Commander-in-Chief's Trophy

The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is awarded to each season's winner of the American college football triangular series among the teams of the U.S. Military Academy (Army Black Knights), the U.S. Naval Academy (Navy Midshipmen), and U.S. Air Force Academy (Air Force Falcons).

The Navy–Air Force game is traditionally played on the first Saturday in October, the Army–Air Force game on the first Saturday in November, and the Army–Navy Game on the second Saturday in December. In the event of a tie, the award is shared, but the previous winner retains possession of the trophy. Along with the Florida Cup and the Michigan MAC Trophy, the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is one of the few three way rivalries that awards a trophy to the winner.

History of the trophy
Prior to 1972, Air Force did not play an annual series with Army and Navy. The Commander-in-Chief's trophy was the brainchild of Air Force General George B. Simler, a former Air Force Academy athletic director who felt the need for such a trophy as a means to ensure the Air Force played annual games against traditional rivals Army and Navy. It was first awarded in 1972, when President Richard M. Nixon was Commander-in-Chief. The trophy itself is jointly sponsored by the alumni associations of the three academies.

The trophy is named for the U.S. President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of all U.S. military services under the U.S. Constitution. The President has personally awarded the trophy on a number of occasions. During the 1980s, for instance, President Ronald Reagan presented the award in an annual White House ceremony. After years of Air Force dominance, in 1996, President Bill Clinton presented the trophy to the last winning Army team at Veterans Stadium after the Army–Navy Game. From 2003 to 2007, President George W. Bush presented the trophy to Navy teams at ceremonies in the White House.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the winner of the trophy, if bowl eligible, was granted an invitation to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN.

The other two federal service academies&mdash;the United States Coast Guard Academy and United States Merchant Marine Academy&mdash;do not participate in the Commander-in-Chief's trophy competition. As these two academies are approximately one-quarter the size of the three Department of Defense academies, they compete in NCAA Division III athletics, and do not compete against the other military academies in most sports. The two smaller academies do share a rivalry, however, as their football teams square off in the Secretaries Cup each year.

The trophy
The trophy itself stands 2.5 ft high and weighs 170 lb. The design consists of three silver footballs in a pyramid like arrangement, set on a circular base, with three arc-shaped sections cut out — one for each academy. In each of the cut-out areas stands a silver figurine of the mascot of one of the academies, in front of small, engraved plates denoting which years the respective academy has won the trophy. Beneath each of the three silver footballs is the crest of one of the three academies.

When Army possesses the trophy, it is housed in a glass case in Eisenhower Hall, the academy's theater and ballroom. When Navy has possession of the trophy, it is displayed in a glass case in Bancroft Hall, the Midshipmen's dormitory. When Air Force has possession of the trophy, it is displayed in a glass case in the Cadet Fieldhouse, the indoor sports complex at the Air Force Academy.

Winners of the trophy
In the event of a shared award, the previous year's winner retains custody of the trophy.