"We are grateful to the cities that came forward with extraordinary enthusiasm and extended unprecedented commitments in their efforts to attract this classic event," said Gladchuk. "This process reinforced that the Army-Navy game remains an extremely desirable event with the highest level of national respect. The Brigade of Midshipmen, Corps of Cadets, and our most loyal fans will continue to enjoy the pageantry of college football at its best in these great cities with world class facilities and broad based community support."
The process for securing a long-term home for future Army-Navy football games officially began last August with the service academies distributing a formal "Request for Proposal."
The academies accepted bids from prospective host cities through the middle of November with site visits conducted during the months of February, March and April.
The first Army-Navy game was played in 1890 at West Point and the second in Annapolis one year later. In 1899, Philadelphia's Franklin Field became the game site. The "City of Brotherly Love" has dominated as host city for the Army-Navy game since that time. Fourteen different stadiums have hosted the event, four of those located in Philadelphia and two in Baltimore.
Municipal Stadium, renamed John F. Kennedy Stadium in 1964, has housed the game the most times - 41 in all – that included 35 straight contests between 1945 and 1979. It was first played there in 1936.
Franklin Field ranks second on the list of Army-Navy game sites with its total of 18, followed by Veterans Stadium with 17 and the Polo Grounds in New York City with nine. "The Vet" first hosted the game in 1980 and did so through 2001 with all but five exceptions. Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia has hosted the game five times (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008) and will do so again this year.
Army has also battled Navy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., in 1983; at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., in 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2002; and at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore in 2000 and 2007.
For the 14th straight year, CBS Sports will televise the Army-Navy classic to a national and worldwide (via American Forces Network) audience on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, at 2:30 p.m. A special 30-minute pregame show will be televised on CBS leading up to the game broadcast. The Army-Navy game will be the only major college football game played that day.
FUTURE ARMY-NAVY GAME SITES
December 11, 2010-Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
December 10, 2011-FedExField (Washington, D.C.)
December 8, 2012-Lincolin Financial Field (Philadelphia)
December 14, 2013-Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
December 13, 2014-M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore)
December 12, 2015-Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
December 10, 2016-M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore)
December 9, 2017-Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia) |