Marist football is scheduled to play Army West Point, its first FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) opponent in school history, in 2025, Marist Athletics said in a statement on Tuesday morning. The Red Foxes will travel 30 miles south to Michie Stadium to face Army on September 13, 2025.
“Any opportunity for our student-athletes to play against West Point is cherished,” Marist Director of Athletics Tim Murray said. “We have the utmost respect for the United States Military Academy and its athletics program. This is a great opportunity for our student-athletes, and a building block for our football program.”
Marist head coach Jim Parady said the following in the statement:
“This is an exciting game for our players, alumni, and everyone associated with the Marist football program. We’ve admired the Army program and all of its success for a long time. It’s a great opportunity to play against a storied program right here in the Hudson Valley. With recruiting, everyone wants to compete against the highest level. This will help us as we talk about where the program is going, being able to play an FBS school for the first time.”
Army, coached by Jeff Monken, has recorded winning seasons in four of the last five years. Last season’s team ranked as high as 22 in the AP poll and earned a berth in the Liberty Bowl, where they lost to West Virginia. Army has won four bowl games since 2000 – the Armed Forces Bowl in 2018, 2017 and 2010 and the Heart of Dallas Bowl in 2016. The program won three national championships from 1944 to 1946.
Marist football has not recorded a winning season since 2013. They last played in 2019, going 4-7 overall and 4-4 against conference opponents. The Red Foxes have won five total Pioneer Football League titles and three since 2000 in 2006, 2007 and 2013.
Marist and Army have faced each other in other sports — both men’s and women’s — in the past, such as basketball, tennis, and lacrosse. They last faced off this past December in women’s basketball. Marist opened their season with a convincing 83-55 win. The Red Foxes most famous victory in recent memory came in February of 2020, when they defeated nationally ranked Army 17-9 in lacrosse.
Edited by Nicholas Stanziale
Photo Credits: Marist College Athletics
Marist must really need money for the Football program to schedule this road debacle.