USNA Receives a Piece of Army-Navy History

The Naval Academy received a piece of history Jan. 21 when Superintendent Vice Adm. Ted Carter accepted an original game poster from the 1983 Army-Navy Game from retired Army Col. Rolfe Arnhym.

The 1983 Army-Navy Game was played in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

It was the first and only time the game was played west of the Mississippi River. All 9,000 Cadets and Midshipmen were in attendance.

“I wanted to give the Academy some memorabilia that was given to me after the Army-Navy game in 1983,” said Arnhym, who served as the EVP/CEO of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Co-Chair of the Army Navy Foundation in 1983. “A gift to help make a footprint at the academy.”

The moving of the Army-Navy Game from the East Coast to West Coast was no easy task and took a lot of determination, dedication, and solid leadership skills from both academies.

“We had to move all the midshipmen from Annapolis and the Corps of Cadets from West Point to California. It is characterized as one of the largest movements in peacetime history,” said Arnhym. “We had to house them, feed them and be able to conduct a football game, and make sure all the traditional events that go with the game happened.”

What helped pull off the event were the nearly 4,000 host families that took in the midshipmen and cadets.

“I felt overwhelmed with the welcome and enthusiasm on the part of the people in the Los Angeles area and in Pasadena in particular,” said Arnhym. “The fact that close to a million people showed up to watch the Corps of Cadets and the Brigade of Midshipman march from the downtown to the Rose Bowl with very little notice - and those who helped house them while they were here - speaks volumes.”

Arnhym believed that moving the game would increase visibility of the two service academies on the West Coast.

“I felt that the admissions from states like California, Arizona, Texas and those on the west coast had a decrease in interest in the service academies due to lack of visibility, and I wanted to help,” said Arnhym.

The game ended that day in 42-13 win for the midshipmen. It was a great opportunity for people on the West Coast to see, in person, all the rich history and tradition that goes along with football’s greatest rivalry.

The History Behind the Ball Run

Each year, the midshipmen of 13th Company run the Army-Navy Game ball from T-Court to the stadium in time for the game. MIDN 1/C Eliud Martinez, a member of 13th Company, writes about how this tradition came about.

Retired Marine Lt. Col. Clay Noto suggested to the 13th Company stripers of the Class of 1982 that a relay would be a great way to build company spirit and change the perception of “unlucky” 13.

 

He told these stripers that a run had occurred when he was a midshipman, sometime between 1968 and 1972, but had been thrown away as something too difficult to plan. It used to be organized by the Brigade Activities Committee, which was in charge of spirit-related events, and the event was meant to include runners from every company.

The event fell by the wayside until it was attempted again in 1981, when Noto became the 13th Company Officer. He realized that one company had enough manpower to run the ball, as long as all four classes supported the idea.

Noto said the credit truly belongs to Tim Thomas, Class of 1982, who did most of the planning for the run. The relay itself however, was the brainchild of Bernie Mimms, Class of 1985, a Marine Corps Captain who succumbed to cancer in 1995.

Tim still has the ’81 game ball, which was signed by the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Navy, and the Chief of Naval Operations at the time.

“We did it to show spirit and teamwork, and it was successful because we had strong buy-in from each of the classes in 13th Company,” said Tim. “During my four years in 13th Company, the only year we didn’t run the ball to the game – understandably enough – was in 1983, when the Army-Navy game was played in Pasadena (California). I assume that was the only break in the annual event since ’81.”

In 2011, we overhauled the Ball Run and had the opportunity to change things up and run a new route to FedEx Field in Washington, D.C. It took a lot of work, but being in our nation’s capital afforded Lucky 13 the opportunity to integrate some collaboration with alumni from the USNA Classes of 1981 and 1984 and even some sightseeing in conjunction with the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

This year, the game will be played at M&T Stadium in Baltimore. We are going to run through our nation’s capital. We plan to meet with congressmen as we run the ball around D.C. before heading to Baltimore.

30 years and still going strong on the 13th Company Army-Navy Ball Run!

Navy Gets Fired Up!

Midshipman, faculty and staff rallied together Sunday night in anticipation of the upcoming Army/Navy Game.

Navy enters one of the longest standing rivalries in college football with 12 consecutive wins. The pep rally, held at Farragut Field, reminded both players and midshipman what the game means to the military community and the nation.

“Every player on that field and every student in both student bodies would give their lives for the 70,000 people in the stands, the 30,000,00 people watching at home and the 330,000,000 fellow citizens across the U.S,” said Commandant of Midshipman, Capt. Bill Byrne. “No other student body; no other college football game represents that. That’s why it is America’s game.”

Navy has remained unbeaten in this rivalry for the past 12 match-ups. It was a popular consensus at the pep rally this streak will continue with number 13 on Saturday.

“I’m thrilled to be able to be here and to be able to be at the game when they beat Army for the 13th time,” said Midshipman 1st Class Katrina Herrera. “There’s a lot of of chatter coming from Army, so I’ll be happy to be there when Navy wins number 13.”

Mids watched 40-foot flames shoot into the night sky while burning a mule effigy, spray painted ‘Beat Army’, to finish the pep rally. As the semester draws to an end, mids are focused on two things.

“I’m focused on getting everything done for my classes and really knocking out my finals so I can focus on Army,” said Midshipman 3rd Class Daniel Gonzalez, linebacker, Navy football team. “One of my best friends plays for Army. He’s a cadet, a wide receiver and I’m a midshipman and a linebacker. I’m looking forward to seeing him on the field.”

During the previous 114 years, Army has won 49 games while Navy has won 57, with 7 games being tied. Navy’s current 12-game-win streak is the longest in the rivalries’ history.

First Army-Navy Spirit Spot