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Victorious by 39 points and securing their fifth straight win, the Irish don’t erupt in celebration. Instead, they unstrap their gleaming helmets, turn their backs to the student section and solemnly walk to the south end zone. As Navy’s band begins to play its alma mater, Notre Dame gathers behind the Midshipmen for a tender salute to their rivalry.

Instituted in 1927, the “Debt of Honor” game between Notre Dame and Navy has cemented itself as a pillar of college football history. The game suggests that football is an opportunity to demonstrate gratitude, not just to entertain.

The history of the matchup has intertwined itself tightly with traditions surrounding Notre Dame’s alma mater. At the third annual meeting between Navy and Notre Dame, on Oct. 11, 1930, Notre Dame Stadium was dedicated during what was unknowingly the final season that Knute Rockne would coach. At the conclusion of halftime, the stadium rose to its feet as Notre Dame’s alma mater debuted, baptizing the house the Rockne built with respect for our Mother. Since then, each major university and athletic event has proudly concluded with the alma mater.

The series title “Debt of Honor” was developed later in the matchup and refers both to the military sacrifice of the Midshipmen and the establishment of a Navy training base at Notre Dame during World War II. During the war, the university saw most of its upperclassmen enlist, a noble act with the unforeseen consequence of leaving Notre Dame effectively “out of business,” as Rev. Ted Hesburgh put it in a 1992 interview. Theuniversity president, Rev. Hugh O’Donnell, turned to Navy for help in 1942. They saved the university from economic doom by sending 12,000 officers through training in South Bend between 1942 and 1946.

Despite Notre Dame owning the series with an impressive 43-game winning streak from 1964 to 2006, Head Coach Charlie Weis found a way to revitalize the series in 2005. Weis wove a new tradition into the fabric of Notre Dame’s history at the end of the 42-21 victory over Navy when he declared, “[Navy] is going to sing their alma mater, and our guys are going right over there with them.”

With such a simple statement, Weis encapsulated the profound respect shared between the two programs – despite Notre Dame’s dominance, respect defined the matchup. Even when Navy abruptly ended Notre Dame’s winning streak two years later, the Irish still joined the Midshipmen for their alma mater. Twenty years later, Notre Dame continues to follow Weis’s precedent of solemn respect, no matter the outcome. 

Tender, strong and true to tradition, the annual Debt of Honor game is proof that football is more than just a game for the gridiron.