Life List #7 - watch Army play in a bowl game in person

It's fair to say that some of the things on my list may never happen purely because they are largely beyond my control. When I originally wrote my list, way back in 2013, days were bleak for the Army football program. We were in the midst of a decade-plus long loss streak to Navy; we had been through multiple coaches without any sustained success; and we didn't even look competitive on the field for many games.

All of that landed right in the "no excuse" pile for die-hard Army fans, of which I proudly proclaim myself one. I knew the Army program would find its way; we would return to winning ways at some point, and when we did, I wanted to be in the stands to yell for my team.

It all came together when Army had an incredible 2016 football season! Regular season record was 7-5 with the BIGGEST win of the season when they BEAT NAVY for the first time in 14 years! What a day that was!! I've seen Army Beat Navy in person, though - for four straight years, as it were, when I was a cadet. When Army received the bid to play in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, it was a no-brainer. Close enough to drive; on my Life List; kids are old enough to enjoy it; and THE ARMY TEAM!!

Road trip, here we come - heading down to Dallas from Fayetteville!
We got there in time for the indoor tailgate, enjoying seeing some classmates, the pep band, the Rabble Rousers and other Old Grads as excited about the resurgence of the program as I was.
For this Texas girl, there's something thrilling about games at the Cotton Bowl, even all these years after the official site for the bowl game has moved up the road a bit. It's a piece of history and lore for anyone from the Lone Star State, and I was thrilled to be there yelling for the Army team with the family!

The game was a thriller, with Army scoring early and often, leading at halftime. As any Army fan knows, though, no lead is ever safe - and North Texas proved this by kicking a field goal with 0:28 seconds to go in the 4th quarter, tying the game and sending it into overtime.

It was definitely a nail biter, and the frustration of the last 15 years was too much for Justin to believe the Army team would overcome - he and Caroline left early, heading out of the stadium to avoid watching Army's unraveling and getting ahead of the crowds leaving the stadium.

I on the other hand, together with John, hoped against hope, embracing our true-blue, diehard fan status by sticking it out. And what a game we ended up seeing!! Army rallied in overtime with some incredible grit and determination, finding a way to win with a touchdown on their first possession. In what has become Coach Monken's signature move, he went for it on 4th down, and the Army team found the end zone.

When the defense held in overtime, we rejoiced with the crowd, reveling in the victory and the fact that we'd been there in person! The Army team sang second - and we were there to sing with them. What a way to cross this one off the list!

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