The 2024 Army-Navy football game is Saturday, matching the teams of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy. Played annually since 1890, the game is a pivotal tradition for future military officers who attend both schools and a major draw in the big-business world of college sports.
Unlike the players in other high-profile college football games, virtually none of the players on the field expect to play professionally, knowing that they’ll soon be in uniform as active duty military officers. Many will be expected to lead soldiers, sailors and Marines in combat.
The game has produced hundreds of combat veterans, many highly decorated. But less than a dozen Cadets or Midshipmen who played football for their school have gone on to be awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest valor award, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which maintains a large archive of historical information on Medal recipients. At least half played in or were on a team roster for an Army-Navy game, while others were farther down the depth chart. One sailor missed out on the rivalry game through no fault of his own — the school’s teams didn’t play each other during his four years on campus.
Though soldiers in the Army have been awarded more than 2,400 of the roughly 3,500 Medals in U.S. military history, alums of the Naval Academy’s football team outnumber those from West Point. Six midshipmen who lettered in varsity football — generally a sign that they saw significant on-field time — would go on to receive the award, while five cadets from West Point played minor roles on their teams.
The list compiled below, based on information compiled by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and officials at both schools, reflects all known players at the schools who went on to become Medal of Honor recipients, regardless of the era or criteria under which they were given the award or their achievements as players.
U.S. Military Academy
Robert Cole
Lt. Col. Robert Cole played football for the Black Knights for four years, graduating with the Class of 1939, but he did not letter.
As a paratrooper in World War II, Cole jumped into Normandy on D-Day as the commander of the 3rd Battalion, 502d Parachute Infantry, 101st Airborne Division Regiment during World War II.
On June 11, 1944, Cole was leading his battalion to secure the last four bridges leading to Carantan. His unit came under heavy attack from rifle, machine-gun, mortar, and artillery fire from heavily fortified German positions within 150 yards of the leading soldiers.
For over an hour, Cole and his men were pinned down, sustaining several casualties. He recognized the “almost hopeless situation” and ordered his men to fix bayonets and charge the enemy positions.
“With utter disregard for his own safety and completely ignoring the enemy fire, he rose to his feet in front of his battalion and with drawn pistol shouted to his men to follow him in the assault,” reads Cole’s Medal of Honor citation. “Catching up a fallen man’s rifle and bayonet, he charged on and led the remnants of his battalion across the bullet-swept open ground and into the enemy position.”
On Sept. 18, 1944, Cole was mortally wounded by a sniper while fighting in Best, Holland.
Leon Vance Jr.
Lt. Col. Leon Vance Jr. only played football his freshman year at West Point, graduating — with Cole — in the Class of 1939.
He became a command pilot in the 489th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force. While flying a pre-D-Day bomber mission, his plane was shredded by flak rounds fired by the Germans. The flak instantly killed his pilot and left Vance’s foot dangling by a few intact tendons and wounded others crew members. Three of the four engines were destroyed, but Vance led his formation over the target and successfully destroyed it.
“After applying a tourniquet to his leg with the aid of the radar operator, Lt. Col. Vance, realizing that the ship was approaching a stall altitude with the one remaining engine failing, struggled to a semi-upright position beside the copilot and took over control of the ship,” reads his Medal of Honor citation. “Cutting the power and feathering the last engine, he put the aircraft in glide sufficiently steep to maintain his airspeed.”
He managed to fly back over the English Channel, where he knew his crew could jump and safely reach land. He instructed his crew to jump and remained on board, believing a wounded crew member was too injured to jump. He rode the ship down to the channel waters, where it impacted and rapidly sank.
Vance was pinned by one of the plane’s turrets, but an explosion blew him free of the aircraft, and he managed to reach a floating piece of wreckage. Once he mustered enough strength to inflate his life vest, he started searching for the wounded crew member, though he did not find him. It was later discovered there was never a wounded crew member in the back of the plane, but Vance managed to swim for the next 50 minutes before a rescue boat picked him up.
While on a medical flight back to the U.S., the plane was lost and never recovered.
Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma is named in his honor.
Samuel Coursen
1st Lt. Samuel Coursen played football his first three years at West Point but never lettered, according to officials at the school, graduating with the Class of 1949.
During the Korean War, Coursen was assigned to Company C, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Coursen led his platoon in an assault on Hill 174 along the Naktong River in Kaesong, North Korea, on Oct. 12, 1950.
They came under close, heavy enemy fire. Coursen’s platoon located a well-camouflaged enemy emplacement, and one of his soldiers entered it believing it to be unoccupied but was attacked by soldiers inside. Coursen rushed to his soldier’s defense, engaging the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, but was killed during the fighting.
“When his body was recovered after the battle, seven enemy dead were found in the emplacement. As the result of 1st Lt. Coursen’s violent struggle, several of the enemies’ heads had been crushed with his rifle,” reads Coursen’s Medal of Honor Citation. “His aggressive and intrepid actions saved the life of the wounded man, eliminated the main position of the enemy roadblock, and greatly inspired the men in his command.”
