What is the Army-Navy "prisoner exchange"? The long-standing tradition explained

The Army-Navy Game is a college football contest equally renowned and cherished for the pageantry surrounding it. Saturday marked the 122nd showdown between the two American service academies, with this year's edition held at MetLife Stadium in recognition of 20 years since the tragic events of 11 September 2001. Thanks to some unexpected trickery, Navy prevailed by a 17-13 final, improving its record to 62-53-7 in the all-time series and 4-1-1 in the state of New Jersey.

But some of the most beloved moments of the Army-Navy Game go down in the buildup and aftermath: each academy's choir rings in kickoff with a singing of the national anthem, and the teams often play to "sing second," as the winner of the game plays their alma mater after the runner-up. The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is often on the line as part of the three-way rivalry that also involves Air Force (this year's edition ended in a tie, allowing defending champion Army to retain it).

One of the most interesting, if not undersung, traditions of the game is the prisoner exchange... rest assured, it's not as dangerous as you think.

Midshipmen partaking in the 2016 exchange. Their message is a reference to their team's then-active 14-game winning streak in the Army-Navy Game (Photo: Getty)

The prisoner exchange is one of the many unique elements of the Army-Navy rivalry, which carries a rare sense of camaraderie amongst competitors due to the fact that the groups will embark on service requirements together in the name of America almost immediately after the clock hits triple zeroes. The elements and values of the prisoner exchange play upon this unity, one that's unthinkable amongst fans involved in the other great rivalries across the nation.

One would never, for example, expect to see a Florida State student spend a semester at Miami, or an Ohio State contingent study for a few months in Ann Arbor. Always one to defy football norms, however, the Army-Navy rivalry is more than happy to at least delay the conflict to engage in one of college football's most unique rituals.

In 1945, Army-Navy, as well as the other branches of the United States Military, created the Service Exchange Program, which allows servicemen and women (often in their junior year of college) to spend a semester at a rival academy. The program originated as a weekend-long excursion but was extended to a semester in 1975.

On game day, the visiting students, led by the respective first captain (from Army) and brigade commander (from Navy), are "exchanged" back to their own side, allowing the respective cadets and midshipmen in question to enjoy the game with their classmates.

In recent years, some of the prisoners have worn messages on the back of their uniforms. The seven midshipmen from the 2016 game, for example, went back to their side with a declaration of "14 Years," referencing the football team's then-active 14-game winning streak in the Army-Navy Game (the Black Knights subsequently ended it with a 21-17 win in Baltimore).

The origin of the Army-Navy Game's connection with the exchange program is often disputed, but is generally agreed upon to be done so in the name of preventing the students in question from enduring the game among opposing fans. Freed "prisoners" will often return to the opposing academy to finish out the semester but are granted at least three hours in the student section with their fellow cadets/midshipmen.

Saturday's Army-Navy Game in East Rutherford saw the exchange revived after a one-year hiatus, as last season's program was put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. But both sides are proud to carry on the tradition for years to come.

"The prisoner exchange will likely be one of the biggest highlights of my cadet career," Cadet Daine Van de Wall told the official site of West Point after partaking in the 2018 exchange before a 17-10 Army win. "Not only do I get to represent my school out on the field, but I also get to then run back and cheer on the Army team with my closest friends. It doesn't get much better than that."

The Army-Navy Game will return to its usual locale in Philadelphia next season. Held at Lincoln Financial Field, the game often centers on the City of Brotherly Love due to its equal distance between the respective academies in West Point and Annapolis.