Commander-in-Chief's Trophy

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Commander in Chief's Trophy
Showing the side of the 2016 winner, Air Force.

Air Force Falcons	Army Black Knights	Navy Midshipmen
Originated:	1972 (1972)
Current Holder:	Air Force


Air Force (20) 1982 1983 1985 1987 1989 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2010 2011 2014 2016	Army (6) 1972 1977 1984 1986 1988 1996	Navy (15) 1973 1975 1978 1979 1981 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2012 2013 2015
Shared Awards (4) 1974 1976 1980 1993

Army

Navy

Air Force

Campus locations in the United States

The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is awarded to each season's winner of the American college football triangular series among the teams of the U.S. Military Academy (Army Black Knights), the U.S. Naval Academy (Navy Midshipmen), and U.S. Air Force Academy (Air Force Falcons).

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. Along with the Florida Cup, the Michigan MAC Trophy, and the Beehive Boot, the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is one of the few three-way rivalries that awards a trophy to the winner.

Through 2016, the Air Force Falcons hold the most trophy victories at 20 and the Navy Midshipmen have won 15. The Army Black Knights trail with only six; their last came 20 years ago in 1996. The trophy has been shared on four occasions, last in 1993.

History of the trophy

Prior to 1972, Air Force played Army in odd years and Navy in even years. The Commander-in-Chief's trophy was the brainchild of Air Force General George B. Simler, a former Air Force Academy athletic director who envisioned the trophy as a means to create an annual series of football games for the Air Force Academy against the Military Academy and the Naval Academy. First awarded in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, the trophy itself is jointly sponsored by the alumni associations of the three academies.^[1]^[2]

The trophy is named for the U.S. President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of all U.S. military services under the U.S. Constitution. The President has personally awarded the trophy on a number of occasions. During the 1980s, for instance, President Ronald Reagan presented the award in an annual White House ceremony. In 1996, President Bill Clinton presented the trophy to the last winning Army team at Veterans Stadium after the Army–Navy Game. From 2003 to 2007, President George W. Bush presented the trophy to Navy teams at ceremonies in the White House.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the winner of the trophy, if bowl eligible, was granted an invitation to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee.^[3]

Navy was the first to five wins in 1981, while Army won its fifth in 1988 and Air Force in 1989 to knot the series (five wins each with three shares). Air Force has led since their win in 1990, and dominated through 2002, with sixteen wins to Army's six. Winless in the series for over two decades, Navy reeled off seven consecutive sweeps from 2003 through 2009 to draw close.

In the annual series, Air Force plays a home game and a road game, usually both on campus, hosting Navy in even-numbered years and Army in odd years. Army–Navy is a neutral site game, usually in a major eastern city and most frequently in Philadelphia; it was last played on campus in 1942 and 1943, during World War II travel restrictions.

The other two federal service academies – the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy – do not participate in this competition. They are approximately one-quarter the size of the three Department of Defense academies and compete in Division III athletics, so they do not compete against the DOD military academies in most sports. The Coast Guard Bears and Merchant Marine Mariners have an annual football rivalry for the Secretaries Cup.

The trophy

The trophy itself stands 2.5 feet (0.76 m) high and weighs a hefty 170 lb (77 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, the Midshipmen's dormitory. When Air Force has possession of the trophy, it is displayed in a glass case in the Cadet Fieldhouse, the indoor sports complex at the Air Force Academy.

Winners of the trophy

In the event of a shared award, the previous year's winner retains custody of the trophy.

Air Force victories	Army victories	Navy victories	Tied games, shared awards, future events

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 (Air Force 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 (6)	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 (OT)	35–7	17–3
2010	Air Force	14–6	42–22	31–17
2011	Air Force	35–34 (OT)	24–14	27–21
2012	Navy	28–21 (OT)	41–21	17–13
2013	Navy	28–10	42–28	34–7
2014	Air Force	30–21	23–6	17–10
2015	Navy (15)	33–11	20–3	21–17
2016	Air Force (20)	28–14	31–12	December 10, 2016 at Baltimore, MD (M&T Bank Stadium)
2017	TBD	TBD	TBD	December 9, 2017 at Philadelphia, PA (Lincoln Financial Field)
2018	TBD	TBD	TBD	December 8, 2018
Season	Trophy Winner	Air Force – Navy score	Air Force – Army score	Army – Navy score

