ANNAPOLIS — When Navy takes the field against Army next month, the Midshipmen will be dressed in a tribute to the Navy’s SEALs, its special boat crews and the World War II “Frogmen” who came before both.
Navy Athletics and Under Armour on Nov. 12 unveiled the uniform for the 127th Army-Navy Game, set for Saturday, Dec. 12, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The design honors Naval Special Warfare, which includes the SEALs, the Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen known as SWCC, and the Underwater Demolition Teams that preceded them.
Kickoff is at 3 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+. Pregame coverage begins at noon on CBS Sports Network and moves to CBS and Paramount+ at 2:30 p.m., according to Navy.
Water ties the look together. The palette is white and three shades of blue, with a camouflage print on the shoulders and sleeves, stencil-style lettering and numbers, and a sea-spray graphic down the pants.
What is on the uniform
- Helmet: The Navy SEAL Trident on one side and the SWCC Master Warboat insignia on the other, with the Bone Frog logo, which honors fallen operators, on top. The rear bumper reads “Naval Special Warfare.”
- Jersey: A four-color tonal version of the Navy Working Uniform Type II camouflage, a pattern first developed for Naval Special Warfare operators. The stencil numbers are modeled on those worn by candidates in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training.
- Sleeves: The Naval Special Warfare Command emblem on the left and a tonal American flag on the right.
- Collar: A locker tag on the back neck with two gold stars for the command’s fallen and their families. Inside is a motto tied to SEAL training, “The only easy day was yesterday,” and a patch with an excerpt from the SEAL creed.
- Pants: A sea-spray graphic inspired by the wake of high-speed special warfare boats, and the Marine Corps emblem on the left hip.
- Gloves and cleats: The original Underwater Demolition Team insignia on the gloves, and water-droplet detailing over a metallic blue base plate on the cleats.
The history behind it
The Navy began building underwater demolition units in 1943 to scout enemy-held beaches and clear obstacles ahead of amphibious landings, according to the release. Their members became known as Frogmen. In 1962 the Navy established SEAL Teams One and Two, and Naval Special Warfare Command itself was established April 16, 1987.
SWCC crews, who operate the fast boats that insert and extract SEALs, trace their lineage to World War II PT boats and the riverine forces of the Vietnam War. The three stars on their insignia commemorate Task Forces 115, 116 and 117 from that war.
The academy has made a themed uniform an annual part of the rivalry, each year singling out a different part of the Navy and Marine Corps. Navy won last year’s meeting, rallying past Army 17-16.
Navy posted a reveal video and a microsite with photos of each piece.
