Christie says Army-Navy will play at MetLife for 20th anniversary of 9/11

EAST RUTHERFORD -- Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday announced that the annual Army-Navy football game will be played in MetLife Stadium in 2021 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Calling the match-up "the best rivalry in college football," the governor promised the game between The U.S. Military Academy -- better known at West Point -- and the U.S. Naval Academy that year would be "an emotional and poignant moment for the men and women of the academies."

The game, Christie said, would bring $30 million in economic activity and attract some 50,000 new visitors to the state during the week of the game.

Christie, a life-long Dallas Cowboys fan, humorously confided that the clincher for him was receiving a call from former Anapolis (and Cowboys) quarterback Roger Staubach.

Somewhat awkwardly, in a video message from Staubach that played as Christie watched from the front row, Staubach apologized for "not being in New York" at the press conference, which was held in East Rutherford at the Coaches Club of MetLife Stadium.

The 2021 Army-Navy game will mark the fifth time that will be played in East Rutherford and the first that it has been played in MetLife Stadium.

The last contest was in 2002, when Navy beat Army in Giants Stadium.

Christie said that "I like the folks at Army so I'm not going to give the score."

The Mids beat the Knights 37-17 that year.

The 2021 Army-Navy contest will be played on December 11, 2021.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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