The US World Cup Team's 'I Believe' Chant Was Created By A Navy Prep School Student

With World Cup fever hitting the United States, the now-popular "I believe we will win!" chant has become synonymous with the U.S. national team and was even featured in a popular ESPN commercial leading up to the World Cup (see video below).

That chant which has become a staple at sporting events across the country had an improbable beginning, having been invented by a student at the Naval Academy Prep School in 1998 according to Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo.com.

That student, Jay Rodriguez, came up with the catchy chant and taught it to his 50-member platoon as a rallying cry. According to other students at the prep school at the time, "it caught on like wildfire."

The next year, Rodriguez taught the chant to his roommate, a cheerleader at the Naval Academy. That student then led his fellow students in the chant during the 1999 Army-Navy football game.

From there it spread to other campuses, and now the World Cup.