For: Immediate Release
April 23, 2003

CITY OF PHILADELPHIA TO HOST ARMY-NAVY FOOTBALL GAME FOUR TIMES FROM 2004-2008

Baltimore Selected as Site for 2007 Service Academy Classic

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The city of Philadelphia has been synonymous with the Army-Navy football classic over the years, hosting 76 of the previous 103 service academy battles. Army and Navy will be building on that rich tradition in the years ahead with today's announcement that Philadelphia will serve as host of "America's Classic" four times during a five-year span, extending from 2004 through 2008.

In making the announcement, U.S. Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk and U.S. Military Academy Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan also stated that the city of Baltimore will serve as host for the Army-Navy game in December of 2007.

The monetary value to the academies over the five-year period of the contract will exceed $20 million.

"We are grateful to every city that came forward with extraordinary enthusiasm and extended unprecedented commitments in their efforts to attract the game," said Gladchuk. "This process reinforced without a doubt that the Army/Navy matchup remains an extremely desirable event with the highest level of national respect. Our appreciation to all, and in the end especially Philadelphia and Baltimore who made it clear they did not want this classic to get away. The Brigade of Midshipmen, Corps of Cadets, and our most loyal fans will continue to enjoy the pageantry of college football at its best in these great cities with facilities and community support second to none."

"Today marks the end of a long but rewarding process for both academies," Greenspan said. "Our goal in this process was to provide the opportunity for cities across the country to host this tremendous event. We were very pleased by the significant interest displayed by representatives of cities from across the country and considered their proposals very seriously. In the end, we felt that awarding four games to Philadelphia and one to Baltimore was in the best interests of the cadets and midshipmen, as well as the graduates and fans of both academies. Those two cities really stepped forward to elevate the status of the game. We feel strongly that the Army-Navy game remains one of our country's national treasures and both cities have proven the ability to honor the game properly."

The process for securing a long-term home for future Army-Navy football games officially began last September with the service academies distributing a formal "Request for Proposal" to agencies representing more than 100 cities nationally. Representatives from 14 cities expressed serious interest in securing the rights to host the event.

The academies accepted bids from prospective host cities through the middle of January with site visits conducted during the month of February. Philadelphia and Baltimore were selected from a group of interested cities that included Buffalo, N.Y., Chicago, Ill., East Rutherford, N.J., Jacksonville, Fla., New England region, Houston, Texas, Pittsburgh, Pa., San Antonio, Texas, Seattle, Wash., the South Florida region, Tampa, Fla., and Washington, D.C.

The first Army-Navy game was played in 1890 at West Point and the second at Annapolis one year later. In 1899, Philadelphia's Franklin Field became the game site. The "City of Brotherly Love" has dominated as host city for the Army-Navy game since that time. There have been 14 different venues that have played host to the event, three of those located in Philadelphia and two in Baltimore.

Municipal Stadium, renamed John F. Kennedy Stadium in 1964 has housed the game the most times - 41 in all - to include a 35 straight games between 1945 and 1979. It was first played there in 1936.

Franklin Field ranks second on the list of Army-Navy game sites with its total of 18, followed by Veterans Stadium with 17 and the Polo Grounds in New York City with nine. "The Vet" first hosted the game in 1980 and did so through 2001 with but five exceptions. Army battled Navy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., in 1983; at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., in 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2002; and at Ravens Stadium in Baltimore in 2000.

A long-term agreement between the academies and the city of Philadelphia ended in 2001. Last year's game was held at Giants Stadium, while this year's classic will be held on Dec. 6 at the Philadelphia Eagles' new home, Lincoln Financial Field, which will also serve as the site for subsequent matchups between the arch rivals in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008.

Ravens Stadium in Baltimore, site of the 2000 Army-Navy game will host the contest in 2007. It will mark the fourth time that the city of Baltimore has hosted the event with previous pairings dating back to 1924 and 1944.

"This is a phenomenal opportunity for two great cities to participate in the top-rated rivalry in college football today," said Vice Admiral Richard J. Naughton, Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. "We look forward to renewing our friendships with Philadelphia and Baltimore, and all the great Army-Navy game fans."

"The number of bids received from cities across the country demonstrates the importance attached to the Army-Navy game and the support for the service academies," said Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox Jr., Superintendent of the United States Military Academy. "This game truly belongs to America."

For the eighth straight year, CBS Sports will televise the Army-Navy Classic to a national and worldwide (via American Forces Network) audience this year. Kickoff time is slated for 4 p.m.