Commander in Chief's Trophy
Encyclopedia
| Commander-in-Chief's Trophy | ||
| Teams: | Air Force Falcons Air Force Falcons football The Air Force Falcons are a college football team from the United States Air Force Academy, located just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA Division I and the Mountain West Conference.-Style:... Army Black Knights Army Black Knights football The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946.... Navy Midshipmen Navy Midshipmen football The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007... |
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| Originated: | 1972 | |
| Trophy Series: | Air Force leads with 18 wins. | |
| Current Holder: | Air Force | |
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| Air Force (18) 1982 1983 1985 1987 1989 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2010 2011 |
Navy (12) 1973 1975 1978 1979 1981 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 |
Army (6) 1972 1977 1984 1986 1988 1996 |
| Shared Awards (4) 1974 1976 1980 1993 |
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The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is awarded to each season's winner of the triangular college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
series among the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
(Army Black Knights
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
), the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
(Navy Midshipmen
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
), and United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
(Air Force Falcons
Air Force Falcons football
The Air Force Falcons are a college football team from the United States Air Force Academy, located just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA Division I and the Mountain West Conference.-Style:...
). The Navy–Air Force game is traditionally played on the first Saturday in October, the Army–Air Force game on the first Saturday in November, and the Army–Navy Game on the second Saturday in December. In the event of a tie, the award is shared, but the previous winner retains possession of the trophy.
History of the trophy
Prior to 1972, Air Force did not play an annual series with Army and Navy. Living in the shadow of the Army-Navy gameArmy-Navy Game
The Army–Navy Game is an an American college football rivalry game between the teams of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. The USMA team, "Army", and the USNA team, "Navy", each represent their services' oldest...
, Air Force needed a ploy to get on equal footing with her long established Service Academy brethren. The Commander-in-Chief's trophy was the brainchild of Air Force General George B. Simler, former Air Force Academy athletic director. It was first awarded in 1972, when Richard M. Nixon was Commander-in-Chief. The trophy itself is jointly sponsored by the alumni associations of the three academies.
The trophy is named for the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, who is, under the US Constitution, the Commander-in-Chief of all US military services. The President has personally awarded the trophy on a number of occasions. During the 1980s, for instance, President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
presented the award in a White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
ceremony. After years of Air Force dominance, in 1996, President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
presented the trophy at Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
after the Army–Navy Game. From 2003 to 2007, President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
presented the trophy at a White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
ceremony.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the winner of the trophy, if bowl eligible, was granted an invitation to the Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
in Memphis, TN.
The other two federal service academies — the United States Coast Guard Academy
United States Coast Guard Academy
Founded in 1876, the United States Coast Guard Academy is the military academy of the United States Coast Guard. Located in New London, Connecticut, it is the smallest of the five federal service academies...
and United States Merchant Marine Academy
United States Merchant Marine Academy
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five United States Service academies...
— do not participate in the Commander-in-Chief's trophy competition. As these two academies are approximately one-quarter the size of the three Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
academies, they compete in NCAA Division III athletics, and do not compete against the other military academies in most sports. The two smaller academies do share a rivalry, however, as their football teams square off in the Secretaries Cup
Secretaries Cup
The Secretaries Cup is an annual college football game between the United States Coast Guard Academy and the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Both academies compete in NCAA Division III athletics....
each year.
The trophy
The trophy itself stands 2.5 feet (0.76 m) high and weighs 170 lb (77.1 kg). The design consists of three silver footballs in a pyramid like arrangement, set on a circular base, with three arc-shaped sections cut out — one for each academy. In each of the cut-out areas stands a silver figurine of the mascot of one of the academies, in front of small, engraved plates denoting which years the respective academy has won the trophy. Beneath each of the three silver footballs is the crest of one of the three academies.When Army possesses the trophy, it is housed in a glass case in Eisenhower Hall, the academy's theater and ballroom. When Navy has possession of the trophy, it is displayed in a glass case in Bancroft Hall
Bancroft Hall
Bancroft Hall at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is the largest single dormitory in the world. Bancroft Hall, named after former Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, is home for the entire brigade of 4,000 midshipmen, and contains some 1,700 rooms, of corridors, and of...
, the Midshipmen's dormitory. When Air Force has possession of the trophy, it is displayed in a glass case in the Cadet Fieldhouse
Air Force Academy Cadet Fieldhouse
The Air Force Academy Cadet Fieldhouse is an indoor sports complex at the United States Air Force Academy.-Components:The Cadet Fieldhouse contains:* The 6002-seat Clune Arena The Air Force Academy Cadet Fieldhouse is an indoor sports complex at the United States Air Force Academy.-Components:The...
, the indoor sports complex at the Air Force Academy.
Winners of the trophy
Air ForceUnited States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
victories are shown in ██ blue, Army
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
victories in ██ black, Navy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
victories in ██ gold.
