At Navy, football is about a lot more than just football.
For most college football players, practice is the toughest part of their day. For the Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy, the twenty-one hours a day that they spend off the field are just as demanding as the three that they spend on the field.
The 2007 Navy football season was a testament to courage, resilience, and a sheer determination to never give up. "Into the Fire" recounts the heart-stopping victories and heart-breaking losses, and interweaves stories of the remarkable young men who, week after week, took on teams who were bigger, faster and stronger than they were, but who never flinched in the face of a good fight.
In spite of a series of devastating injuries, the Midshipmen put together a season that earned them a place in the record books:
- A NCAA-record third consecutive national rushing title.
- A record sixth consecutive win over arch-rival Army.
- Their eleventh consecutive win over the other two service academies, leaving them one game short of tying the all-time record.
- A school-record fifth straight post-season Bowl game.
- An historic and dramatic triple-overtime win over Notre Dame, ending Notre Dame's NCAA-record 43 year winning streak over Navy.
The football statistics only tell part of the story of the 2007 Navy football team. The young Midshipmen-athletes who took the field every week were remarkable and inspiring in their own right. Several players earned national attention for their achievements on and off the field. And many players found themselves thrust into positions of leadership that tested their determination and character. And underlying it all is the reality that each of these remarkable young men is at Navy to prepare themselves to be not just football players, but leaders of our country's Sailors and Marines, and young men of character and integrity.
Through the words that the chaplain shared with the team at the pre-game meal every week, you'll see why, at Navy, football is about a lot more than just football.
