Army vs. Navy: 10 Greatest Games in the History of the Rivalry

The game doesn't have the same national championship implications it once did. The rise of the National Football League has a lot to do with that, as elite young athletes now are choosing major colleges as a path to the professional game rather than one of the service academies as a path to serving their country.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

The U.S. Armed Forces have fought for centuries to allow all Americans the right to choose whatever profession they desire.

So, most of the players in today's 112th version of the rivalry are more likely to end up at Fort Bragg than with the 49ers—a choice they've proudly made.

Still, the contest has produced its share of extremely talented players, including Heisman Trophy winners Roger Staubach (Navy, 1963), Joe Bellino (Navy, 1960), Pete Dawkins (Army, 1958), Glenn Davis (Army, 1946) and Felix "Doc" Blanchard (Army, 1945).

Entering this afternoon's matchup at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., the Midshipmen led the series 55-49-7 and have won the nine most recent contests.

Here is a look back at arguably the 10 greatest games in the history of this historic rivalry featuring players who all eventually will end up on the same team.

10. 1989, No Shank from Schenk

Occurring in the same year that many of the players in this year's contest were born, Navy junior Frank Schenk kicked a 32-yard field goal with 11 seconds to play to give the Midshipmen a 19-17 victory.

The result snapped a run of three straight losses by Navy, allowing the team's seniors to graduate from Annapolis with a win against their most heated rivals.

The joy was short-lived, however, as coach Elliot Uzelac was fired the next day with a year remaining on his contract. He found out about his dismissal the morning of a planned celebration—one that included fellow students cheerfully throwing snowballs at players—but did not tell the team until after the party had concluded.

Uzelach compiled a record of 8-25 in three seasons with the Middies, but no doubt left on a memorable note.

9. 1996, Army Makes a Stand

In a matchup featuring two teams headed for bowls, Army defeated Navy, 28-24, following a late defensive stand.

Headed for the Poulan Weedeater Independence Bowl, the Cadets stopped the Jeep Eagle Aloha Bowl-bound Midshipmen eight times inside the 10, highlighting the final four minutes of the tight contest.

After falling behind 21-3 in the second quarter (21-13 at the half), the game turned for Army early in the third quarter on an 81-yard touchdown run by Bobby Williams. However, the two-point conversion attempt failed, and kept Navy ahead, 21-19.

After the Midshipmen missed a 42-yard field goal try on its next series, the Cadets took a 25-21 lead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Demetrius Perry.

Navy's Tom Vanderhorst atoned for his previous miss by nailing a 31-yard field goal late in the third quarter to cut the deficit to a point. Army responded with a 21-yard field goal by J. Parker to give the game its final margin.

The Midshipmen drove inside the Cadets' 10 twice in the latter stages of the fourth quarter but were stopped each time.

8. 1971, the Big Boot

Army captured the 1971 game, 22-20, after Kurt Heiss made one of the longest field goals in the rivalry's history.

In a contest that mostly was about the Cadets' ground game (they rushed for 373 yards) and Navy's passing game (quarterback Jim Kubiak threw for 361 yards), it came down to a 52-yard kick by Heiss with 6:19 remaining to win.

The game featured six lead changes and more than its share of big plays, mostly by Navy, as tailback Michael Jefferson had a 73-yard touchdown run and Kubiak threw a 56-yard scoring pass to tight end Kevin Hickman.

Still, it wasn't enough to overcome the Cadets that day.

7. 1919, the Game Returns

After a two-year hiatus for World War I, the Army-Navy game returned to the football field in 1919.

Each team entered the contest without a loss, as the Midshipmen were 5-0-3 and the Cadets were 6-0-1.

Navy finished the day with seven times more yards than Army but could not get into the end zone. However, Clyde King booted a pair of field goals to give the Midshipmen a 6-0 victory on a rainy day in a turnover-free game. It would mark the fourth time in 10 years that Navy had won the game by just kicking field goals.

The Midshipmen finished the season 6-1, while the Cadets ended up 6-3.

