Can the entire storied history of the Army-Navy football rivalry be covered in a single online document? No.

Can it be covered if that document sends its readers to 118 other places, one for each time the teams will have met after Saturday’s contest in Philadelphia? Also, no. But it’ll come a lot closer.

Whether you’re a casual fan, die-hard partisan or just trying to make conversation with the crazy guy in your office, here’s some quick links to get you up to speed, divided by category:

THE BASICS

GAME DAY

THE UNIFORMS

THE SPIRIT SPOTS

HISTORY LESSONS

  • Navy’s got a 60-50-7 lead over Army in the all-time series. The folks at mcubed.net keep an easy-to-read game log. Curious about the “7”? The last tie came in 1981, though the most famous came in 1926, in front of about 110,000 fans in Chicago’s almost-new Soldier Field.
  • Aside from Chicago and Philadelphia, the game’s been played in multiple locations in New York (West Point and New York City), New Jersey (Princeton and East Rutherford), and Maryland (Baltimore and Landover, plus Annapolis). It’s been across the Mississippi River just once, in 1983, when Navy beat Army 42-13 in Pasedena’s Rose Bowl.
  • Some milestones this year: It’s the 125th anniversary of the final Army-Navy game played on “The Plain,” West Point’s parade ground, in 1892. ... A century ago, the game was canceled as U.S. involvement in World War I ramped up (there’s always baseball). ... The Baltimore Sun reflects on the odd scene in World War II-era Annapolis 75 years ago. ... It’s been 25 years since Army kicker Patmon Malcom hit a 44-yard field goal to seemingly beat the Mids, had it erased by a penalty, then hit a 49-yarder for the win.

TALKING POINTS

FIRST AND LAST

ODDS AND ENDS

PARTING SHOTS

  • For Navy faithful, it’s an anniversary only a Tom Selleck fan could love: It’s been 50 years since future private investigator Thomas Magnum quarterbacked the (fictional) Mids to victory over Army in his senior season. The real-life Mids won that year, too: 19-17.
  • For Army fans still in need of hype, here’s the year’s signature spirit spot: The “Crazy Colonel” providing holiday-themed motivation for 30 straight minutes. 

Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.

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