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Roger Staubach On Army Navy Game: 'I Was More Excited Than Probably Any Game Other Than The Super Bowl'

December 8, 2020 / 9:17 AM PST / KCAL News

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(CBS Local Sports)-- Army vs. Navy is one of the best rivalries in all of sports and this weekend's clash on CBS Sports returns to West Point for the first time since the 1940s. Army has had a great season in 2020 with a record of 7-2, while Navy is 3-6 overall and has lost four games in a row.

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This has always been a game where you throw records out the window and someone who knows that better than most is Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach. The Super Bowl champion won the Heisman Trophy while playing quarterback for the Naval Academy during the 1960s and will never forget what it was like to play in an Army Navy game.

"Both teams are very competitive and the Army Navy game is always a big deal," said Staubach, in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "I remember my first one in 1962. I was a nervous wreck and President Kennedy was at the game. We won 35-14 and I was a sophomore at Navy and youngster. It was fun and I ran for two and passed for two touchdowns. In that locker room, I was more excited than probably any game other the Super Bowl. When we won our first Super Bowl in Miami, it was a similar feeling that I had in that 1962 Army Navy game."

The Black Knights and the Midshipmen kick off at 3 p.m. EST on Saturday, December 12 on CBS. The former Navy quarterback is working with USAA this year on the Army-Navy House Sweepstakes to help fans experience the game in a different way. Fans can upload pics of themselves watching the game and one Army fan and one Navy fan will win a trip to next year's Army Navy game. While Staubach became a household name with the Dallas Cowboys, the Naval Academy provided him with the foundation for the rest of his life.

"Looking back on the decision to go to Navy, it was the best decision I ever made," said Staubach. "I've been so grateful for getting the chance to be in the service. I was limited because I wanted to play sports again. I was in the service for four years and spent a year in Vietnam. I was a logistics officer in the Marine core in Vietnam and I was able to do a lot in those four years. I'm still a Navy guy and it was really special. After I graduated and played for the Dallas Cowboys, I had a lot of Navy people behind me. I feel very fortunate I had a chance to go to Navy and I'm still talking to my old Navy friends. We are actually Zooming a lot now in these crazy world we are in."

Watch all of DJ Sixsmith's interviews from "The Sit-Down" series here.