LANDOVER, Md. — Bryson Daily lives in West Point and plays quarterback for Army Black Knights college football. The west Texan — who plays quarterback more like a defensive end hunting quarterbacks — has found time amid the unrelenting routine of a cadet to absorb the history of the Army-Navy rivalry.
He has help with that, counting Rollie Stichweh as a friend and adviser. Stichweh has stressed that leading a team is “about keeping everyone level through all the highs and lows, more than anything,” Daily said, and Stichweh knows as much about this game as anyone.
If you don’t know that name, here’s essential Army-Navy lore: Roger Staubach and Navy beat Army in 1963 in one of the most memorable editions of the game, one that was pushed back a week because of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, one that came down to the final possession. Navy’s 21-15 triumph was its fifth in a row in the series, capping a season that saw the Midshipmen finish No. 2 in the rankings and Staubach win the Heisman Trophy.
The other quarterback was Stichweh. A lot more people knew it a year later when both were seniors and Stichweh beat Staubach to end the streak, before heading off to serve in Vietnam and win the Bronze Star Medal and Air Medal. On Saturday at Northwest Stadium, in the 125th edition of this game, Army’s Daily was the senior star who had to endure the bitterness of “singing first” in his last opportunity.
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