Army Black Knights football

History

Army's football program began on November 29, 1890, when Navy challenged the cadets to a game of the relatively new sport. Navy defeated Army at West Point that year, but Army avenged the loss in Annapolis the following year. The academies still clash every December in what is traditionally the last regular-season Division I college-football game.

Army's football team reached its pinnacle of success during the Second World War under coach Earl Blaik when Army won three consecutive national championships in 1944, 1945 and 1946, and produced two Heisman Trophy winners: Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946). From 1944 to 1950, the Cadets had 57 wins, 3 losses and 4 ties. During this time span, Army won three national championships. Army produced a third Heisman trophy winner in 1958 when Pete Dawkins took the honors.

Past NFL coaches Vince Lombardi and Bill Parcells were Army assistant coaches early in their careers.

The football team plays its home games at Michie Stadium, where the playing field is named after Earl Blaik. Cadets' attendance is mandatory at football games and the Corps stands for the duration of the game. At all home games, one of the four regiments marches onto the field in formation before the team takes the field and leads the crowd in traditional Army cheers. Two of the regiments are tasked with performing the morning parade while the last regiment is tasked with ancillary stadium duties.

For many years, Army teams were known as the "Cadets." In the 1940s, several papers called the football team "the Black Knights of the Hudson." From then on, "Cadets" and "Black Knights" were used interchangeably until 1999, when the team was officially nicknamed the Black Knights. Individual cadets as well as groups of cadets to include the entire team are still often referred to as "Cadet" or "The Cadets" with regard to athletic events.

Between the 1998 and 2004 seasons, Army's football program was a member of Conference USA, but starting with the 2005 season Army reverted to its former independent status. Army competes with Navy and Air Force for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. In 2024, Army began competing in the American Athletic Conference, renamed in 2025 to American Conference. While Air Force plays in the Mountain West Conference, Navy has been a football member of the American since 2015. The regular season matchup between Army and Navy is contested as a non-conference matchup after the conference championship game and therefore does not affect conference standings.

Championships

National championships

Army has won five national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors, including twice (1944, 1945) from the AP Poll.

Conference championships

Lambert Trophy

The Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy (known as the Lambert Trophy), established in 1936, is an annual award given to the best team in the East in Division I FBS (formerly I-A) college football and is presented by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers. Army has won the Lambert Trophy nine times; seven times under head coach Earl "Red" Blaik in the 1940s and 1950s, and twice under head coach Jeff Monken in 2018 and 2020.

Bowl games

Army has played in 12 bowl games. They have a record of 9–3.

Future bowl tie-ins

The NCAA's football oversight committee determined the number of primary bowl tie-ins for each FBS conference and FBS independent for the 2020–2025 bowl cycle using eligibility data from the 2014–2017 seasons. The Black Knights received one guaranteed tie-in per year. On October 24, 2019, the West Point Athletic Department announced that they had agreed to a contract that placed their team, if eligible, in the Independence Bowl for three of the six years, with the remaining years being contracted to an ESPN Events-owned bowl.

The contract includes a clause that allows Army the ability to accept a bid from a different bowl game once during the three-year agreement with the Independence Bowl and once during the three-year agreement with ESPN Events. Aligning with this, on November 5 Army announced that it had agreed to a secondary contractual tie-in with the Duke's Mayo Bowl. It agreed that it would serve as the primary backup for the bowl and would have the opportunity to accept an invitation to the game twice during the six-year cycle. The Duke's Mayo Bowl's primary tie-ins for the 2020–2025 cycle are the ACC (all years), the SEC (odd years), and the Big Ten (even years); if any of those conferences were unable to place a team into the bowl during any of those years, Army would be extended an invitation to fill their place. The opponent conferences for the Independence Bowl were announced to be the Pac-12 and the American on January 30, 2020.

The Duke's Mayo Bowl can extend an invitation to Army once during the even years (2020, 2022, 2026) and once during the odd years (2021, 2023, 2025) to fill a vacancy as part of a secondary tie-in.

ESPN Events operates the following 16 bowls that Army could be invited to during odd years of the cycle:

• Armed Forces Bowl
• Birmingham Bowl
• Boca Raton Bowl
• Cure Bowl
• Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
• Fenway Bowl
• First Responder Bowl
• Frisco Bowl
• Gasparilla Bowl
• Hawaii Bowl
• Las Vegas Bowl
• Myrtle Beach Bowl
• New Mexico Bowl
• Salute to Veterans Bowl (formerly Camellia Bowl)
• Texas Bowl
• Xbox Bowl (replaced the Bahamas Bowl from 2025)

Head coaches

† Dennis Michie coached 1 game in 1890, and then coached a full season in 1892.

