College football has some great rivals and one of the best is Army vs.  Navy. Today, the Black Knights of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point faced off against the Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy for the 117^th time. Army beat Navy for the first time since 2001 ending a 14 year winning streak for Navy.

There is a lot of tradition steeped into these games and a lot of history.  For example, at the end of the game, both teams’ alma maters are sung and both teams stand alongside together to show respect and solidarity. The winning team sings second.

But we have to talk about the uniforms for a minute – the football uniforms.

Last year, Navy wore hand painted position-by-position helmets, which represented ships in the U.S. Navy’s fleet. Army wore helmets that had a different insignia for every position group. They were cool because they showed the players will go on to represent something greater after graduation in the branch they serve.

This year, Army took it back – way back. They partnered with Nike to create some awesome uniforms that honored the 82^nd Airborne division. With the 75^th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor earlier this week, the uniforms were a fitting tribute to World War II paratroopers. Everything, from the helmet to the jersey, had meaning.

For more about the historical meaning including what each patch means, click here for the official uniform website and watch the video. Until next year’s game, enjoy!