Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry
On the shores of the Chesapeake, two hard-fought Army–Navy games left a lasting mark on football and the service academies.

On two cool late fall Saturday afternoons, separated by forty-nine years, the spectacle of Army–Navy football unfolded at Annapolis, Maryland, on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy. This pair of rivalry games were played in 1893 and 1942, on the edge of brackish tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and before crowds among the smallest ever to witness the game. While often treated as sidebars in the epic Army–Navy football narrative, these two games had an outsized impact on the series, on the institutions represented on the field, and even on the sport of football. In a series that continues to be defined by toughness and resilience, these were also among the hardest-fought and roughest games ever played.

Battles at Annapolis presents the context of the two most recent Army–Navy football games played at Annapolis: how the games came to be scheduled and the impact of each contest on the participating institutions, the sport of football, and the broader community. Author David Gendell also showcases the unique personalities who represented the service academies on the field, on the sidelines, and in the stands. Many of the players would soon represent the United States in combat. But before they went to war, they played football.

Rear Admiral Thomas C. Lynch, USN (Ret.), a former Navy football captain and 54th Superintendent of the Naval Academy, contributes the book’s Foreword.
1146651366
Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry
On the shores of the Chesapeake, two hard-fought Army–Navy games left a lasting mark on football and the service academies.

On two cool late fall Saturday afternoons, separated by forty-nine years, the spectacle of Army–Navy football unfolded at Annapolis, Maryland, on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy. This pair of rivalry games were played in 1893 and 1942, on the edge of brackish tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and before crowds among the smallest ever to witness the game. While often treated as sidebars in the epic Army–Navy football narrative, these two games had an outsized impact on the series, on the institutions represented on the field, and even on the sport of football. In a series that continues to be defined by toughness and resilience, these were also among the hardest-fought and roughest games ever played.

Battles at Annapolis presents the context of the two most recent Army–Navy football games played at Annapolis: how the games came to be scheduled and the impact of each contest on the participating institutions, the sport of football, and the broader community. Author David Gendell also showcases the unique personalities who represented the service academies on the field, on the sidelines, and in the stands. Many of the players would soon represent the United States in combat. But before they went to war, they played football.

Rear Admiral Thomas C. Lynch, USN (Ret.), a former Navy football captain and 54th Superintendent of the Naval Academy, contributes the book’s Foreword.
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Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry

Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry

Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry

Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry

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Overview

On the shores of the Chesapeake, two hard-fought Army–Navy games left a lasting mark on football and the service academies.

On two cool late fall Saturday afternoons, separated by forty-nine years, the spectacle of Army–Navy football unfolded at Annapolis, Maryland, on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy. This pair of rivalry games were played in 1893 and 1942, on the edge of brackish tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and before crowds among the smallest ever to witness the game. While often treated as sidebars in the epic Army–Navy football narrative, these two games had an outsized impact on the series, on the institutions represented on the field, and even on the sport of football. In a series that continues to be defined by toughness and resilience, these were also among the hardest-fought and roughest games ever played.

Battles at Annapolis presents the context of the two most recent Army–Navy football games played at Annapolis: how the games came to be scheduled and the impact of each contest on the participating institutions, the sport of football, and the broader community. Author David Gendell also showcases the unique personalities who represented the service academies on the field, on the sidelines, and in the stands. Many of the players would soon represent the United States in combat. But before they went to war, they played football.

Rear Admiral Thomas C. Lynch, USN (Ret.), a former Navy football captain and 54th Superintendent of the Naval Academy, contributes the book’s Foreword.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781493088386
Publisher: Globe Pequot Publishing
Publication date: 08/05/2025
Pages: 326
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Annapolis native David Gendell is the author of Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse: A Chesapeake Bay Icon and The Last Days of the Schooner America: A Lost Icon at the Annapolis Warship Factory. He lives with his family in Annapolis, where he is a frequent speaker on the subjects of sailing and history.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Author's Notes


PART 1: THE 1893 GAME: "ANNAPOLIS IS WILD."
Chapter 1: Before Dawn and After Sunset
Chapter 2: A Most Urgent Errand
Chapter 3: Challenge Issued
Chapter 4: "I don't mind the bruises much."
Chapter 5: Experience Prevails at West Point, 1890
Chapter 6: A Second Chance
Chapter 7: Army's First Coach
Chapter 8: Stakes Raised
Chapter 9: "I can't think of anything but that game."
Chapter 10: The Third Meeting
Chapter 11: Bliss at Yale
Chapter 12: A Sporting Summer
Chapter 13: Bliss in California
Chapter 14: Naval Academy Summer
Chapter 15: Cadets at Chicago
Chapter 16: Fresh Start at West Point
Chapter 17: Predawn Practice
Chapter 18: New Coaches for a New Season
Chapter 19: The 1893 Army Cadets
Chapter 20: Emerging Stars at Annapolis
Chapter 21: Army's 1893 Season
Chapter 22: Navy's 1893 Season
Chapter 23: "Cry-Baby Sort of Feeling"
Chapter 24: Final Preparations
Chapter 25: A Goat from New York
Chapter 26: Army En Route to Annapolis
Chapter 27: The Tailor's Order
Chapter 28: Army Arrives at Annapolis
Chapter 29: The Crowd Gathers
Chapter 30: The Admiral
Chapter 31: El Cid at Annapolis
Chapter 32: Bull and the Headgear
Chapter 33: Underway
Chapter 34: Second Half
Chapter 35: "To kick a place kick for a goal."
Chapter 36: "Without luck."
Chapter 37: Celebration and Misbehavior
Chapter 38: West Point Reacts
Chapter 39: Fallout at Washington, DC
Chapter 40: Changes at West Point
Chapter 41: Aftermath
Chapter 42: "I am told that you are a good football player."
Chapter 43: A Vest Pocket Sea Fight
Chapter 44: "It's getting pretty hot here."
Chapter 45: A Costly "Little War"
Chapter 46: Rivalry Renewed
Chapter 47: Neutral Sites

PART 2: THE 1942 GAME: "AN UNEXPECTEDAND PLEASANT SURPRISE."
Chapter 48: The New Stadiums
Chapter 49: Surviving 1893 Coaches and Players
Chapter 50: "Be on the field in 20 minutes
Chapter 51: A New Era at West Point
Chapter 52: Army Gets Their Man
Chapter 53: High Expectations at Annapolis
Chapter 54: Fresh Hope at West Point
Chapter 55: Army and Navy Rising
Chapter 56: "There's a war coming boys."
Chapter 57: "Gentlemen, we are at war."
Chapter 58: Pearl Harbor Aftermath
Chapter 59: The "Green Light Letter"
Chapter 60: Bilged
Chapter 61: Woods into West Point
Chapter 62: "Doubt Army-Navy Game"
Chapter 63: Arrival by Sea
Chapter 64: "An unexpected and pleasant surprise."
Chapter 65: November 1942
Chapter 66: "Almost anything can happen when these two teams meet."
Chapter 67: November 28, 1942
Chapter 68: Ace
Chapter 69: Pacific Rescue

Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Sources
About the Author
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