The annual Army-Navy game is always a fun one. The unique uniforms designed just for the rivalry certainly help it gain some attention.
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Each year, the teams wear uniforms designed specifically to honor their service's history.
At Gillette Stadium in 2023, the Black Knights will debut the "Dogface Soldiers" kit, created as a tribute to soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Marne Division's beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Midshipmen will pay tribute to the U.S. Submarine Force. The uniforms were designed to specifically embody the group's nickname, the "Silent Service."
With the rivalry game being held in Boston for the first time, it's only right the military academies went all out for this year's uniforms.
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The Sporting News has everything you need to know about the significance and history of each team's look.
Army football 'Dogface Soldiers' uniform 2023
Army worked with Nike to create the "Dogface Soldier" uniforms, named for the official song of the 3rd Infantry Division.
The design tells the story of soldiers of the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The morning of March 21, 2003, the 3rd ID began its invasion of Iraq. The 1st Brigade Combat Team eventually seized control of the Baghdad Airport, which gave the Americans an advantage while battling the Iraqi regime. Thunder Run, a set of two operations completed by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, helped capture key infrastructure within Baghdad and break down the Iraqi regime.
The Army uniform is tan to represent the deserts in Iraq. "Rock of the Marne" is written across the back of the helmet, as well as down the legs, to touch on the 3rd Infantry Division's nickname earned during World War I's Second Battle of the Marne in 1918. Other symbols and motifs featured throughout the uniform are:
- Rocky the Bulldog, the division's mascot, displayed on both sides of the helmet
- Helmet sticker with the number and corresponding call signal for one of the division's three maneuver brigades: 1st Brigade, "Raider"; 2nd Brigade, "Spartan"; 3rd Brigade, "Sledgehammer"
- Helmet sticker of the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 3rd Infantry Division, a two-legged dragon standing on a rock with words "nous resterons la" written below
- Iraq Campaign streamer on the back of the collar
- 3rd ID patch on the left shoulder
- On front and back of the jersey, downward facing arrows that mimic markings used by armored units
- Tank marking on front right of pants to represent thermal patterns on 3rd ID vehicles
- Font on back of the jersey symbolizes those used on Army vehicles
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Navy football 'Silent Service' uniform 2023
The Navy and Under Armour created uniforms that tribute to the U.S. Submarine Force, who earned the nickname "Silent Service" due to a submarine's quiet stealth.
The entirety of the uniforms used Eclipse Navy, Under Armour's darkest shade of blue, to "mimic the covert design of a submarine hull." The designs honor service members, who are submerged in the sea for months at a time, silently working through missions.
Kept simple, the designs mimic that of a submarine. Dark with bright white lighting up the utilitarian design inside the vessel. Only spaces that need to be brightened, such as names, numbers, Under Armour logos, the Navy wordmark and the U.S. Marine Corps globe, are in white. It was announced in November that the USS Massachusetts would be commissioned in Boston, resulting in a jersey patch for players.
Other accents of the uniform are:
- Gloves and sleeve patch contain Naval Academy Athletics anchor locked with Submarine Warfare insignia
- Numbers stacked on the side of pants to imitate depth of a submarine in the sea
- Back neck of the jersey features the silhouette of a US submarine layered with a sonar screen dotted with stars to represent targets
- Helmet is hand-painted with the Virginia Class Submarine on the right, and the left depicts the Navy anchor with the submariner pin integrated with color-changing paint
- Front flex panel shows a sonar
- Cleat pattern reflects waves
