Doc 5: Top five trophies in college football - No. 5 - The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
This offseason we will count down various topics from Monday through Friday, bringing you the top five of the important and definitely some not so important issues in college football. It's the Doc Five, every week until we will thankfully have actual games to discuss.
With the Stanley Cup getting underway last week, we were thinking about some of the best trophies in sports. Of course, we were specifically thinking of the many trophies that are awarded to teams in rivalry games across the country. Instead of showcasing the best ones, we decided to look at the worst ones, culminating with the Milk Can from that is awarded to the winner of the Boise State-Fresno State game.
With those wacky trophies out of the way, we felt like it was only right to keep the trophy theme going with the best trophies in college football.
There are dozens and dozens to choose from, but we managed to narrow it down to a top five after careful consideration.
Let’s get started.
TOP FIVE TROPHIES IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
No. 5 – Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy
There is no comparable three-way rivalry in college football to the rivalry between Air Force, Army and Navy. Fittingly, the three-way rivalry has a trophy – the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy -- that represents the illustrious history of the service academies both on and off the playing field.
Before 1972, Air Force did not play Army or Navy on an annual basis. The idea for the trophy came from Air Force General George B. Simler, the Falcons’ athletic director at the time. The Midshipmen and the Black Knights had squared off every season dating back to 1930 and had played 30 times prior to that. The trophy provided added significance Air Force’s role in the football rivalry amongst the service academies.
The trophy’s design may not be the most extravagant, but it represents all three academies and is larger than the average trophy at 2 1/2 feet tall and 170 pounds. Three silver footballs are arranged on the top of the trophy and there are three different sections in the middle of trophy to represent each academy.
Additionally, the trophy has a silver figurine for each team’s mascot and features each of the years the respective team has won the trophy.
Take a look:
The trophy was named for the commander in chief of the armed forces -- the President of the United States. It was first awarded to Army in 1972 when the Black Knights knocked off Air Force 17-14 and then beat Navy 23-15. That first year was just one of six times that the Black Knights have taken the trophy back to West Point. Following Army’s inaugural win, Navy brought the trophy back to Annapolis in eight of the next nine seasons. Following Navy’s run of success, Air Force began a dominant tenure that saw the Falcons take home the trophy 17 times between 1982 and 2002.
Overall, Air Force has won the trophy 18 times. Navy won the trophy seven straight times from 2003-2009 and after Air Force won in 2010 and 2011, the Midshipmen returned to their winning ways in 2012 and 2013. Last year, Navy beat Air Force 28-10 and Army 34-7.
The recipient of the trophy ordinarily comes down to the final week of the season, when Army faces off with Navy. This season's Army-Navy game will take place on December 13 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Addtionally, Air Force squares off with Navy and Army on October 4 and November 1, respectively.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
