Army Steals Navy Mascots Again, Cadets Nab 2 Live Goats Before Rivalry Game: NYT

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Army cadets stole two living Navy goat mascots in a second heist before the academies' rivalry football game, The New York Times reported on Friday.

Journalist Dave Philipps said the second nabbing was to avenge a mishap in the first attempt. Cadets successfully swiped one Navy goat on the weekend of Nov. 19, but they grabbed a retired mascot with one horn named Bill 34. The current mascots are Bill 36 and Bill 37, who are the latest in a long line of U.S. Naval Academy goat mascots named Bill.

Cadets returned to Annapolis on the weekend of Nov. 26 to goatnap the active mascots and bring them back to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, The Times said. Army has since safely returned all three Bills.

The newspaper said cadets have stolen a Bill at least 12 times since 1953. Navy once fought back and took Army's mule mascots.

The traditional theft usually comes before the annual Army-Navy football game. The two service academies originally tolerated the kidnappings, but they officially banned the practice in 1992.

The Associated Press said Army's Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams and Navy's Vice Adm. Sean Buck released this joint statement following this year's first prank:

"The U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy are disappointed by the trust that was broken recently between our brothers and sisters in arms. These actions do not reflect either academy’s core values of dignity and respect."

Neither school has publicly commented on the second incident.

The Navy Midshipmen (3-8) will take on the Army Black Knights (8-3) on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. CBS will air the game nationally.

Army beat Navy 15-0 in last year's contest. The Black Knights have won four of the last five match-ups, but the Midshipmen lead the all-time series 61-53-7.

To learn more about the goat nabbings, read the full story in The New York Times.

RELATED:

• Army Cadets Try To Steal Navy's Live Mascot Before Game: Report
• Retired Naval Academy Mascot Passes At Age 14

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County news.