The Military Classic of the South is an American college football rivalry game played between The Citadel and Virginia Military Institute. The first game between VMI and The Citadel was in 1920. The game has been played nearly continuously since World War II; since then, only five seasons have seen the game not played.
The original "Military Classic of the South" was previously played between Virginia Tech (VPI) and VMI. It was played on Thanksgiving Day every year beginning in 1913 and lasting until 1985. As Virginia Tech continued to expand its student body from cadets (similar to current day Citadel), the game quickly became unmatched and VMI left the series in 1985.
Current history VMI and The Citadel first played each other in 1920. The trophy that is currently awarded, the Silver Shako, was introduced in 1976.
The game has been played nearly continuously since World War II, with no matchup in 1956, 2004, and 2008–2010. The Citadel had won the past twelve meetings before VMI's victory in 2019. The Citadel leads the series 45–33–2. At one point in 1967, the Keydets led the series 18–8–1. The Military Classic is the thirteenth-oldest still-played rivalry in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the NCAA. Both teams were members of the Southern Conference (SoCon) from 1936 until 2003, when VMI left for the Big South Conference and were reunited in the SoCon when VMI returned in 2014.
Game results
Other varsity sports SportLast matchupAll-time seriesDateLocationWinnerScoreAttendanceLeaderRecordBaseballApril 15, 2022Gray–Minor Stadium • Lexington, VirginiaVMI5–21,814The Citadel85–39April 16, 2022Gray–Minor Stadium • Lexington, VirginiaVMI3–2132April 17, 2022Gray–Minor Stadium • Lexington, VirginiaThe Citadel22–5154BasketballJanuary 15, 2022McAlister Field House • Charleston, SCVMI90–851,256The Citadel60–58February 12, 2022Cameron Hall • Lexington, VAThe Citadel83–793,745Women's soccerOctober 23, 2022 WLI Field • Charleston, SCThe Citadel5–1203The Citadel10–7 October 25, 2022 WLI Field • Charleston, SCThe Citadel3–0176WrestlingFebruary 20, 2022McAlister Field House • Charleston, SCThe Citadel32–5N/AVMI43–25
See also List of NCAA college football rivalry games
References