Army will face Navy on the second Saturday of December, in its usual special spot on the calendar, as the rivals collide for the 127th time.
And this time, on Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. ET on CBS, when the college football world focuses its attention on one of the sport’s greatest rivalries, the setting will be MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
On Sunday, a little over a month from the service academies doing battle, Army did a little necessary homework by unveiling exactly what it will be wearing the latest special occasion in the rivalry that unites the country like no other football game — well, unless you’re a diehard Army or Navy football fan.
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In this case, Army will be donning uniforms that commemorate the 4th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. That 4th Infantry Division is nicknamed the “Ivy Division,” and in that spirit Army went really deep into its special closet to come up with these uniforms that it will wear against Navy:
But Sunday wasn’t just a uniform reveal on social media. It was also helped out by former NFL star tight end Rob Gronkowski, who went to Arizona but showed his patriotism toward his country and toward this rivalry by being a special guest of Army football in the uniform reveal for the Navy game.
Gronkowski, known for his toughness on the field, took off his helmet during the reveal to rousing cheers, as the Black Knights showed off what they would be wearing on Dec. 12 to the country and to the Midshipmen.
Army wouldn’t be Army without thanking Gronkowski for his service — in this case, his service in showing off the special threads on Sunday that Army will wear at the Meadowlands to pay tribute to the 4th Infantry Division.
The countdown to kickoff is officially on for the rivalry that Navy leads 64-55-7 all-time.
Army has a ways to go to catch Navy in that all-time series, but on Sunday it won the day with its uniform reveal alone.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
