# Army Black Knights football
**Army Black Knights football** is the college football program of the [United States Military Academy](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-military-academy) at [West Point, New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-point-new-york), competing at the [NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-i-football-bowl-subdivision) level.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Home | United States Military Academy, West Point, New York[2](https://apnews.com/article/56147c6af1183505c26342fc9a468633) |
| Claimed national championships | 1944, 1945, and 1946[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/army/index.html) • [16](https://www.cfbhall.com/news-and-happenings/blog/the-united-states-army-celebrates-its-248th-birthday-history-of-army-west-point-football/) |
| All-time record | 649-462-51, a .580 winning percentage[4](https://nationalchamps.net/NCAA/database/army_database.htm) |
| Commander-in-Chief's Trophy | 10 Army wins, against 21 for Air Force and 16 for Navy; competition began in 1972[2](https://apnews.com/article/56147c6af1183505c26342fc9a468633) |
| 2025 season | 7-6 overall, 4-4 in the American; won the Wasabi Fenway Bowl 41-16 over UConn[5](https://goarmywestpoint.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) |
## History
Army football dates to the nineteenth century and reached its peak in the 1940s, with national championships claimed in 1944, 1945, and 1946.[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/army/index.html) • [16](https://www.cfbhall.com/news-and-happenings/blog/the-united-states-army-celebrates-its-248th-birthday-history-of-army-west-point-football/) The program's all-time record stands at 649 wins, 462 losses, and 51 ties, a .580 winning percentage, with a 3-2 bowl record recorded in one historical database.[4](https://nationalchamps.net/NCAA/database/army_database.htm) Nineteen Army players and four coaches have been inducted into the [College Football Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-hall-of-fame).[6](https://news.cibassoc.org/the-3-fbs-service-academy-football-programs-ranked/)
The modern era has been shaped by head coach [Jeff Monken](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-monken), hired before the 2014 season.
## The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Each season Army, Navy, and Air Force play a round-robin series for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, awarded annually to the academy with the best head-to-head record in the three matchups. The competition began in 1972, and the trophy, topped by three silver footballs, weighs 170 pounds (77 kilograms).[2](https://apnews.com/article/56147c6af1183505c26342fc9a468633) • [7](https://meangreensports.com/documents/download/2024/11/5/241109army_notes.pdf) Air Force has won it 21 times, Navy 16 times, and Army 10 times.[2](https://apnews.com/article/56147c6af1183505c26342fc9a468633)
Army swept both rivals in the 2023 season, and President Joe Biden presented the trophy to the team at the White House in May 2024.[2](https://apnews.com/article/56147c6af1183505c26342fc9a468633) The 2026 round-robin runs through November 7, when Air Force visits Army, and concludes with the Army-Navy Game on December 12 at [MetLife Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/metlife-stadium) in [East Rutherford, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-rutherford-new-jersey).[8](https://navysports.com/news/2026/9/28/football-navy-travels-to-air-force-for-opening-leg-of-commander-in-chiefs-trophy.aspx)
## The Army-Navy Game
The annual Army-Navy Game is the program's defining fixture. Navy dominated the series for a period, leading it 59-49-7 as of 2014, when Army's record 12-game losing streak in the rivalry was still running.[9](https://time.com/3633039/us-army-football/) The 126th meeting was played on December 13, 2025 at [M&T Bank Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/m-and-t-bank-stadium) in Baltimore, on the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army, with uniforms designed in partnership with Nike; Army won 17-16.[10](https://www.army.mil/armynavygame/) • [5](https://goarmywestpoint.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) The game is protected as a nonconference matchup even though both schools now play in the [American Athletic Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-athletic-conference).[1](https://legionreport.com/service-academy-football/)
## Offensive identity
For decades Army ran the flexbone triple option, a run-heavy scheme in which the quarterback reads a defender and chooses among three ballcarriers. Under Monken and offensive coordinator Brent Davis, the offense paired the option with analytics: in 2018 Army ranked third among 130 FBS teams at 3.45 points per possession while running the fewest drives per game in the nation, 8.3, because long, clock-consuming possessions meant opponents could not score without the ball.[11](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-football/army-combines-old-school-offense-21st-century-analytics) In 2017 the Black Knights won three games without completing a pass, three of the seven such wins recorded nationwide since 2000.[12](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/11/10/army-football-almost-never-passes-and-almost-always-wins/)
