What is the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy? What to know of Army-Navy-Air Force rivalry

College football is filled with rivalry games, and with that comes the distribution of bragging rights and trophies.

It’s what makes college football, well, college football. And one of the best in the sport is the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

The quest for the 2024 Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy begins on Saturday in Week 6 of the college football season, when Navy (4-0, 3-0 in AAC play) travels to Colorado to take on Air Force (1-3, 0-2 Mountain West) at noon ET.

REQUIRED READING: College football Week 5 overreactions: Georgia is playoff trouble? Jalen Milroe won Heisman?

Saturday’s contest at Falcon Stadium is the first leg of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy race for both squads, as both teams will need to play Army later this season.

Here’s more on Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy:

What is the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy?

The Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy is the annual trophy presented to the winner of each college football season’s series among the three military academies: Army, Navy and Air Force.

The trophy, set on a circular base, stands 2 1/2 feet high and weighs over 170 pounds. It’s adorned on top with three silver footballs, with arc-shaped cutouts for each of the academies, respectively. Each cutout not only features the years the trophy was won by that team, but also features figurines of the animal mascots of the respective schools: a falcon for Air Force, a ram for Navy and a mule for Army.

The trophy is named after the President of the United States, whose nickname is the Commander in Chief. It was first awarded in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, and was spearheaded by Gen. George B. Simler, who served as the Air Force’s athletic director from 1957-60.

The trophy was originally conceived as a means to create an annual series for Air Force between Army and Navy, as prior to 1972 the Falcons played Navy in…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/commander-chiefs-trophy-know-army-100146839.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2024-10-05 10:01:46

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.