Frank Reasoner
Frank Reasoner’s story is perhaps the most unique in Army-Navy history, though he never played in the actual varsity-level rivalry between the schools.
Reasoner was a West Point graduate but served both before he enrolled and afterward as a Marine. And while he did not play on the varsity football team, he did play on the 150-pound football team — today called Sprint Football — a full-speed, full-contact version of the game played as a varsity sport since prior to World War II by students at both West Point and Annapolis. The game was specifically carved out on both campuses as an athletic option for cadets and midshipmen who played football in high school and wanted to continue but were below 150 pounds (the limit in the game today is 178). The sport has an annual national championship between the dozen or so campuses that play the sport, which includes Ivy League schools. Army or Navy have won nearly all of them.
Reasoner joined the Marine Corps three months before his 18th birthday. He served as an enlisted Marine for a year before his appointment to the Military Academy in 1958. He played 150-pound football for his first two years at the Military Academy, West Point, and graduated with the Class of 1962. He then returned to the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant but was promoted to first lieutenant the following year in December.
Reasoner was assigned to Company A, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division (Rein) FMF. On July 12, 1965, Reasoner led his platoon on a reconnaissance patrol deep into enemy territory near Da Nang, Vietnam. They came under “extremely heavy fire” from rifles and machine guns by a Viet Cong force estimated to range from 50 to 100 men. Reasoner repeatedly exposed himself throughout the battle.
“When the radio operator was hit a second time while attempting to reach a covered position, 1st Lt. Reasoner courageously running to his aid through the grazing machine-gun fire fell mortally wounded,” reads Reasoner’s Medal of Honor Citation. “His indomitable fighting spirit, valiant leadership, and unflinching devotion to duty provided the inspiration that was to enable the patrol to complete its mission without further casualties.”
“He skillfully provided covering fire, killing at least two Viet Cong and effectively silencing an automatic weapons position in a valiant attempt to effect evacuation of a wounded man. As casualties began to mount, his radio operator was wounded, and 1st Lt. Reasoner immediately moved to his side and tended his wounds.”
Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Gen. Douglas MacArthur became one of America’s most venerated combat leaders, but he began his military career on the football field — first at the West Texas Military Academy, where he was the starting quarterback and team captain, and then at West Point. MacArthur became the Black Knight’s team manager in 1899 during their season finish with a record of 4-5.
MacArthur graduated in 1903 and served in combat in World War I. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor twice during the Great War, finishing the war with four Silver Stars and two Distinguished Service Crosses.
He was awarded the Medal of Honor after his third nomination for his actions defending the Philippines during World War II.
“[MacArthur] mobilized, trained, and led an army which has received world acclaim for its gallant defense against a tremendous superiority of enemy forces in men and arms,” reads MacArthur’s Medal of honor citation. “His utter disregard of personal danger under heavy fire and aerial bombardment, his calm judgement in each crisis, inspired his troops, galvanized the spirit of resistance of the Filipino people, and confirmed the faith of the American people in their Armed Forces.”
In total, MacArthur was awarded four high valor awards throughout his storied career after World War I:
- Distinguished Flying Cross during the Korean War
- Distinguished Service Cross during WWII
- Army Distinguished Service Medal during WWII
- Navy Distinguished Service Medal during WWII
U.S. Naval Academy
Six football players from the Naval Academy have gone on to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Four came prior to World War II, including three for action in the same campaign in Mexico. The fourth was a rare peacetime recipient of the award in 1938, which was allowed under the Navy’s criteria for the award until 1963.
Two former Midshipmen — one a sailor, the other a Marine pilot — were awarded the Medal for actions during World War II.
Allen Buchanan
Allen Buchanan played football for the Naval Academy from 1895 to 1898, earning a varsity letter in his final year. His on-field career had unfortunate timing — though the first Army-Navy game was played in 1890, the schools skipped the games between 1894 and 1899, meaning Buchanan never faced the Army.
But Buchanan entered Navy legend by earning the Medal of Honor on April 21, 1914 during the Battle of Vera Cruz. In Vera Cruz, Mexico, Buchanan — then a lieutenant commander of the 1st Seaman Regiment — led his men into battle under heavy fire.
“His duties required him to be at points of great danger in directing his officers and men, and he exhibited conspicuous courage, coolness, and skill in his conduct of the fighting,” reads Buchanan’s Medal of Honor Citation. “Upon his courage and skill depended, in great measure, success or failure. His responsibilities were great, and he met them in a manner worthy of commendation.”
Jonas H. Ingram
Jonas Ingram played as a Midshipmen fullback and linebacker from 1903 to 1906, scoring the only touchdown in the 1906 Army-Navy game, a 10-0 Navy victory. The win broke a five-year winless streak for the Navy. He returned as the team’s head coach in 1915 and 1916.
