Beginning with the 1943 season the players for both West Point and Annapolis had to do their best to represent their schools in football while cramming four years of education into three because the War Department started to urgently need them in combat. And, word started to drift back about many of their already-dead classmates and players who had gone into battle. Being a Second lieutenant was not considered a long-lived occupation. A sense intensity became commonplace in everything the Cadets and Midshipmen did. This time the game was moved to Michie Field at West Point. Another heroic effort by the Army but Navy again won 13-0. The Cadets were not despondent, however, because everyone could clearly see that Army was becoming a pretty good football team with more than a few wins each season.
1944
In fact Army was becoming so good that it was ranked #1 in the nation in 1944. Navy was ranked #2. What a match up! But again, because of travel and rationing concerns, Congress again argued over having an Army-Navy game. Then House Minority Leader William Martin came up with a brilliant idea Since interest in the game was at a fever pitch, why not use it to raise money for the war effort. So, the December 2 game was moved to Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. Tickets to the game became the most expensive in history, ranging from $25 to more than $1000. And this was 1944! Before a fan could purchase a ticket he had to show proof that he also purchased a war bond for each seat. Fifteen private boxes on the 50-yard line sold for $1-million each. In the end, with more than 100,000 people in attendance, the game raised $58-million. This has to be the only time in history that a college football game was a fundraiser for a nation.
Getting to the game was another story. Because the rail system was jammed with troop movements, the Corps of Cadets had to travel to Baltimore by steamer, escorted by Navy destroyers in case a German sub tried to torpedo them. As they traveled down the Atlantic Seaboard the seas became rough and most got seasick. The Cadets were finally glad to eventually come back to land. The players recovered in time for the game and this time it was the Navy who gave it their all but Army finally won the big one 23-7 and became National Champs, the first time they had done so since 1914.