Words do Army-Navy Game no justice
As far back as I can remember into my childhood, sports have played a major part of my life.
Whether going to sporting events with my dad or serving as a ball boy on the high school basketball teams he served as head coach, I do not remember my life without sports.
As a sports fan, I have been blessed to see amazing events live.
The Rose Bowl, the Final Four, the ACC men鈥檚 basketball tournament and six WrestleMania鈥檚 are just a few of the sporting events I have been able to see in person.
Fortunately, I have seen games from iconic venues like Cameron Indoor Stadium, Madison Square Garden, ?Fenway Park?, Wrigley Field, the L.A. Coliseum, Lambeau Field and Soldier Field, to name a few.
I have also seen storied rivalries live like Duke versus North Carolina in men鈥檚 hoop.
?Until Saturday, the 2017 Rose Bowl between Penn State and USC has stood out as the greatest sports spectacle I had attended.?
I鈥檒l get back to that.
Among my other earliest recollections, I always remember the pride my grandfather had in serving in the Army with the 99th Infantry.
With his platoon left for dead at the Battle of the Bulge, he helped lead them out and home safely.
It always hit close to home for me knowing that had he not survived, I would not be here. My dad was not born until my grandfather鈥檚 time in the Army ended.
As a kid, I remember the Army-Navy football game being on TV. I rooted for Army every time because of my grandfather.
A minor-league baseball player in the Pirates organization, he was well-known in the Mon Valley and was not only friends with, but rivals with, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Stan Musial.
My grandfather, or my dad for that matter, never forced sports on me.
Nor did Granddad force on me the notion of serving in the military.
In fact, I can honestly say, the only time in my life my grandfather ever adamantly told me 鈥渘o鈥� to something was when I said I wanted to join the Army to be like him.
It was the only time he and I discussed the Army or his time served.
I was maybe 10- or 11-years-old when I told him, and he simply replied, 鈥淣o. I have seen enough bloodshed for every generation of our family.鈥�
It was never brought up again.
Back to Saturday.
I never thought anything would touch the Rose Bowl, with all of its pomp and circumstance, the Rose Parade and everything tied into the experience.
As of Saturday, the Rose Bowl now takes a backseat.
I was fortunate enough to be granted a media credential to the Army-Navy game Saturday at Lincoln Finance Field in Philadelphia. I arrived at the stadium ?around 10:45? a.m. despite the game starting ?at 3 p.m.?
It was a must, I was told by others who have experienced the spectacle, to get there in time for the March On ?around noon? with the Brigade of Midshipmen and then the United States Corps of Cadets.
With access to the field, I took in the March On from an end zone.
Watching all of these brave men and women walk on to the field, in unison step-for-step, was stunning and powerful.
Watching thousands walk past those of us standing in the end zone, I couldn鈥檛 help but to feel out of place and not deserving to be on the same field as them.
Once the March On concluded, the Brigade and Cadets settled into their respective sections and stayed there until the game concluded.
Among the pregame ceremonies was an opening video with a voice-over from President John F. Kennedy from 1961, the introduction of President Donald Trump, the powerful invocation by Navy Command Chaplain Francis Foley and the most beautiful version of the national anthem I have ever heard in person.
It was performed by the Military Academy and U.S. Naval Academy Glee Clubs and I have chills just thinking about it.
The anthem was powerful, and I can鈥檛 put into words the pride and honor I felt getting to listen to it in person on the field.
After making my way to Army鈥檚 tunnel to watch the Cadets come out, I stayed on the field for most of the first half.
The opening kickoff scene was something special as the Brigade and Cadets in the stands were bouncing up and down and the pure passion in the stadium is something I have never felt at a sporting event.
Navy rolled to an easy, 31-7, win and being on the field for the post-game tradition of the singing of the alma maters was something to witness.
Because Army lost, it sang first in front of the Cadets with the Navy players immediately behind them and the Brigade in the stands standing with the utmost respect for the Army.
The teams then went over to the Brigade so Navy could sing its alma mater with the Army players standing with respect behind the Navy players.
The pride the players from both teams showed before, during and after the game is unforgettable.
The Army-Navy game is the one game of every year where every player in the game would give their lives for us as Americans.
Getting to be there to feel the emotion, see the passion and the respect, is incomparable.
If you have the Army-Navy game on your bucket list of sporting events to see, don鈥檛 wait.
I promise you will never experience anything else like it.
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