With its 38-13 victory Saturday at Duke, the Navy football team not only clinched a winning season, but it also secured a berth in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
The Midshipmen (6-3) will face a yet-to-be determined Atlantic Coast Conference opponent in the bowl game, which will be played Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
This is the fourth straight year Navy has earned a bowl bid, a first in the service academy?s history.
“This is a historic day for our football program,” Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuck said. “It is a real statement about the state of our program under coach Paul Johnson.
“It shows the incredible institutional commitment we have to succeed, along with all of the hard work of those on the field. We are an independent team with no bowl affiliation, so for us to have this bid so early really validates the Naval Academy as a Division I program.
While excited about having a bowl bid secured, Johnson said he is reluctant to look that far ahead.
Navy still has three games remaining: Saturday against Eastern Michigan, next week against Temple and Dec. 2 against Army.
Meineke Car Care Bowl organizers entered an agreement with Navy earlier this year where the Midshipmen would be guaranteed a berth in the game if they won the required six games. Organizers look at Navy as a great draw with a fan base that spreads across the country.
This is evident in Navy?s past bowl appearances, including in 2003 when 25,000 of the 51,068 in attendance traveled to root on the Midshipmen in the Houston Bowl. In 2004, Navy brought 18,000 fans with them to San Francisco for the Emerald Bowl. Last year, the Mids sold 20,000 tickets for those looking to go to the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego.
“Today is a great day for the Meineke Car Care Bowl, as we welcome the U.S. Naval Academy to Charlotte to compete in our game,” bowl executive director Will Webb said in a statement. “Navy has shown a great deal of character and heart this year in earning this bid. We are extremely pleased to host them in the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl.”
