The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The Naval Academy completed its final season as an FBS independent school in 2014, and became a single-sport member of the American Athletic Conference beginning in the 2015 season. The team is currently coached by Brian Newberry, who was promoted in 2022, following his stint as the Midshipmen defensive coordinator. Navy has 19 players and three coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame and won the college football national championship in 1926 according to the Boand and Houlgate poll systems. The 1910 team also was undefeated and unscored upon. The mascot is Bill the Goat.
Kenneth Va'a Niumatalolo is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach of San Jose State. He is the former head coach of the Naval Academy from 2007 to 2022, accumulating the most wins in program history. Niumatalolo played college football at the University of Hawaii. As a quarterback he led Hawaii to their first postseason bowl game in 1989. Niumatalolo is the second person of Polynesian descent to be named head coach of an NCAA Division I FBS college football program and the first ethnic Samoan collegiate head coach on any level. Niumatalolo was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame on January 23, 2014.
The 1963 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy as an independent in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Wayne Hardin, the Midshipmen finished the year with an overall record of 9–2 and a loss against Texas in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
The 1960 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy as an independent in the 1960 NCAA University Division football season. The offense scored 262 points while the defense allowed 103 points. Led by head coach Wayne Hardin, the Midshipmen finished the season with nine wins and an appearance in the Orange Bowl.
The 1991 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy during the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season as an independent. It was the program's fewest wins in a season since the winless 1948 season.
The 1985 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy as an independent during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Navy Midshipmen football team of the United States Naval Academy and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame. It was played annually from 1927 to 2019, which made it the longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalry in college football, the third-longest uninterrupted college football rivalry overall, as well as the second-longest never-interrupted rivalry in Division I college football (FBS). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 game was canceled, ending these lengthy streaks, even though both schools still played a fall season schedule in 2020.
The 2000 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Charlie Weatherbie.
The 1993 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by fourth-year head coach George Chaump.
The 1989 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by third-year head coach Elliott Uzelac.
The 1987 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by first-year head coach Elliott Uzelac.
The 1984 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy as an independent during the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1980 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by eighth-year head coach George Welsh.
The 1978 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach George Welsh.
The 1977 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach George Welsh.
The 1976 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. The team was led by fourth-year head coach George Welsh.
The 1974 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. The team was led by second-year head coach George Welsh.
The 1954 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1954 college football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Eddie Erdelatz, and they acquired the nickname "Team Named Desire" during the press conference following the 25–0 road shutout of Stanford, when Erdelatz said, "Every man on this team is full of desire."
The 1953 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1953 college football season. They began the season ranked 13th in the pre-season AP Poll. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Eddie Erdelatz.
The 2017 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Midshipmen were led by tenth-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo and played their home games at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Midshipmen competed as a member of the West Division of the American Athletic Conference and were third-year members of the conference. They finished the season 7–6 overall and 4–4 in AAC play to tie for third place in the West Division. They were invited to the Military Bowl, where they defeated Virginia, 49–7.
