Navy football has the simplest uniform in college football for eleven games a year and the most elaborate one for the twelfth. Every regular-season Saturday the Midshipmen wear navy blue and gold with a plain gold helmet. Then, for the Army-Navy Game, they wear something built from scratch around one piece of naval history: a frigate, a squadron, a submarine, a goat.
This is the full history: where the colors and the name came from, how the logos changed, what the helmet has looked like, and a year-by-year table of every special Army-Navy uniform Navy has worn since the tradition started in 2008.
Quick Answers
- What are Navy's colors? Navy blue and gold. The Naval Academy adopted them officially in 1892, and the Class of 1890 was the first to use them, according to Navy Athletics. Before 1892, each class picked its own colors.
- Why are they called the Midshipmen? Every student at the Naval Academy holds the rank of midshipman, so the teams are the Midshipmen, or the Mids. Navy Athletics says "Middie" is not correct.
- Why is the mascot a goat? Navy Athletics dates the first recorded goat mascot to 1893, an animal named El Cid, and says goats have served without interruption since 1904. The name Bill is the one that stuck.
- What does Navy wear in a normal game? Navy blue at home with gold numerals and gold pants, white on the road, and a gold helmet with no logo on the side.
- What is Navy wearing against Army in 2026? It has not been revealed as of November 11. The 127th Army-Navy Game is Saturday, December 12 at MetLife Stadium. Navy's reveal came on November 18 last year.
The Colors: Navy Blue And Gold Since 1892
Navy Athletics puts it plainly: the Academy adopted navy blue and gold as its colors in 1892, and the Class of 1890 was the first to use them. Until then the colors belonged to individual classes, which changed every year. The 1892 decision made them permanent.
No official source we could find explains why those two colors were chosen. The obvious reading, navy blue for the service and gold for the braid on an officer's uniform, shows up on fan and logo sites, but none of them cite a record for it, so we are not presenting it as fact.
The 1926 team, Navy's only national champion, wore those colors in a design that is now the most famous sweater in program history: chevron stripes across the chest and arms.
The 1926 national championship team in chevron-stripe sweaters. Photo: Naval Academy, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A century later, Navy brought those chevrons back. The 2026 centennial uniform has nine gold chevrons, one for each win in 1926, and Navy wore it against Notre Dame on October 31. We broke down every detail in Navy's 1926 centennial uniform.
The Name And The Goat
The Midshipmen name is not a nickname anyone invented. It is the rank every Naval Academy student holds, so the football team, like every Navy team, is simply named after the people on it.
The goat is older than the colors' official adoption. A plaque in Annapolis says midshipmen brought a goat to the first Army-Navy Game in 1890. Navy Athletics' own record starts in 1893, with a goat named El Cid, and says goats have served without interruption since 1904. The Naval Academy says the name Bill came from a pet goat kept by Commander Colby M. Chester, who was Commandant of Midshipmen in the early 1890s. The sources disagree on which goat came first, so we are giving you all three.
Bill has worn the uniform, too. Navy's 2018 Army-Navy Game uniform put the goat on the right side of the helmet, with the player's number on the left, and on the gloves and cleats.
The 2018 Bill the Goat uniform, with the N-Star on the shoulder. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sarah Villegas, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Logos: The N-Star, The Anchor And Bill
Navy uses three marks again and again, and each one means something specific.
The N-Star. This is the one most people miss. Navy varsity athletes wear a gold "N." When their team beats Army in a designated "Star" competition, it becomes an N-Star, a gold N with a star beside it. Midshipmen say it out loud as "N star." When Navy puts an N with a star on a jersey, as it did on the 2018 shoulder above, that is what it is pointing to: beating Army.
The anchor. The anchor has been on Navy helmets on and off for decades. A Navy helmet with an anchor logo appears in 1960 photos, and the anchor came back on special uniforms in 2011, 2012 and 2016.
Bill the Goat. The goat logo has been drawn many ways, most famously as a half-body goat wearing a sweater. It is the mark fans know best, and it is the one Navy chose when it built a whole uniform around the mascot in 2018.
