Around the Base: Navy to host Division III Stagg Bowl in 2022

In 2022, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium will host two bowl games.

The home of Navy’s football team has hosted the Military Bowl since 2013, which typically features teams from the ACC and the American Athletic Conference.

But the second bowl game Navy will host in 2022 won’t be of the FBS variety. That year, the Division III National Championship Game — also known as the Stagg Bowl — is coming to Annapolis.

The NCAA announced Wednesday that NMCMS was awarded that game, as well as Division I men’s lacrosse quarterfinals for 2023 and 2025.

This will be the first time that the Stagg Bowl has been played in the state of Maryland. Division III has hosted a national championship game for football since 1973. It was played in Salem, Virginia between 1993 and 2017.

The bowl is named for Amos Alonzo Stagg. After playing at Yale, he became an innovator in college football while coaching at Chicago and Pacific, and won more than 300 games.

While the Stagg Bowl will be played at NMCMS, the host for the game will be Stevenson University, a private Division III college in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Navy links and notes

• Navy football still a mystery four games into roller-coaster season (Bill Wagner, Capital Gazette)
• Through 100 wins and countless tears, Ken Niumatalolo has cemented his place in Navy history (John Feinstein, Washington Post)
• Navy Football’s Cameron Kinley A Leader In More Ways Than One (Todd Karpovich, Press Box)
• Three keys to an ECU victory over Navy (Stephen Igoe, Hoist The Colours)
• Pirates lose sneak-up factor vs. option foe (Al Myatt, Bonesville.net)
• Game Week: ECU (Mike James, TheMidReport)

• Senior fullback Nelson Smith and sophomore kicker Bijan Nichols both made the AAC’s Honor Roll this week for their stellar play vs. Temple. Smith rushed for 120 yards – a career high – and two touchdowns, while Nichols hit a career-long 50-yard field goals and was four-for-four on PATs.
• Lee Lawrence, who coached men’s swimming at Navy for 36 years, died this past weekend in Florida at the age of 82. Navy had a winning record in 25 of his 30 seasons as head coach. He also coached women’s swimming and water polo. His teams had a combined 29-10 record vs. Army.
• Navy comes in sixth in Joey Chandler’s AAC Power Rankings for USA Today.
• The sprint football game between Army and Navy is set for Sunday, Oct. 25 at Rip Miller Field. The game will air live on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. EST. Scott Wykoff will have the call.

*Also: I went on the Boneyard Podcast this week to talk about Navy vs. East Carolina. And, yes, they asked me about Army joining a conference.