Commander in Chief's Trophy

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Commander in Chief's Trophy
Teams:	Air Force Falcons Army Black Knights Navy Midshipmen
Originated:	1972
Trophy Series:	Air Force leads with 16 wins
Current Holder:	Navy
Air Force (16) 1982 1983 1985 1987 1989 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002	Navy (10) 1973 1975 1978 1979 1981 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007	Army (6) 1972 1977 1984 1986 1988 1996
Shared Awards (4) 1974 1976 1980 1993

The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is awarded to each season's winner of the triangular college football series among the United States Military Academy (Army Black Knights), the United States Naval Academy (Navy Midshipmen), and United States 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 first Saturday in December. In the event of a tie, the award is shared, but the previous winner retains possession of the trophy. Unlike many other intense college football rivalries, the competitiveness between the academies is tempered by the knowledge that the teams are playing against the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that will serve beside them after graduation.

Contents 1 History of the trophy 2 The trophy 3 Winners of the trophy 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History of the trophy

First awarded in 1972, the Commander-in-Chief's trophy was the idea of Air Force General George B. Simler, the commander of Air Training Command and former Air Force Academy athletic director who felt the need for such a trophy as a means to ensure the Air Force games played against traditional rivals Army and Navy were given some meaning at least slightly more significant than all other normal collegiate opponents that those two storied programs were to play on any given Saturday. 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, who is, under the U.S. Constitution, the Commander-in-Chief of all U.S. military services. The President has personally awarded the trophy on a number of occasions. During the 1980s, for instance, President Ronald Reagan presented the award in a White House ceremony. In 1996, President Bill Clinton presented the trophy at Veterans Stadium after the Army-Navy Game. For the last four years (2003-06), President George W. Bush presented the trophy in White House ceremonies.

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, TN.^[1]

[edit] 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.

During Army's last possession of the trophy, at the beginning of the 1997 season, it was housed in a glass case in Eisenhower Hall, the academy's theater and ballroom. Air Force displayed the trophy in a glass case inside the Cadet Fieldhouse, the indoor sports complex of the academy. When Navy has possession of the trophy, it is displayed in a glass case in Bancroft Hall, the Midshipmen's dormitory.

[edit] Winners of the trophy

Air Force victories are shown in ██ blue, Army victories in ██ black, Navy victories in ██ gold. Tied games, shared awards and future events are shown in ██ silver.
*In the event of a shared award, the previous winner retains the trophy.

Season	Trophy Winner	Air Force – Army score	Air Force – Navy score	Army – Navy score
1972	Army	17–14	21–17	23–15
1973	Navy	43–10	42–6	51–0
1974	Shared*	17–16	19–16	19–0
1975	Navy	33–3	17–0	30–6
1976	Shared*	24–7	13–3	38–10
1977	Army	31–6	10–7	17–14
1978	Navy	28–14	37–8	28–0
1979	Navy	28–7	13–9	31–7
1980	Shared*	47–24	21–20	33–6
1981	Navy	7–3	30–13	3–3
1982	Air Force	27–9	24–21	24–7
1983	Air Force	41–20	44–17	42–13
1984	Army	24–12	29–22	28–11
1985	Air Force	45–7	24–7	17–7
1986	Army	21–11	40–6	27–7
1987	Air Force	27–10	23–13	17–3
1988	Army	28–15	34–24	20–15
1989	Air Force	29–3	35–7	19–17
1990	Air Force	15–3	24–7	30–20
1991	Air Force	25–0	46–6	24–3
1992	Air Force	7–3	18–16	25–24
1993	Shared*	25–6	28–24	16–14
1994	Air Force	10–6	43–21	22–20
1995	Air Force	38–20	30–20	14–13
1996	Army	23–7	20–17	28–24
1997	Air Force	24–0	10–7	39–7
1998	Air Force	35–7	49–7	34–30
1999	Air Force	28–0	19–14	19–9
2000	Air Force	41–27	27–13	30–28
2001	Air Force	34–24	24–18	26–17
2002	Air Force	49–30	48–7	58–12
2003	Navy	31–3	28–25	34–6
2004	Navy	31–22	24–21	42–13
2005	Navy	27–24	27–24	42–23
2006	Navy	43–7	24–17	26–14
2007	Navy	30–10	31–20	38–3
2008	TBD	Nov. 1, 2008 at Army	Oct. 4, 2008 at Air Force	Dec. 6, 2008 at Philadelphia, PA
2009	TBD	Nov. 7, 2009 at Air Force	Oct. 3, 2009 at Navy	Dec. 5, 2009 at Philadelphia, PA
2010	TBD	Nov. 6, 2010 at Army	Oct. 2, 2010 at Air Force	TBD
2011	TBD	Nov. 5, 2011 at Air Force	Oct. 1, 2011 at Navy	TBD
2012	TBD	Nov. 3, 2012 at Army	Oct. 6, 2012 at Air Force	TBD
2013	TBD	Nov. 2, 2013 at Air Force	Oct. 5, 2013 at Navy	TBD
2014	TBD	Nov. 1, 2014 at Army	TBD	TBD
Season	Trophy Winner	Air Force – Army score	Air Force – Navy score	Army – Navy score

[edit] See also

• Army-Navy Game
• Secretaries Cup 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.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• CinC Trophy Fact Sheet
• President Bush's remarks at the White House presentation of the 2005 CinC's Trophy to Navy