A look at the 'unofficial history' of U.S. Presidents attending college football games

A look at the ‘unofficial history’ of U.S. Presidents attending college football games

Posted by author September 28, 2024 Football

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The Alabama-Georgia football matchup on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will be played in front of a presidential crowd.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for the 2024 election, will attend the top-5 SEC matchup between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs. The matchup is a rematch of the 2023 SEC Championship Game, and the meeting between the two in Week 5 of the college football season could have far-reaching impacts on the 12-team College Football Playoff.

REQUIRED READING: Alabama-Georgia football history: What are the most memorable Crimson Tide vs Bulldogs games?

Trump himself is very familiar with the rivalry between Alabama and Georgia. In 2018, when he was president, Trump attended the 2018 National Championship game between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs on Jan. 8, 2009, from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

While Trump’s visit to the game will not be when he is the president, he made several visits to college football games in office from 2016 to 2020. President Joe Biden has not attended a college football game since he was elected in 2020. However, seeing presidents at college football games has been a common tradition throughout American history since Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency.

Here’s a look at the “unofficial history” of the U.S. Presidents at college football games, including the annual Navy-Army game:

Donald Trump, 45th president (2017-2021)

Trump attended six games while he was in office:

Dec. 12, 2020: Army vs. Navy at Michie Stadium, U.S. Military Academy in Highland Falls, New York
Jan. 13, 2020: Clemson vs. LSU at New Orleans at Superdome, New Orleans
Dec. 14, 2019: Army vs. Navy at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Nov. 9, 2019: Alabama vs. LSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Dec. 8, 2018: Army vs. Navy at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Jan. 8, 2018: Alabama vs. Georgia, Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Dec. 10, 2016: Army vs. Navy at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore*

*Trump was president-elect while at the game

Barack Obama, 44th president (2009-2017)

Obama attended just one game during his eight years in the Oval Office:

Dec. 10, 2011: Army vs. Navy at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

George W. Bush, 43rd president (2001-10)

Bush attended three games while in office:

Dec. 6, 2008: Army vs. Navy at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Dec. 4, 2004: Army vs. Navy at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Dec. 1, 2001: Army vs. Navy at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

Bill Clinton, 42nd president (1993-2001)

Clinton attended two games while in office, including one to watch Arkansas football, his home state, and where he served as governor.

Sept. 27, 1997: Arkansas vs. Louisiana Tech at War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, Arkansas
Dec. 7, 1996: Army vs. Navy at Veteran’s Stadium, Philadelphia

Jimmy Carter, 39th president (1977-81)

Carter, who hails from the state of Georgia, attended two different Georgia school games as president.

Jan. 1, 1981: Georgia vs. Notre Dame, Sugar Bowl at Superdome, New Orleans
Nov. 12, 1977: Navy vs. Georgia Tech at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland

Gerald Ford, 38th president (1974-77)

Ford attended the Army-Navy game, as did other presidents. But he also attended two games which did not feature the two programs:

Oct. 23, 1976: South Carolina vs. Notre Dame at Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.
Oct. 9, 1976: Texas vs. Oklahoma at Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas
Nov. 11, 1974: Army vs. Navy at John F. Kennedy Stadium, Philadelphia

Richard Nixon, 37th president (1969-74)

Nixon attended what was then deemed the “Game of the Century”:

Dec. 6, 1969: Texas vs. Arkansas at Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas

John F. Kennedy, 35th president (1961-63)

Kennedy was the first president to attend an Alabama game.

Jan. 1, 1963: Alabama vs. Oklahoma, Orange Bowl at Orange Bowl Stadium, Miami
Dec. 1, 1962: Army vs. Navy at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
Dec. 2, 1961: Army vs. Navy at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia

Dwight Eisenhower, 34th president (1953-61)

Eisenhower attended one game when in office:

Nov. 30, 1957: Army vs. Navy at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia

Harry S. Truman, 33rd president (1945-53)

Truman attended seven Navy-Army games, only missing the 1951 matchup:

Nov. 29, 1952: Army vs. Navy at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
Dec. 2, 1950: Army vs. Navy at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
Nov. 26, 1949: Army vs. Navy at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
Nov. 27, 1948: Army vs. Navy at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
Nov. 29, 1947: Army vs. Navy at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
Nov. 30, 1946: Army vs. Navy at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
Dec. 1, 1945: Army vs. Navy at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia

Calvin Coolidge, 30th president (1923-29)

Coolidge attended one college football games as president:

Nov. 27, 1926: Army vs. Navy at Soldier Field, Chicago

Woodrow Wilson, 28th president (1913-21)

Wilson attended one college football game:

Nov. 29, 1913: Army vs. Navy at The Polo Grounds, New York

William Howard Taft, 27th president (1909-13)

Taft appeared at a pair of games in New Orleans, according to historians:

Nov. 16, 1909: Tulane vs. Ole Miss in New Orleans
Oct. 30, 1909: LSU vs. Sewanee in New Orleans

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president (1901-09)

Roosevelt became the first president to attend a college football game as the president and attended three during his presidency:

Dec. 2, 1905: Army vs. Navy at Osborne Field in Princeton, New Jersey
Nov. 29, 1902: Army vs. Navy at Franklin Field in Philadelphia
Nov. 30, 1901: Army vs. Navy at Franklin Field in Philadelphia

Army-Navy Presidential attendance history

Roosevelt began the tradition of sitting U.S. presidents attending the annual matchup between Army and Navy. According to the Washington Post, Roosevelt arrived right before the kickoff of a 1901 game between the two programs. Since Roosevelt attended the game in 1901, nine presidents, including Trump, have attended the annual matchup.

Truman holds the record for having attended seven Army-Navy games. A former Army major and reserve colonel, Truman alternated which cheering section he sat in each year. Eisenhower is the only president to have played in the game, doing so in 1912 for Army.