Ahead of Army-Navy, the legendary NFL coach made an expected pick in unexpected fashion
When ESPN announced that the “College GameDay” crew would be at Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots, ahead of the annual Army-Navy game speculation instantly grew about who would be announced as the weekly guest picker.
And it was a somewhat surprising announcement when it was unveiled that Bill Belichick — in the midst of a difficult season with the Patriots — would be that guest.
Of course Belichick, with strong ties to the Naval Academy, would pick Navy in the rivalry game. That was to be expected. Belichick’s father spent over three decades as the Naval Academy as a coach, and before Belichick joined the crew at the desk he talked about hte importance of the game as well as one of his own heroes.
Lee Corso:
Eventually, Belichick made his way to the desk, and it was time for his pick. Of course, he picked Navy, but in doing so he borrowed a page from one of his heroes:
That’s right, Belichick pulled out a “Jolly Roger” helmet from the 1962 Army-Navy game, which Roger Staubach and company wore in their game against Army. As Belichick noted, the helmet says “Beat Army” on the sides, in Chinese, as well as having the “Jolly Roger” flag up front.
And it gave us perhaps the best meme in Belichick history, surpassing all others:
Tremendous.