**A rules-driven change.** NCAA rules effective before the 2022 season prohibit blocking below the waist on the perimeter and more than 1 yard beyond the line of scrimmage, undermining the triple option's blocking scheme. Before the 2023 season Army hired Drew Thatcher, previously offensive coordinator at Division II Nebraska-Kearney, as co-offensive coordinator, and the team moved to a shotgun spread offense that retained the old priorities of running the ball, controlling the clock, and limiting opponents' possessions.[13](https://www.stripes.com/sports/2023-08-17/new-look-offense-black-knights-10946966.html) Monken said the shift also simplified the learning process for newcomers, since the triple option was complex even though it had won many games.[13](https://www.stripes.com/sports/2023-08-17/new-look-offense-black-knights-10946966.html)
## Conference play and recent seasons
Army played as a football independent for most of its modern history and weighed periodically whether joining a conference was worth the loss of that independence, noting that the service academies are barred from offering name, image, and likeness endorsement deals to their athletes.[14](https://www.foxsports.com/articles/cfb/army-ponders-how-long-it-can-remain-independent-in-football)
In 2025 Army finished 7-6 overall and 4-4 in conference play, closing the regular season with the 17-16 win over Navy before beating UConn 41-16 in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl in Boston.[5](https://goarmywestpoint.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) The team averaged 23.8 points per game that season, behind Navy's 31.5 and Air Force's 29.8 among the service academies.[15](https://www.moaa.org/content/publications-and-media/news-articles/2026-news-articles/reads/academy-football-from-a-to-z-get-set-for-the-2026-season/)
## References
1. [Service Academy Football Explained: Army, Navy, Air Force and the CIC Trophy, Legion Report](https://legionreport.com/service-academy-football/)
2. [Biden recognizes US Military Academy with trophy for besting other service academies in football, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/56147c6af1183505c26342fc9a468633)
3. [Army Black Knights School History, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/army/index.html)
4. [Army Cadets Football History Database, NationalChamps.net](https://nationalchamps.net/NCAA/database/army_database.htm)
5. [2025 Football Schedule, Army West Point Athletics](https://goarmywestpoint.com/sports/football/schedule/2025)
6. [The 3 FBS Service Academy Football Programs, Ranked, Combat Infantrymen's Association](https://news.cibassoc.org/the-3-fbs-service-academy-football-programs-ranked/)
7. [Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, Army game notes](https://meangreensports.com/documents/download/2024/11/5/241109army_notes.pdf)
8. [Navy Travels to Air Force for Opening Leg of Commander-In-Chief's Trophy, Naval Academy Athletics](https://navysports.com/news/2026/9/28/football-navy-travels-to-air-force-for-opening-leg-of-commander-in-chiefs-trophy.aspx)
9. [Where the U.S. Army Is Winless, Time](https://time.com/3633039/us-army-football/)
10. [GO ARMY! Army vs. Navy Football Game, Army.mil](https://www.army.mil/armynavygame/)
11. [Army combines old-school offense, 21st century analytics, FOX Sports](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-football/army-combines-old-school-offense-21st-century-analytics)
12. [Army football almost never passes and almost always wins, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/11/10/army-football-almost-never-passes-and-almost-always-wins/)
13. [New-look offense in store for Army Black Knights in 2023, Stars and Stripes](https://www.stripes.com/sports/2023-08-17/new-look-offense-black-knights-10946966.html)
14. [Army ponders how long it can remain independent in football, FOX Sports](https://www.foxsports.com/articles/cfb/army-ponders-how-long-it-can-remain-independent-in-football)
15. [Academy Football From A to Z: Get Set for the 2026 Season, MOAA](https://www.moaa.org/content/publications-and-media/news-articles/2026-news-articles/reads/academy-football-from-a-to-z-get-set-for-the-2026-season/)
16. [The United States Army Celebrates its 248th birthday, History of Army West Point Football](https://www.cfbhall.com/news-and-happenings/blog/the-united-states-army-celebrates-its-248th-birthday-history-of-army-west-point-football/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › College football programs › Football programs › Eastern United States football programs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license