Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo attends funeral of Army DB Brandon Jackson

Some things are bigger than football.

The funeral for Army defensive back Brandon Jackson was held in New York City on Monday, and representatives from the Black Knights’ biggest rival, Navy, were in attendance to pay their respects. Per the Associated Press, among those from Navy in attendance were head coach Ken Niumatalolo and members of his staff.

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Army coach Jeff Monken was appreciative of the gesture.

Niumatalolo and Monken go back a long way. Niumatalolo has been a football coach at Navy since 1995 and was promoted to head coach in 2007. Monken, who is in his third year at Army, coached the Midshipmen alongside Niumatalolo from 2002-2007.

Jackson, one of Army’s top cornerbacks, died Sept. 11 in a single-car accident. He was 20 years old. The crash occurred in Westchester County, New York, after Army improved to 2-0 with a win over Rice.

The Black Knights, now 3-0, play Buffalo on the road on Saturday. Navy, also 3-0, have a bye this week before traveling to Air Force on Oct. 1.

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The historic Army-Navy game will be played Dec. 10 in Baltimore. Army is looking to halt a 14-game winning streak for Navy in the series, dating back to 2002.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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