For Tiki Barber, current CBS Sports Radio host and former New York Giants running back, the Army-Navy game holds some personal significance.
His grandfather, Major Willie T. Brickhouse, Jr. was a major in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. At the age of 32 Brickhouse was killed in action over Bien Hoa on December 26, 1967 – just two days before Barber’s mother’s 15th birthday.
Brickhouse, a member of the 525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Group, was serving as an aerial surveillance officer. A native of Eastville, Virginia, Brickhouse entered Army service in 1957 and was stationed in Germany as the assistant chief of staff for intelligence, Headquarters, Eighth Infantry Division, prior to his deployment to Vietnam.
While Barber never got a chance to meet his grandfather, through family history he has learned about Brickhouse’s service – saying that to this day his mom, “speaks so highly of him.”
Barber’s own brush with a service academy came in 1994, while a sophomore at the University of Virginia. UVA won handedly against Navy, but the game stayed with Barber. “It was emotional playing a service academy,” Barber told HistoryNet.
Despite the score, the game was not without some chippy-ness. During the 47-10 drubbing Barber recalls a teammate telling a Navy offensive guard, “I hope you protect our country better than you play this game.” While the sport is notorious for trash talking, Barber noted that the UVA defensive tackle felt so contrite that he went over and apologized to the guard after the game. “We were good that year,” said Barber. “They were going through some tough times.”
And while Army is currently amidst its own lackluster season, when asked if he was rooting for the team, Barber responded, “I mean, I kind of have to? Army has the streak right now. Three in-a-row. Although Navy has the “better team this year.”