The everyday helmet, the one Navy wears every week, has none of them. It is plain gold with a navy facemask and NAVY across the front bumper.
The Helmet
The gold helmet is the constant. It is on the 2004 team below, it is on the 2016 throwback, and it is on every regular-season game today. Navy dressed it up for special games: an orange helmet appeared for the 1961 Army game, and a "100" decal marked college football's 100th anniversary in 1969, according to helmet historians.
The everyday look in 2004, before Under Armour: gold helmet, navy jersey, gold pants. U.S. Navy photo by Damon J. Moritz, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The player in the middle is wearing No. 12, Roger Staubach's retired number, which Staubach let Navy bring back for that 2004 season.
Every Navy Army-Navy Game Uniform Since 2008
Special Army-Navy uniforms started in 2008, when both academies wore custom designs. Under Armour became Navy's outfitter in 2014, and every Navy rivalry uniform since has been a Naval Academy and Under Armour design. Army has stayed with Nike.
| Year | Navy's theme | What it looked like |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Past Navy service uniforms | Gold helmets, white jerseys with navy shoulders trimmed in gold, pants with the gold and red stripe from Marine Corps officers' dress blues |
| 2009 | The 2008 look, reversed | Regular helmet, the 2008 pants, a navy jersey with white shoulders |
| 2010 | Red trim | White jersey with navy shoulders bordered in red, the same pants |
| 2011 | White helmet, gold anchor | White helmets with a gold anchor and stripe, all-navy uniforms with gold numbers |
| 2012 | Anchors and stripes | White uniforms, a custom helmet with navy and gold stripes and anchors |
| 2013 | "Don't Give Up the Ship" | The 2012 design reversed; the First Navy Jack and signal flags spelling BEAT ARMY on the back of the helmet |
| 2014 | First Navy Jack | Under Armour's first year: red and white Jack stripes on the shoulders, gloves and helmet, with the "Don't Tread on Me" rattlesnake in place of the anchor |
| 2015 | The fleet | All navy with gold and gray, "Damn the Torpedoes" gloves, and seven hand-painted helmets, one ship per position group: carrier for quarterbacks, submarine for receivers and so on |
| 2016 | The 1963 team | Roger Staubach's team: gold helmets and pants, white jerseys, "Beat Army" on the gloves and the back of the helmet |
| 2017 | Blue Angels | Light blue with gold lettering, the squadron patch, and helmets with six F/A-18 Hornets in delta formation and chrome facemasks |
| 2018 | Bill the Goat | White with navy and gold, the goat on the helmet, gloves and cleats, the player's number on the other side of the helmet |
| 2019 | Bellino and Staubach | Navy's two Heisman winners: navy jerseys with gold stripes, gold pants, timeworn gold helmets with the anchor and 12 and 27 at the crown |
| 2020 | Naval Academy at 175 | Navy and white with a marbled "ocean" pattern on the helmets and shoulders, and six stripes for the Navy's original six frigates |
| 2021 | Naval aviation | All navy with roundels, and a helmet with a hand-painted F/A-18 Super Hornet |
| 2022 | NASA | The 54 Naval Academy graduates who became astronauts: white uniforms modeled on spacesuits, navy helmets with the NASA logo |
| 2023 | The Silent Service | The submarine force: dark "Eclipse Navy" with hull-style numbers, a submarine on the helmet and a submariner's pin with the anchor |
| 2024 | The Jolly Rogers | The skull-and-crossbones fighter squadron: color blocking from the squadron's aircraft, angled stripes for the planes it has flown, "Fear the Bones" on the back of the helmet |
| 2025 | The Navy at 250 | USS Constitution and the original six frigates: a copper helmet for the frigates' copper hull plating with a USN monogram, six ropes on the sleeves and collar tied with 250 knots, 126 knots on the pants for the 126th game |
| 2026 | Not revealed yet | The 127th game is December 12 at MetLife Stadium. We will add it here the day Navy shows it. |
Sources: Military.com's history of Army-Navy uniforms, Navy Athletics and Under Armour reveal coverage, CBS Sports, Military Times and helmet historians. Sources describe the 2024 squadron lineage differently (VF-17 founded the Jolly Rogers in 1943; later units carried the name), so we describe it as the Jolly Rogers without naming one squadron number.
