Cardines Classic Brings Army, Navy and Newport Together Through Baseball

NEWPORT, R.I. — A baseball game in downtown Newport brought together military history, friendly competition and the local community when the U.S. Naval War College and Naval War College Foundation held their annual Cardines Classic Army-Navy baseball game at historic Cardines Field on Oct. 6, 2026.

The Cardines Classic is more than a game. It is a chance for Naval War College students, faculty and staff to step away from the classroom, compete on the field and share a piece of history with the Newport community.

The tradition’s roots are tied to a July 4, 1918, Army-Navy baseball game in London organized by Rear Adm. William S. Sims, a former Naval War College president and then-commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe. During World War I, Sims saw baseball as a way to bring American and allied forces together and build the relationships needed during a difficult time.

But it didn’t stop there.

“After the First World War, American forces played baseball on the global stage,” said retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. David Kohnen, Ph.D., the Captain T.B. Kittredge Historian at the Naval War College and one of the game’s organizers. “On several occasions, major leaguers like Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, as well as Connie Mack and Moe Burg, played baseball during exhibition matches held in the 1920s and 1930s. 

"American soldiers and sailors frequently gathered for exhibition matches in Europe and in several places in Asia,” he continued. “American troops in the Panama Canal zone often played against U.S. naval teams during their yearly fleet operations in the in the Caribbean and along the Pacific coasts, which further inspired friendly relations between our forces and local populations.”

More than a century later, that same spirit lives on in Newport.

“The Cardines Classic connects the contemporary war college to the community through history in commemorating the post-WWI series of exhibition games that Army and Navy teams put on in England in the years after the Great War,” said retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. David Vacchi, Ph.D., from the Office of the Provost and manager of the Cardines Classic Army team.

“It’s a great opportunity for camaraderie and competition between the Army team — plus Air Force and civilian students — and Navy team — plus Marines, Coast Guard and international students,” he continued. “But it also shows the local community a different side of the military and how we cherish the connection to our shared military history.”

Players wore all-wool baseball uniforms inspired by those worn during the World War I era, adding another connection to the original games.

Naval War College President Rear Adm. Darryl Walker said the event offers lessons that go well beyond baseball.

“The Cardines Classic has become one of our cherished traditions at the U.S. Naval War College, infused with lessons not only in local history, but global geopolitics and building alliances that can win wars,” Walker said.

“On the surface, this is a game that can connect the war college with our supportive neighbors and community here in Newport, Rhode Island,” he continued. “At a deeper level, this harkens back to a case study on statecraft, innovative diplomacy and the way nations can leverage all manners of influence in order to achieve their desired outcomes on a battlefield.”

The connection between the game and Newport runs even deeper through Cardines Field itself.

"Our Cardines Classic is named after an Italian-born aspirant American who volunteered for wartime service with the Rhode Island National Guard regiments, Private Bernardo Cardines,” said Kohnen. “Although he was killed in action on the western front in 1918, the former Naval War College President, Admiral William S. Sims and his wife, Anne, worked with President Franklin D. Roosevelt to rechristen the baseball field in Newport in 1936.  Previously known as ‘Basin Field,’ Army and Navy teams have played at this particular ballpark since the Civil War era."

The field has also hosted some of baseball's biggest names, including Ruth, Ted Williams and Bob Feller.

That history is what makes the Cardines Classic unique. For one afternoon, a historic Newport ballpark becomes a classroom, a playing field and a gathering place for the War College and the community.

The event is supported by the Naval War College Foundation, Naval History and Heritage Command and the Pritzker Military Foundation, on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library.

“I'm thankful to the Newport community for turning out, cheering us on and learning alongside us,” Walker said, “and for the support of the Foundation in continuing to help make this annual event a success.”

For the players, it is a chance to compete. For the community, it is a chance to see a different side of the military. And for everyone involved, it is a reminder that sometimes history is best understood not in a classroom, but on a baseball field.

Established in 1884, NWC informs today’s decision-makers and educates tomorrow’s leaders by providing educational experiences and learning opportunities that develop their ability to hedge aggressively, innovate continuously, fight distributively, delegate confidently, and command with clarity within complex battlespaces.