The Navy Midshipmen have won 13 straight games against Army West Point. They’ve won eight straight games against all foes dating back to last season, most recently defeating Air Force. And their head coach is winning at the pay window. Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo claimed top honors among academy rivals in USA Today’s recently released annual college coach salary survey, set to take home $1,637,803 in 2015. That puts him in 58th among top-tier NCAA football coaches, ahead of Air Force’s Troy Calhoun (73rd, $919,000) and Army’s Jeff Monken (75th, $883,000). The numbers come with the usual caveats: The Naval Academy…
The short version of this week’s service-academy football slate: Two schools square off to begin the quest for the Commander in Chief’s Trophy, and the other could play in front of more than 100,000 people. That get your attention? Here’s six quick hits before Saturday’s action kicks off: 1. Muddy track in Annapolis. Navy’s a six-point favorite hosting Air Force on what could be a soggy Saturday afternoon — nearby Maryland has already moved its Saturday game against Big Ten rival Michigan from 8 p.m. to noon to escape the damage that could be wrought by Hurricane Joaquin. No change yet to…
Five news bits for academy sports boosters, including a few updates to your fan calendar: 1. Army-PSU to “the U”: Army West Point’s Oct. 3 visit to Happy Valley to battle Penn State now has a time (noon Eastern) and a TV home (ESPNU). It already had a packed house: Penn State announced a sellout for Beaver Stadium, including more than 6,500 seats donated to service members, on Sept. 9. Army has lost its first three games by a combined 10 points and will visit Eastern Michigan this Saturday (6 p.m. Eastern, ESPN3) before heading to Happy Valley. Penn State sits at 2-1…
The Army West Point Black Knights will get a head start on their fellow service academies this year, opening their rebranded 2015 season against Fordham on Friday night at West Point. Fans who can’t attend the game in person can watch live on CBS Sports Network, which will air the home opener as well as every other home contest for the Black Knights this season (Get your schedule here). Can’t find CBSSN on your cable package? You might still be in luck. All football home games will be made available for free to service members with active dot-mil email accounts, the…
Air Force football coach Troy Calhoun does a loose interpretation of "Casablanca." (YouTube)
First, watch the video. Then, gather the appropriate Academy Awards nomination paperwork and ship it to Colorado Springs. Then, check below for some details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqlKbd_cur8&feature=youtu.be For those who doubt the introductory graphics — and who could doubt something with that music behind it?— that’s really Air Force head football coach Troy Calhoun, belting out some slightly modified dialogue from “Casablanca,” a cinema classic that predates the Air Force Academy by about a dozen years. Not only is Humphrey Bogart on the sideline, but so is the booze — a sports drink fills in for a nice bit of product placement. And…
Workouts are underway. College football teams are taking shape under the hot August sun. Wall-sized coolers of “Falcon Fuel” are being unveiled in a massive ribbon-cutting ceremony … that last one might be an Air Force-only thing. Regardless, weekends for service academy gridiron fans soon will involve the traditional rivalry smack-talk and the more recent tradition of smashing buttons on the remote control, trying to find your team’s game on one of the approximately 73 cable sports networks in time for that 3:30 p.m. kickoff … or was it noon? Or did they play last night? The below schedule (all times Eastern) should help,…
The Army West Point record-holder for most rushing yards by a quarterback will attempt to make the Baltimore Ravens as a wide receiver. And if that seems like the strangest part of Trent Steelman’s path to an NFL roster, consider the following: Steelman, who signed with the Ravens over the weekend, reportedly received an offer from the Ravens in 2013, before he’d even graduated, but his service commitment trumped his football plans. While that commitment may have kept him from the NFL, Steelman attempted another high-level athletic pursuit, trying out for the U.S. Olympic bobsled team. After moving to the Army Reserve…
Service members past and present who want to support the Army West Point football team when the Black Knights invade State College, Pennsylvania, in October can do so free of charge thanks to a Penn State ticket giveaway. Current and former military members from all branches, including the Guard and Reserve, as well as Gold Star family members can apply for four complimentary tickets for the Oct. 3 game at Beaver Stadium through PSU’s Seats for Servicemembers program. Service members also can purchase up to five discounted tickets for others in their party; head here to apply. Not going, but want…
Two months before the 2015 college football season kicks off, the Navy Midshipmen announced plans for their 2016 meeting with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The game will head south to EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Navy athletics officials and representatives of the Jacksonville Sports Council revealed the site of the Nov. 5, 2016, contest at a Wednesday news conference at the stadium. The council is accepting ticket requests; prices start at $60. It’s a long trek from Annapolis, but the contest serves as a home game of sorts for sailors stationed at Naval Station Mayport, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, and…
The Army West Point Black Knights will need more than a rebranding to beat Navy, at least in the eyes of Las Vegas oddsmakers. The Golden Nugget sportsbook in Vegas released its annual way-too-early-to-take-all-that-seriously betting lines for select college football games Friday. ESPN.com has the full list here, but for Army-Navy watchers, the number to know is 13. That is, Vegas has listed the Midshipmen as 13-point favorites over the Black Knights to extend their rivalry win streak, which now stands at 13 games. The Golden Nugget had the same line set last summer (Navy won, 17-10) and had Navy…