The 2016 Throwback, Up Close
The 2016 uniform is the one that looks most like Navy. It took the 1963 team's look, the team Roger Staubach quarterbacked to No. 2 in the country, and put it on a modern frame: gold helmet, gold pants with stars, white jersey with navy shoulders.
Zach Abey scores in the 2016 throwback, Army in black. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Danian C. Douglas, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Army won that game 21-17 and ended Navy's 14-game winning streak in the series, so it is a uniform Navy fans remember for two reasons.
The 2021 Aviation Uniform
Tai Lavatai in the 2021 naval aviation uniform at MetLife Stadium. U.S. Naval Academy photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
That helmet is the best single piece of the whole series: a painted Super Hornet across a silver shell. MetLife hosted that game, and it hosts this year's, too.
What Navy Wears The Rest Of The Year
Outside the two special dates, Navy's uniform schedule is simple and it has not moved much in decades: navy blue at home with gold numerals and gold pants, white on the road, and the gold helmet every week. Every game, jersey by jersey, is in our Navy 2026 uniform schedule.
For the other side of the rivalry, Army's game-by-game looks are in our Army 2026 uniform schedule.
Our Take
Navy's everyday uniform is right where it should be: gold helmet, navy and gold, no clutter. It is a B+ look that gets out of the way.
The Army-Navy uniforms are where Navy has been better than almost anyone in college football at building a uniform around a real story. Two stand out for us: the 2017 Blue Angels set, where the color itself is the story, and the 2021 naval aviation helmet, a painted Super Hornet across a silver shell that is the best single helmet either academy has worn. Every year since 2013 has had one clear idea behind it.
FAQs
What year did Navy adopt navy blue and gold?
- Navy Athletics says the Academy adopted navy blue and gold that year, and the Class of 1890 was the first to use the colors. Before that each class chose its own.
Why is Navy called the Midshipmen?
Because every Naval Academy student is a midshipman, a rank. The teams are the Midshipmen or the Mids.
Why is Navy's mascot a goat?
Navy Athletics dates the first recorded goat mascot to 1893 and says goats have served continuously since 1904. A plaque in Annapolis says a goat was at the first Army-Navy Game in 1890.
Where did the name Bill the Goat come from?
The Naval Academy says it came from a pet goat kept by Commander Colby M. Chester, Commandant of Midshipmen in the early 1890s.
What is the N-Star?
A Navy varsity letter earned by beating Army. Navy athletes wear a gold N, and a win over Army in a designated "Star" competition adds a gold star beside it.
Does Navy have a logo on its helmet?
Not on the everyday helmet. It is plain gold with NAVY on the front bumper. Anchors, the goat, ships, aircraft and squadron insignia have all appeared on special Army-Navy helmets.
When did Navy start wearing special uniforms for the Army-Navy Game?
In 2008. Both academies wore custom uniforms that year, and the tradition has grown every year since.
Who makes Navy's uniforms?
Under Armour, since 2014. Army's are made by Nike.
What did Navy wear in the 2025 Army-Navy Game?
A uniform for the Navy's 250th anniversary built around USS Constitution: a copper helmet with a USN monogram, six ropes on the sleeves and collar for the original six frigates tied with 250 knots, and 126 knots on the pants for the 126th game.
What is Navy wearing in the 2026 Army-Navy Game?
Navy has not revealed it as of November 11. Last year's reveal came on November 18. The game is Saturday, December 12 at MetLife Stadium.
What did Navy wear in 1926?
Navy blue and gold sweaters with chevron stripes. Navy brought the chevrons back for its 2026 centennial uniform, with nine stripes for the nine wins of 1926.
Which Navy Army-Navy uniforms stand out?
For us, the 2017 Blue Angels uniform and the 2021 naval aviation helmet with its hand-painted F/A-18 Super Hornet.
Sources: Navy Athletics traditions, Military.com, Army-Navy Game: 2025 Navy uniform, Military Times: 2024 Jolly Rogers, Army-Navy Game: 2018 uniform.
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