Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is a football stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, home to the Navy Midshipmen. Beyond hosting football, the stadium is a war memorial in its own right, with its perimeter walls inscribed with the names of historic Navy and Marine Corps battles and engagements. Game days blend college football pageantry with military tradition, including flyovers and brigade formations tied to the U.S. Naval Academy. It gives Navy football a solemn, ceremonial character shared by few other college venues.

The stadium opened in 1959, replacing the smaller Thompson Stadium, and debuted with a win over William & Mary in front of roughly 25,000 fans. Built and dedicated as a memorial to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, it has hosted decades of Midshipmen football as well as the Army-Navy rivalry in some seasons and other service-academy matchups. The stadium has been renovated over the years while preserving its memorial inscriptions and ceremonial role. It remains tightly tied to the identity of the Naval Academy itself.