U.S. Presidents Attending College Football Games – One by One History

Here is the unofficial history of U.S. Presidents who have attended college football games, listed one by one in chronological order of their presidency:

U.S. Presidents at College Football Games: Full History List..

Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)

First sitting president to attend a college football game. He started the tradition by attending three Army-Navy games: Nov 30, 1901: Army vs. Navy at Franklin Field, Philadelphia

Nov 29, 1902: Army vs. Navy at Franklin Field, Philadelphia

Dec 2, 1905: Army vs. Navy at Osborne Field, Princeton, New Jersey

William Howard Taft (1909–1913)

Attended two games in New Orleans during his presidency: Oct 30, 1909: LSU vs. Sewanee

Nov 16, 1909: Tulane vs. Ole Miss

Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)

Attended one game: Nov 29, 1913: Army vs. Navy at The Polo Grounds, New York

Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)

Attended one game: Nov 27, 1926: Army vs. Navy at Soldier Field, Chicago

Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)

Holds the record for most Army-Navy games attended by a president (7): Dec 1, 1945

Nov 30, 1946

Nov 29, 1947

Nov 27, 1948

Nov 26, 1949

Dec 2, 1950

Nov 29, 1952

(Missed only 1951 due to vacation.)

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)

Attended one game: Nov 30, 1957: Army vs. Navy at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia

(Unique: Only president who played in the Army-Navy game as a player for Army in 1912.)

John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)

Attended three games: Dec 2, 1961: Army vs. Navy

Dec 1, 1962: Army vs. Navy

Jan 1, 1963: Alabama vs. Oklahoma (Orange Bowl) – First president to attend an Alabama game.

Richard Nixon (1969–1974)

Attended one famous game: Dec 6, 1969: Texas vs. Arkansas (“Game of the Century”) at Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville.

Gerald Ford (1974–1977)

Attended three games: Nov 11, 1974: Army vs. Navy

Oct 9, 1976: Texas vs. Oklahoma

Oct 23, 1976: South Carolina vs. Notre Dame

Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)

Attended two games: Nov 12, 1977: Navy vs. Georgia Tech

Jan 1, 1981: Georgia vs. Notre Dame (Sugar Bowl)

Bill Clinton (1993–2001)

Attended two games: Dec 7, 1996: Army vs. Navy

Sept 27, 1997: Arkansas vs. Louisiana Tech (as former Arkansas governor)

George W. Bush (2001–2009)

Attended three Army-Navy games: Dec 1, 2001

Dec 4, 2004

Dec 6, 2008

Barack Obama (2009–2017)

Attended one game: Dec 10, 2011: Army vs. Navy at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

Donald Trump (2017–2021 & 2025–present)

Attended the most games overall (7 total across two terms): Dec 10, 2016: Army vs. Navy (as president-elect)

Jan 8, 2018: Alabama vs. Georgia (National Championship)

Dec 8, 2018: Army vs. Navy

Nov 9, 2019: Alabama vs. LSU

Dec 14, 2019: Army vs. Navy

Jan 13, 2020: Clemson vs. LSU (National Championship)

Dec 12, 2020: Army vs. Navy

Sept 11, 2023: Iowa vs. Iowa State (as candidate)

Sept 28, 2024: Alabama vs. Georgia (as candidate)

Dec 14, 2024: Army vs. Navy (as president-elect)

Dec 13, 2025: Army vs. Navy

Jan 19, 2026: Indiana vs. Miami (National Championship)

This tradition reflects presidential support for college football, especially the Army-Navy game as a symbol of military appreciation. Trump holds the record for most games attended by any president. If you'd like more details on any president or game, let me know!

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