Navy football team honored with 2025 Commander in Chief's trophy at White House
The U.S. Naval Academy football team was honored at the White House on Friday and presented with the 2025 Commander in Chief's trophy.
It comes after the football team won the annual competition between the Navy, Air Force and Army teams — the three major service academies. The trophy is named in honor of the president of the United States and was presented by President Trump.
"These players achieved one of the most impressive seasons in Navy football history — in any football history, frankly," the president said during the ceremony.
The Navy team won the 126th competition in 2025, defeating the Air Force 34-31 and the Army team 17-16.
The Army-Navy game was held in Baltimore, with Mr. Trump in attendance. The rivalry began in 1980, and the academies have played each year since.
The Navy team has won the trophy 13 times in the past 23 years, including in 2024.
In 2025, the Navy had one of the best seasons, ranking 23rd in the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll.
For the first time in the school's history, the team had back-to-back 10-win seasons. The team ended the season with a 35-13 win over Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl, the team's fourth consecutive win.
On Friday, Mr. Trump also signed an executive order that made the Army-Navy game the only one played on the second Saturday in December at a specific time.
Following the team's win in the 2025 Army-Navy game, Mr. Trump pledged to protect the game from competing football games as the NCAA considered expanding playoffs.
"Under my administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy," Trump said on Truth Social last year.
The president has attended the previous two Army-Navy games.