6. 1960, Bellino Clinches the Heisman

The 1960 game saw Navy senior Joe Bellino clinch the Heisman Trophy by accounting for 192 all-purpose yards (including defense and special teams) in a 17-12 victory by the Midshipmen.

Nicknamed "The Slasher" by legendary sports writer Red Smith, Bellino carried 20 times for 85 yards, catch a pair of passes for 16 yards and return two kickoffs for 46 yards. He also intercepted a pass and took at 45 yards.

That said, Navy nearly lost a heartbreaker, as the Cadets came back from a 17-0 deficit to cut the Midshipmen's lead to five points after a pair of touchdowns by Al Rushatz.

Army had the ball on the Navy 32 with 1:50 remaining in the contest when Bellino intercepted Tom Blanda's pass in the end zone to seal the win—and the Heisman.

5. 1901, Roosevelt Watches

The 1901 game marked the first time a U.S. President attended the annual Army-Navy gridiron battle.

Less than three months after taking office following the assassination of then-President William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Philadelphia to watch the Cadets top the Midshipmen, 11-5.

Army's Charles Daly was the day's biggest standout.

He kicked a field goal, and, with his team down 5-3, returned a kickoff 95 yards to open the second half. The defenses took over from there, and the Cadets won for the second time in three seasons.

4. 1963, the Nation Mourns

The 1963 Army-Navy game was postponed a week following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas.

The game itself featured a starring performance by Navy's Pat Donnelly in a 21-15 victory.

A halfback, Donnelly scored three touchdowns to give the Midshipmen a 21-7 lead with four minutes gone in the fourth quarter.

However, the Cadets made it interesting, going 52 yards (all on running plays), culminating with a 1-yard touchdown and then successful two-point conversion run by quarterback Rollie Stichweh.

Stichweh then recovered the onside kick at the Navy 40.

He led Army all the way to the Midshipmen 4 when time ran out.

3. 1945, the "Game of the Century"

Well before 2011's LSU-Alabama game was the first "Game of the Century."

And this one was all Army.

Behind the play of eventual Heisman Trophy winner Felix "Doc" Blanchard, the top-ranked Cadets topped No. 2 Navy, 32-13.

Blanchard finished the day with three touchdowns, one of which came on an interception.

His backfield mate, Glenn Davis, who also left West Point with a Heisman, made up for throwing an early interception by running for a 28-yard touchdown late in the game.

Army would go on to win the national championship.

2. 1926, the Dedication

The Nov. 27, 1926 meeting between Army and Navy took place in Chicago and marked the day the stadium there was christened "Soldier Field."

The fans in attendance also saw a heckuva game.

The contest opened with a bit of gamesmanship from Cadets' coach Biff Jones.

A graduate of West Point, Jones theorized that if he started his second-teamers, the Midshipmen would get a false sense of security and not know what hit them the starters were inserted.

The plan nearly backfired, as Navy jumped out to a 14-0 lead on touchdown runs by Henry Caldwell and James Schuber.

However, Army clawed back in it, and ultimately took a 21-14 lead following a 44-yard touchdown run by Chris Cagle that concluded the third quarter.

Midshipmen Alan Shapley responded with an 8-yard touchdown run to give the game its final score.

Navy went on to win the national championship.

1. 1944: 1 vs. 2

Army came into this contest 8-0, having outscored opponents by a combined score of 481-28. But, the Cadets also came in with something to prove, having lost to Navy, 13-0, a year earlier.

Making that 1943 result even worse for Army was that the game took place in West Point.

The top-ranked Cadets got their revenge, dominating the No. 2 Midshipmen, 23-7, despite throwing five interceptions and fumbling three times.

Competing two weeks before the Battle of the Bulge and featuring a backfield that included future Heisman Trophy winners Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard, Army outrushed its rivals, 181-71.

And after the contest, the team received a telegram from Gen. Douglas MacArthur, halfway around the world and full of pride.

"The greatest of all Army teams—STOP—We have stopped to war to celebrate your magnificent success. MacArthur."