Rivalries

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy

Main article: Commander-in-Chief's Trophy

Air Force, Army, and Navy have played each other every year since 1972 for the Commander-in Chief's Trophy. Air Force leads the FBS service academies with 21 victories, Navy has 16 victories, and Army has 10 victories, with the trophy being shared 5 times. Navy is the current holder of the trophy.

Air Force

Air Force and Army meet annually and vie for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Air Force leads Army 38–19–1 through the 2023 season. In a shocking upset Army defeated Air Force on November 4, 2023, in Denver at Empower Field. Air Force was nationally ranked and undefeated going into the game. Army prevailed 23–3.

After the Navy–Notre Dame game was canceled in 2020, the Army–Air Force game became the longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalry in college football.

Navy

Main article: Army–Navy Game

Army and Navy play each other annually in the Army–Navy game, which is also a part of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. This series is one of the NCAA's oldest and most traditional rivalries. They first met in 1890, and have played each other annually since 1930. The games are generally played at a neutral site. Navy leads the series 63–55–7 through the 2024 season.

Notre Dame

Main article: Army–Notre Dame football rivalry

Notre Dame is a rivalry which some feel has fallen into obscurity. In much of the early 20th century, Army and Notre Dame were considered football powerhouses, and met 34 times between 1913 and 1947. Though the rivalry has slowed down, they last met in 2024, with Notre Dame winning 49-14. Many media members considered the 1946 contest to be the "Game of the Century". Notre Dame leads the series 40–8–4 through the 2024 season.

Michie Stadium

Main article: Michie Stadium

Michie Stadium, which opened in 1924, is the home stadium of the Army Black Knights in West Point, New York. The stadium is named after the first Army football head coach, Dennis Michie. In 1999, the field was renamed Blaik Field at Michie Stadium in honor of former coach Earl Blaik.

In 1999, Sports Illustrated ranked Michie Stadium the third-best sports venue of the 20th century.

Traditions

Songs Main article: On, Brave Old Army Team

Alma Mater is the Army's school song. Army's fight song is "On, Brave Old Army Team". Army also plays other organized cheers; Army Rocket Yell, Black, Gold, and Gray, and USMA Cheer.

Mascot Main article: Army Mules

Army's mascots are the Army Mules. While dating back to 1899, they were officially adopted as mascots by West Point in 1936.

College Football Hall of Fame

Main article: College Football Hall of Fame

The following four individuals have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as coaches.

The following 24 individuals have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as players. Daly and McEwan also served as Army's head coach.

Other notable players

Main article: Army Black Knights football statistical leaders

President of the United States and General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and General of the Army Omar Bradley were on the 1912 Army football team. Eisenhower was injured and his football career was over by 1913, when the two future generals were juniors. Bradley, a star of the Army baseball team for four years, was on the field in 1913 when Notre Dame upset Army in a historic college football game in which the forward pass was used for the first time. Bradley played end opposite the legendary Knute Rockne, the Notre Dame end who later coached the Irish to national championships before dying in a plane crash near Bazaar, Kansas, on Easter Friday in 1931.

Retired numbers

Award winners

• Heisman Trophy :Doc Blanchard – 1945 :Glenn Davis – 1946 :Pete Dawkins – 1958
• AFCA Coach of the Year :Earl Blaik – 1946 :Tom Cahill – 1966
• Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year :Tom Cahill – 1966
• Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year :Bob Sutton – 1996
• George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year :Jeff Monken – 2018
• Vince Lombardi College Football Coach of the Year :Jeff Monken – 2018
• President's Award :Jeff Monken – 2018
• ECAC Division I FBS Football Coach of the Year :Jeff Monken – 2021
• AFCA Division I FBS Assistant Coach of the Year :Sean Saturnio – 2024
• Maxwell Award :Glenn Davis – 1944 :Doc Blanchard – 1945 :Pete Dawkins – 1958
• Outland Trophy :Joe Steffy – 1947
• William V. Campbell Trophy :Andrew Rodriguez – 2011
• James E. Sullivan Award :Doc Blanchard 1945 :Arnold Tucker 1946 :Andrew Rodriguez – 2011
• Defender of the Nation Award :Andrew King – 2016 :Arik Smith – 2021

Future schedules

Announced schedules as of December 16, 2025.