Tied games, shared awards and future events are shown in ██ silver. In the event of a shared award, the previous year's winner retains custody of the trophy.
| Season | Trophy Winner | Air Force – Navy score | Air Force – Army score | Army – Navy score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Army | 21–17 | 17–14 | 23–15 |
| 1973 | Navy | 42–6 | 43–10 | 51–0 |
| 1974 | Shared (Navy retained trophy) | 19–16 | 17–16 | 19–0 |
| 1975 | Navy | 17–0 | 33–3 | 30–6 |
| 1976 | Shared (Navy retained trophy) | 13–3 | 24–7 | 38–10 |
| 1977 | Army | 10–7 | 31–6 | 17–14 |
| 1978 | Navy | 37–8 | 28–14 | 28–0 |
| 1979 | Navy | 13–9 | 28–7 | 31–7 |
| 1980 | Shared (Navy retained trophy) | 21–20 | 47–24 | 33–6 |
| 1981 | Navy | 30–13 | 7–3 | 3–3 |
| 1982 | Air Force | 24–21 | 27–9 | 24–7 |
| 1983 | Air Force | 44–17 | 41–20 | 42–13 |
| 1984 | Army | 29–22 | 24–12 | 28–11 |
| 1985 | Air Force | 24–7 | 45–7 | 17–7 |
| 1986 | Army | 40–6 | 21–11 | 27–7 |
| 1987 | Air Force | 23–13 | 27–10 | 17–3 |
| 1988 | Army | 34–24 | 28–15 | 20–15 |
| 1989 | Air Force | 35–7 | 29–3 | 19–17 |
| 1990 | Air Force | 24–7 | 15–3 | 30–20 |
| 1991 | Air Force | 46–6 | 25–0 | 24–3 |
| 1992 | Air Force | 18–16 | 7–3 | 25–24 |
| 1993 | Shared (AF retained trophy) | 28–24 | 25–6 | 16–14 |
| 1994 | Air Force | 43–21 | 10–6 | 22–20 |
| 1995 | Air Force | 30–20 | 38–20 | 14–13 |
| 1996 | Army | 20–17 | 23–7 | 28–24 |
| 1997 | Air Force | 10–7 | 24–0 | 39–7 |
| 1998 | Air Force | 49–7 | 35–7 | 34–30 |
| 1999 | Air Force | 19–14 | 28–0 | 19–9 |
| 2000 | Air Force | 27–13 | 41–27 | 30–28 |
| 2001 | Air Force | 24–18 | 34–24 | 26–17 |
| 2002 | Air Force | 48–7 | 49–30 | 58–12 |
| 2003 | Navy | 28–25 | 31–3 | 34–6 |
| 2004 | Navy | 24–21 | 31–22 | 42–13 |
| 2005 | Navy | 27–24 | 27–24 | 42–23 |
| 2006 | Navy | 24–17 | 43–7 | 26–14 |
| 2007 | Navy | 31–20 | 30–10 | 38–3 |
| 2008 | Navy | 33–27 | 16–7 | 34–0 |
| 2009 | Navy | 16–13 | 35–7 | 17–3 |
| 2010 | Air Force | 14–6 | 42–22 | 31–17 |
| 2011 | Air Force | 35–34 | 24–14 | Dec. 10, 2011 at Landover, MD(FedEx Field) |
| 2012 | TBD | Oct. 6, 2012 at Air Force | Nov. 3, 2012 at Bronx, NY(Yankee Stadium) | Dec. 8, 2012 at Philadelphia, PA(Lincoln Financial Field) |
| 2013 | TBD | Oct. 5, 2013 at Navy | Nov. 2, 2013 at Air Force | Dec. 14, 2013 at Philadelphia, PA(Lincoln Financial Field) |
| 2014 | TBD | Oct. 4, 2014 at Air Force | Nov. 1, 2014 at Army | Dec. 13, 2014 at Baltimore, MD(M&T Bank Stadium) |
| 2015 | TBD | TBD | TBD | Dec. 12, 2015 at Philadelphia, PA(Lincoln Financial Field) |
| 2016 | TBD | TBD | TBD | Dec. 10, 2016 at Baltimore, MD(M&T Bank Stadium) |
| 2017 | TBD | TBD | TBD | Dec. 9, 2017 at Philadelphia, PA(Lincoln Financial Field) |
| 2018 | TBD | TBD | TBD | Dec. 8, 2018 |
| Season | Trophy Winner | Air Force – Navy score | Air Force – Army score | Army – Navy score |
See also
- Army–Navy Game
- Secretaries CupSecretaries CupThe Secretaries Cup is an annual college football game between the United States Coast Guard Academy and the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Both academies compete in NCAA Division III athletics....
annual college football game between the United States Coast Guard AcademyUnited States Coast Guard AcademyFounded in 1876, the United States Coast Guard Academy is the military academy of the United States Coast Guard. Located in New London, Connecticut, it is the smallest of the five federal service academies...
and the United States Merchant Marine AcademyUnited States Merchant Marine AcademyThe United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five United States Service academies...
. Both academies compete in NCAA Division III athletics.