Armed Forces Sports

Look: Army-Navy Game Uniforms Released on EA College Football Game

The special theme uniforms for Saturday’s Army-Navy game have made their way to the EA Sports College Football 25 video game.

Matt Postins

Dec 9, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Army Black Knights wide receiver Casey Reynolds (87) is chased by Navy Midshipmen safety Kush'i Abraham (35) during the first half of the Army-Navy Game at Gillette Stadium.
Dec 9, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Army Black Knights wide receiver Casey Reynolds (87) is chased by Navy Midshipmen safety Kush'i Abraham (35) during the first half of the Army-Navy Game at Gillette Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The Army-Navy game is always a big game. This year, with the return of the EA Sports College Football 25 game, it just got bigger.

The game returned this year after a long absence. It returned after the landscape of college sports changed with student-athletes being able to leverage their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) while in college. It allows them to make money with sponsorships, appearances and other revenue-generating endeavors.

It also allowed EA Sports College Football to return and for the company to compensate the players to have their names and likenesses in the game.

EA Sports also took great care to work with schools to create correct uniforms, school colors, stadiums and even included the correct fight songs. It wanted the game to be as accurate and realistic as possible.

The game is updated from time to time with all sorts of additions, including new uniforms — like the themed uniforms that will be used for Saturday’s game.

On Tuesday, both Army and Navy released screenshots and videos of their themed uniforms for the contest included in the video game. Both released their uniforms last month. So, it took EA less than a month to update.

As is recent tradition, both teams will be wearing uniforms based on a particular historic unit within their branch.

Army will wear black uniforms based on the markings of the 101st Airborne Division, with a specific emphasis on the division’s service in the Battle of Bulge, which was the last major German offensive of World War II. This year marks the 80th anniversary of one of the last, decisive battles of the conflict.

In fact, the date of the game will be two days before the Battle of The Bulge started on Dec. 16, 1944.

Navy will wear uniforms that will honor Fighter Squadron 17, also known as the “Jolly Rogers.” The squadron used the skull and crossbones insignia, in part because they flew F4U-1 Corsairs and corsair is an old nautical term for pirate.

By the end of World War II, the “Jolly Rogers” were considered the most lethal fighter squadron in Naval aviation history. The squadron had more than 150 kills in the Pacific, per the Navy.

While the VF-17 was eventually decommissioned, the skull and crossbones have flown on nine different aircraft in the Navy’s history.

This is just the second time the game has been played in Landover and Navy won the only matchup in 2011. The rivalry dates back to 1890 and Navy leads the series, 62-55-7.

Army, led by coach Jeff Monken, has won the last two games and six of the last eight games since 2016. Before that, Navy dominated the series, winning 14 straight games and 16 of 17 from 1999-2015.

Second-year Navy coach Brian Newberry will be looking for his first Army-Navy win as head coach.

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Matt Postins
MATT POSTINS

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