1. At MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2. At Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
3. At TBD

• In 2033, Army currently has five non–conference games scheduled and needs to eliminate one more.

Radio

Radio rights are held by Learfield through Army West Point Sports Properties, a joint venture with the USMA, and are branded on-air as the "Army Sports Network from Learfield". Pamal Broadcasting-owned WGHQ in Kingston, New York serves as the network's flagship station.

Former affiliates (1 station)

• WVKZ/1240: Schenectady

Current broadcast team

;Army Sports Network

• Rich DeMarco (play-by-play)
• Dean Darling (color analyst)
• Tony Morino (sideline reporter)
• Joe Beckerle (pre and post-game)

References

Bibliography

References

1. "2024 Army West Point Football Media Guide". U.S. Military Academy Office of Athletic Communication.
2. "Heisman Winners". The Heisman Trophy.
3. Ambrose (1966), pp. 305–06.
4. When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss, p. 135, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, NY, 1999, {{ISBN. 978-0-684-84418-3
5. "Trophy Winners". The Heisman Trophy.
6. "Biography". Official Website of Vince Lombardi.
7. Biggane, Brian. (15 November 2008). "Bill Parcells is Dolphins' Godfather". Palm Beach Post.
8. Palka (2008), p. 197.
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10. "2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records". The National Collegiate Athletic Association.
11. (January 15, 2019). "ECAC Announces 2018 Football Teams of the Year and Lambert Awards". ECACsports.com.
12. (June 18, 2021). "ECAC Announces 2020 and 2019 Lambert Awards". ECACsports.com.
13. (June 13, 2018). "SEC, ACC lead NCAA's bowl tie-in list with 11 out of 79 total". [[ESPN]].
14. (October 24, 2019). "Army Announces Agreements with ESPN Events and Independence Bowl for Next Bowl Cycle". [[United States Military Academy.
15. (October 24, 2019). "Army West Point to be Featured in Independence Bowl's Next Bowl Cycle". [[Independence Bowl]].
16. (November 5, 2019). "Army Reaches Deal with Belk Bowl from 2020–25". [[United States Military Academy.
17. (January 30, 2020). "Independence Bowl Conference Affiliations Announced". [[United States Military Academy.
18. (January 30, 2020). "Independence Bowl Ushers in New Era with 2020–2025 Bowl Agreements". [[Independence Bowl]].
19. "Winsipedia – Army Black Knights vs. Air Force Falcons football series history".
20. "Army 23-3 Air Force (Nov 4, 2023) Game Recap".
21. "Winsipedia – Army Black Knights vs. Navy Midshipmen football series history".
22. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gigjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AGoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4298,3681102 Boston College Even with Irish in Yardage], ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', November 13, 1946.
23. "Winsipedia – Army Black Knights vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish football series history".
24. (1999-06-07). "Century's Best – SI's Top 20 Venues of the 20th Century".
25. "> Alma Mater & Fight Songs". Army West Point website.
26. "Army Mules". [[United States Military Academy.
27. (March 6, 2015). "Retired Jerseys".
28. (October 18, 2012). "Uniform numbers have special meaning for Army football players".
29. (January 3, 2019). "Maxwell Football Club Announces Army West Point's Jeff Monken as George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year". [[Maxwell Football Club]].
30. (January 8, 2019). "Monken Recognized as the Lombardi Coach of Year". [[United States Military Academy.
31. (January 4, 2019). "Army Head Coach Jeff Monken Wins 2018 President's Award". [[Touchdown Club of Columbus]].
32. (December 21, 2021). "ECAC Announces 2021 Division I FBS Football All-ECAC and Major Awards". ECACsports.com.
33. (December 12, 2024). "AFCA Announces 2024 Assistant Coach of the Year Winners". American Football Coaches Association.
34. (December 6, 2011). "Rodriguez Wins 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy". [[United States Military Academy.
35. (March 20, 2012). "Andrew Rodriguez Wins Sullivan Award". [[United States Military Academy.
36. (November 8, 2016). "King Honored with Defender of the Nation Award". [[United States Military Academy.
37. (November 4, 2021). "Army Linebacker Arik Smith Named as the 2021 Defender of the Nation". [[United States Military Academy.
38. (November 4, 2021). "Army West Point's Arik Smith to be honored at December 6th Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet". [[Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
39. "Army Black Knights Future Football Schedules".