Like Buchanan, Ingram earned the Medal of Honor during the Mexican Campaign in Vera Cruz, Mexico, on April 22, 1914.
Not much is known about what he did but his Medal of Honor citation highlighted that Ingram was skilled in the “handling of the artillery and machine guns of the Arkansas battalion,” which he was “specially commended” for in official reports from the battle.
Frederick McNair, Jr.
Frederick McNair played for the Midshipmen from 1899-1902, lettering in his final two years. As a baseball player and track athlete, he was named the Academy’s top athlete as a senior.
He earned the Medal of Honor during the same engagement of the Mexican Campaign as Buchanan and Ingram on April 22, 1914.
“Lt. McNair was eminent and conspicuous in command of his battalion,” reads his Medal of Honor citation. “He exhibited courage and skill in leading his men through the action of the 22d and in the final occupation of the city.”
Carlton Hutchins
Carlton Hutchins played football for the Naval Academy from 1922-1925, earning a varsity letter as a senior. Hutchins earned the Medal of Honor, sacrificing himself to ensure his crew could parachute to safety from his Navy PBY-2 seaplane crashed on Feb. 2, 1938, during training off the coast of California.
“Lt. Hutchins remained at the controls endeavoring to bring the damaged plane to a safe landing and to afford an opportunity for his crew to escape by parachutes,” reads Hutchins’ Medal of Honor citation. “His cool, calculated conduct contributed principally to the saving of the lives of all who survived.”
Richard Antrim
Richard Antrim played football for the Navy’s Midshipmen football team from 1927 to 1930, earning a varsity letter as a senior.
As a lieutenant, Antrim was assigned to the USS Pope, a Clemson-class destroyer, in the Pacific in 1942. After the Pope ship was attacked while escorting a British Navy ship, Antrim and other survivors drifted at sea for three days before being picked up by a Japanese ship. He was held as a prisoner of war in the city of Macassar in the Dutch East Indies, today a part of Indonesia.
During one vicious beating of a fellow naval officer, Antrim stepped in to take the rest of the beating and was directly responsible for saving the officer’s life.
“By his fearless leadership and valiant concern for the welfare of another, he not only saved the life of a fellow officer and stunned the Japanese into sparing his own life but also brought about a new respect for American officers and men and a great improvement in camp living conditions,” reads Antrim’s Medal of Honor citation.
Antrim survived as a POW and was promoted to commander in November 1942. President Harry S. Truman presented him the Medal of Honor on Jan. 30, 1947, at the White House, in Washington, D.C. Two years later, the Navy made Antrim’s rank of commander permanent in 1949.
Harold Bauer
Harold Bauer was a three-year letterman at quarterback for Navy from 1927 to 1929. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1930 and trained as a Marine Corps aviator, graduating in February 1936. Soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Bauer was tasked with standing up Marine Fighting Squadron 212.
As a lieutenant colonel, Bauer volunteered to fly combat missions at Guadalcanal from throughout 1942. He took on a Japanese aerial force that doubled his and instructed his pilots in air-to-air combat with Japanese zeros. Bauer shot down a Japanese bomber on Sept. 28 and shot down four enemy fighter planes on Oct. 3, leaving a fifth “smoking badly.” Then, on Oct. 16, he engaged a full Japanese squadron of enemy planes attacking the USS McFarland.
“Undaunted by the formidable opposition and with valor above and beyond the call of duty, he engaged the entire squadron and, although alone and his fuel supply nearly exhausted, fought his plane so brilliantly that four of the Japanese planes were destroyed before he was forced down by lack of fuel,” reads Bauer’s Medal of Honor citation.
Air Force football’s Medal of Honor
The most recent service academy football player to eventually be awarded the Medal of Honor never had a chance to play in the Army-Navy game. Capt. Lance Sijan, who was awarded the medal for his actions as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, graduating in 1965. Sijan never earned a varsity letter, according to the Air Force Academy football media guide, but the National Air Force Museum a picture released by the Air Force of Sijan in a football uniform depicts him on the school’s junior varsity team.
After graduation, Sijan trained to fly F-4 Phantoms. In Nov. 1967, during a flight over North Vietnam, a bomb attached to his plane detonated. Sijan ejected and — after a 20-aircraft rescue force failed to find him — evaded capture for six weeks. By the time he was captured, he was deeply malnourished.
Despite his crippled condition, he overpowered a guard in his POW camp, and crawled into the jungle before being recaptured and transfered to another POW camp. There he was held in solitary confinement.
“He was severely tortured; however, he did not divulge any information to his captors. Capt. Sijan lapsed into delirium and was placed in the care of another prisoner,” reads Sijan’s Medal of Honor citation. “During his intermittent periods of consciousness until his death, he never complained of his physical condition and, on several occasions, spoke of future escape attempts.”
UPDATE: 12/11/24; This story has been extensively updated with additional information on several Army football players provided by officials at the U.S. Military Academy after initial publication.
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