Eric Kettani’s football career has been anything but typical: Graduate from Naval Academy, make New England Patriots practice squad, leave Patriots after request for leave from Navy is denied, return to Patriots’ practice squad after being granted an early release from active duty after all, get released by the Patriots, get signed by the Patriots again, then get released again and signed by the Washington Redskins. Now signed to a futures contract with the Redskins, Kettani can participate in offseason practices. After one such practice on Monday, he engaged in another atypical NFL activity — his head coach participated in his…
Browsing: Navy football
If the Navy’s still seeking help in its motto department, it need look no further than its academy’s future football conference. The American Athletic Conference has officially debuted its new logo — that’s it on the right — along with a new website, which isn’t shy about touting the league’s impending success. Per the site: The league is about to “write a new chapter in the history of college athletics.” It “excels on every college athletic stage in every major sport.” It’s “The American,” for short, not the “AAC.” That’s too close to the ACC, league officials say. Logos with…
Big East, we hardly new ye. Or, in Navy’s case, we never knew ye. At right, a nice graphic of the 12 schools that will make up the American Athletic Conference in 2015; all but Navy will be in place by 2014 for all sports, the Mids will be football-only members. Leave your take on the new name in the comments section. Here’s five quick hits while you ponder some logo possibilities: 1. Branding 101. The name “suggests a national scope and quality membership,” an ESPN official said in the news release announcing the change. Some might say the name…
Navy football fans who didn’t want the Mids in the Big East will get their wish. Sorta. Per multiple reports, including one from the network that landed the conference’s future media rights, the so-called “Catholic 7” basketball teams that are leaving the Big East will purchase the name and take it with them when they depart next season. No fee has been announced, but one report speculates the name could be worth $8 million to $10 million. The move has generated positive publicity for the departing basketball schools, who’ll return the league name to the hoops roots it began with…
Navy football fans will be tuning into the ESPN family of networks to watch the Mids’ conference debut in 2015, thanks to a seven-year, $130 million deal expected to be approved by conference presidents as early as today. The package reportedly pays $20 million a year for football and basketball rights by the time Navy joins up; right now, the league would have 11 members in 2015, so that’s about $1.8 million per school — less if the league expands to a more stable 12 teams, and even less for Navy, which wouldn’t get any basketball-related revenue. It means less…
Two ranked teams, one trip to California, another homecoming test … and no passports. Navy released its 2013 football schedule today, and while fans won’t have to cross the Atlantic to follow the Mids this season, they will have to hit the road to see their squad face its toughest opponents — Notre Dame (Nov. 2) and San Jose State (Nov. 23). The Irish finished fourth in the final Associated Press poll after their throttling at the hands of Alabama in the Bowl Championship Series title game. San Jose State finished the year ranked 21st with an 11-2 record and…
What Navy fans need to know as the Mids prepare to wrap up 2012. Who, where, when: Navy (8-4) vs. Arizona State (7-5, 5-4 Pac-12), AT&T Park in San Francisco, Saturday, 4 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Pacific). TV: ESPN2 (Dave Pasch and Brian Griese have the call). Gambling is illegal in most states: Arizona State is a 14-point favorite. How they got here: Navy’s known its postseason fate for a while — a Nov. 3 win over Florida Atlantic made the Mids bowl-eligible, and they were locked into the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl via a preseason agreement. As for momentum…
It’s not Ireland. It’s not even scenic. But it’s much closer to home. The Mids will host Navy at FedEx Field, home of the NFL’s Washington Redskins, on Nov. 1, 2014, the Naval Academy announced Thursday. It’ll be the first time Navy’s played at FedEx since defeating Army there in 2011, and the first time the Mids have met the Irish at FedEx since 1998, when they were on the wrong end of a 30-0 shutout. Next year’s game is set for Nov. 2 in South Bend, Ind. The 2014 Mids will have four games in NFL stadiums — two…
Sick of spirit spots? Done with uniform updates? Ready for some football? For college gridiron die-hards and once-a-year big-game watchers alike, here’s what you need to know entering Saturday’s Army-Navy showdown. Who, where, when: Navy (7-4) vs. Army (2-9), Saturday, 3 p.m. Eastern, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Weather: Accuweather.com says to think spring — a few pregame showers, with temperatures approaching 60. Quick history: It’s the 113th meeting between the teams. Navy leads the series 56-49-7 and has won 10 straight, most in series history. Army’s last win came in Philadelphia in 2001 in Veterans Stadium, which no longer…
Sooner or later, fans of Navy football will know who to root against when it comes to conference play. The latest shuffle: The Louisville Cardinals will leave the Big East and join the Atlantic Coast Conference, according to an ESPN report, replacing Maryland, which will bolt for the Big Ten in 2014. This leaves the Big East with 13 football programs for 2015, Navy’s inaugural season: The Mids; current members Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida and Temple; previous expansion announcements Boise State, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State and Southern Methodist; and recent additions East Carolina and Tulane. For those…
