Strength, Service, & Navy Football

There's no game like Army-Navy. No neutral site classic, no rivalry week hype machine — just two military academies, one football field, and everything that comes with wearing the uniform. Navy just won. And I wanted to talk to the guy who makes sure those Midshipmen are ready to play it.

Jim Kiritsy is the Head Football Strength and Conditioning Coach at the United States Naval Academy. He built his career at Vermont, The Citadel, and Kennesaw State before landing in Annapolis — and his philosophy has stayed consistent the whole way: injury prevention, athletic performance, and mental discipline. Not as buzzwords. As the actual job.

In this episode, Jim and Tex get into what the Army-Navy game means inside the locker room — not the spectacle, but the weight of it. We talk about his coaching philosophy, how he develops young men who are being asked to grow up fast, and what it genuinely takes — physically, mentally, and culturally — to play football at the Naval Academy.

If you coach, lead, or develop people under pressure, this one's for you.