Records
Team	Trophies	Last	W	L	T	Pct.
Air Force	20	2016	59	31	0	.656
Navy	15	2015	48	40	1	.545
Army	6	1996	26	62	1	.298

Four shared trophies, last in 1993
Only tie was in 1981 (Army–Navy, 3–3)
Overtime for Division I-A regular season introduced in 1996
- three OT games, all between Navy (2–1) and Air Force

References

↑ Staff Sgt. Raymond Hoy (April 18, 2011). "Falcons bring home Commander-in-Chief's Trophy". www.af.mil. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012.
↑ Kyle Meadows (July 24, 2008). "The Top Ten College Football Rivalry Trophies". Bleacher Report.
↑ John Cavanaugh (November 12, 1989). "COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Boston College Surprises Army". The New York Times.

External links

Air Force Falcons football

Venues	DU Stadium (1955–1961) Falcon Stadium (1962–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Army (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Colorado State (Ram–Falcon Trophy) Hawaii (Kuter Trophy) Navy (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)

Culture & lore	History The Bird "Falcon Fight Song" "The U.S. Air Force" United States Air Force Academy Band

People	Head coaches Statistical leaders

Seasons	1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Army Black Knights football

Venues	The Plain (1890–1923) Michie Stadium (1924–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Air Force (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Navy: Army–Navy Game (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy; Thompson Cup) Notre Dame

Culture & lore	Army Mule Black Death Award "On, Brave Old Army Team" "The Army Goes Rolling Along" 1946 "Game of the Century"

People	Head coaches Statistical leaders

Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Navy Midshipmen football

Venues	Worden Field (1890–1923) Thompson Stadium (1924–1958) Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (1959–present) Memorial Stadium (alternate)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Army: Army–Navy Game (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Air Force (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Johns Hopkins Maryland: Crab Bowl Classic Notre Dame (Rip Miller Trophy) SMU (Gansz Trophy)

Culture & lore	Bill the Goat "Anchors Aweigh" Marching band "Navy ends the drought" 2007 North Texas game

People	Head coaches Statistical leaders

Seasons	1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

American Athletic Conference football rivalries

Conference	Civil Conflict (Connecticut–UCF) East Carolina–UCF Houston–SMU Houston–Tulsa Gansz Trophy (SMU–Navy) War on I-4 (USF-UCF)

Non-conference	Victory Bell (Cincinnati–Miami) The Keg of Nails (Cincinnati–Louisville) River City Rivalry (Cincinnati–Pittsburgh) Connecticut–Massachusetts Ramnapping Trophy (Connecticut–Rhode Island) East Carolina–Marshall East Carolina–NC State Bayou Bucket Classic (Houston–Rice) Louisville–Memphis Paint Bucket Bowl (Memphis–Arkansas State) Memphis–Ole Miss Black and Blue Bowl (Memphis–Southern Miss) Army–Navy Commander-in-Chief's Trophy (Navy–Air Force–Army) Crab Bowl Classic (Navy–Maryland) Navy–Notre Dame Rice–SMU Safeway Bowl (SMU–North Texas) SMU–TCU Mayor's Cup (Temple–Villanova) Tulane–Auburn Georgia Tech–Tulane Ole Miss–Tulane Battle for the Bell (Tulane–Southern Miss) Battle for the Rag (Tulane–LSU) Oklahoma State–Tulsa

Mountain West Conference football rivalries

Conference	Air Force–Colorado State Air Force–Hawaii Boise State–Fresno State Boise State–Nevada Border War (Colorado State–Wyoming) Fresno State–San Diego State Fresno State–San Jose State Fremont Cannon (Nevada–UNLV) Hawaii–Wyoming Utah State–Wyoming

Non-conference	Arizona–New Mexico Beehive Boot (BYU–Utah–Utah State) Bill Walsh Legacy Game (San Jose State–Stanford) Boise State–Idaho BYU–Utah State Commander-in-Chief's Trophy (Air Force–Army–Navy) Rocky Mountain Showdown (Colorado–Colorado State) Rio Grande Rivalry (New Mexico–New Mexico State) New Mexico–Utah Battle of the Brothers (Utah–Utah State)

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