On Tuesday, the White House confirmed that President Trump will be in Philadelphia on Saturday to attend the Army-Navy Game at Lincoln Financial Field.
Not only will the President attend the game, but he will also officiate the coin toss before the Army-Navy game, according to U.S. News.
This will be Trump’s first Army-Navy game as president.
President Donald Trump will attend Saturday’s Army-Navy Game in Philadelphia, making him the 10th sitting president to do so. https://t.co/MSjSi4vLmp
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) December 5, 2018
While Trump did attend the 2016 match-up in Baltimore, he did so as president-elect. This year, however, he will be the 10th U.S. President to watch the game live from the stadium, ABC News reported.
The nine sitting presidents that have attended the game include Roosevelt, Wilson, Coolidge, Truman, Kennedy, Ford, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama, according to We Are the Mighty.
President Eisenhower was the only President to ever participate in the game, but never attended any games while he was in office.
President Carter, who served in the Navy, never attended a single game while in office.
Between 1924 and 1945, no sitting President attended a game.
There was another period from 1963 to 1995 where no presidents attended.
President Truman attended seven games and President George W. Bush attended three.
Barack Obama was the last president to attend in 2011 at the home of the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field.
President Trump will be present when the two service academies, the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen take the field in Philadelphia on Dec. 8, signifying the conclusion of the college football regular season, according to Navy Times.
It is customary for presidents to sit on the Army side of the stadium for one half of the game, and the Navy side for the other half.
Theodore Roosevelt began the custom back in 1901. In fact, many of the traditions that have followed the game were started by Roosevelt.
This symbolic gesture shows goodwill and faith between both teams and the President.
It has been a tradition for this event between the two rivals to be dubbed “The President’s Game.”
The Army is on a two-year winning streak against the Navy, which hasn’t happened since they took five straight wins from 1992 to 1996.
Saturday’s game will be the 119th meeting between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen.
Watch the game live on CBS. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. following a host of pregame celebrations that can be watched on ESPN.
