Clearly, the annual Army-Navy football game is an event unlike any other in college athletics. Only those who participate truly understand the significance. USA TODAY Sports asked a former player from each team to share what the game means to them. These are their stories.
Jim Cantelupe, Army
ARMY-NAVY. There really is no rivalry like this in college football. For starters, what you are playing for is much bigger than the teams. You are representing the entire United States Army and United States Navy. For the seniors, the fact that you will battle against each other in one of the final games of your career, and then join the same team, the United States Military, and work together after graduation to defend this country, makes this rivalry unique.