Staubach is a 1981 College Football Hall of Fame inductee

The College Football Hall of Fame has acquired the authentic jersey of Navy quarterback Roger Staubach, worn in the historic 1963 Army-Navy game played shortly after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Staubach’s “Drive for Five” number 12 jersey from the Army-Navy game will be displayed in the 1960's Hall of Champions exhibit.

The back of Staubach’s jersey reads “Drive for Five,” one of the many motivational tools Navy Coach Wayne Hardin employed for the Army game. His team motto for 1963 was “Drive for Five,” inspiring his team to defeat rival Army for the fifth-consecutive season. Used exclusively for the Army game, Hardin put “Beat Army” on the front of Navy’s helmets and “Drive for Five” on the backs of their gold jerseys.

Navy entered the game as the nation’s second-ranked team and a victory over rival Army would secure a Cotton Bowl bid against top-ranked Texas. Just eight days before the game, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The Army-Navy game was nearly cancelled until Jackie Kennedy asked that the game be played in her husband’s memory and the contest was postponed until December 7.

“While both Cadets and Midshipmen felt the loss of the President, Staubach and his Navy teammates had a special bond to Kennedy,” said Hall of Fame curator Kent Stephens. “The President served in the Navy during World War II, visited the team during their summer training camp and sent them encouraging messages throughout the season.”

The game itself was one of the greatest in the Army-Navy series. Navy led 21-7 before Army led a furious rally. With 98 second to play and no time outs, Army was inside Navy’s ten-yard line trailing 21-15. Three plays gained five yards, but a deafening crowd, confusion and the fatigue of playing under the rules of one-platoon football did not allow the Cadets to get off a final play as the game ended on Navy’s three-yard line.

Staubach, a 1981 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, finished the 1963 season with 1,474 yards passing, 418 yards rushing and 15 total touchdowns en-route to winning the Heisman Trophy. He guided Navy to a 9-1 record during the regular season before losing to Texas in the Cotton Bowl. After serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War, Staubach passed for 22,700 yards and 153 touchdowns with the Dallas Cowboys, leading them to Super Bowl VI and XII championships.

The quest to locate Staubach’s number 12 jersey from the Army-Navy game was highlighted in Sports Illustrated before Staubach found the jersey and agreed to loan it to the Hall of Fame.