Unique Brand of Football

UNITED STATES

12.28.2022

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Roys 

All Hands Magazine

If someone mentions Navy football, it’s safe to say
most people would assume they were referencing the
Midshipmen, who currently play at the NCAA Division I
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). However, there’s a different
Navy football team that has won 38 championships
since 1934.
Sprint football, formerly known as lightweight football,
is a lesser-known brand of football, and the Naval Academy
has one of the premier programs in the league.
There have been 72 seasons since the inaugural
season in 1934. Military Academy and the Naval Academy
combined have won the majority of the league title a total of
64 times.
There are currently nine universities that play in the
Collegiate Sprint Football League. The season is played
during the fall. Navy annually plays Army in a rivalry game
just as storied and tense as their FBS counterparts.
This style of football is played exactly the same way
as traditional football, with a very important distinction.
The weight limit to play in this league currently sits at 178
pounds. The original weight of the league was set at 150
pounds and has increased over the years to align more with
the average American college student.
The players are weighed both four and two days prior
to a game. This presents another challenge in an already
demanding sport, and at an equally demanding university.
Traditional football places an emphasis on body
weight, size and power. Sprint football emphasizes speed,
technique and agility. The student-athletes perform a variety
of physical training routines, so the crossover is natural for
many who participate and has fostered the tremendous
success the Academy has achieved.
Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States
and a 1946 graduate of the Academy, played sprint football
during his time on campus. Retired Adm. Richard W. Mies,
a 1967 graduate of the Academy, also played for the
storied program.
Other notable sprint football players who are not
associated with the Academy include New England Patriots
owner Robert Kraft and former Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld.

• Date Taken: 12.28.2022
• Date Posted: 12.28.2022 11:13
• Story ID: 435964
• Location: US