Illinois to Honor Service Members Saturday on Military Appreciation Day

Illini football players will wear specially designed helmets in remembrance of those who served

The University of Illinois football team will honor military veterans – and specifically school alumni and former Illini players who lost their lives in combat – by wearing special helmets for Saturday's game against Minnesota at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. / University of Illinois

At home games all season long, the Illinois football program has made a celebration of the 100-year anniversary of Memorial Stadium's 1924 dedication, including featuring specially designed throwback helmets to reflect different eras of Illini football through the years.

The mood in Champaign should be a bit more somber for Saturday's game against Minnesota (11 a.m. CT, on FS1), as Illinois honors all branches of service with a Military Appreciation Day.

Leading up to kickoff, three members of different military branches will be present at the coin toss, during which a special coin will be flipped. Then, at the conclusion of the first quarter, an on-field Army swearing-in ceremony will take place.

As for their Week 10 gear, the Illini will wear helmets meant to pay homage to each member of its alumni who lost their life in military action.

U.S. Navy Veteran and Illinois Football mother Kimberly McGraw shares the meaning behind our helmets for this year's Military Appreciation Game.

The helmets pay homage to 189 soldiers that fought in WWI, the 10 Illinois Football players that lost their lives in battle and those… pic.twitter.com/1jJMqZlAmU

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) October 31, 2024

Equipment manager Jake Rosch, the mastermind behind the throwback uniforms Illinois wore for the Week 8 Michigan game, received high praise from coach Bret Bielema at his Thursday press conference:

“He's been on fire all year with the helmets. … He designed a military helmet that recognized all the services, but also on the middle stripe we’ll have 189 names of all the fallen alumni from the University of Illinois.”

Additionally, the helmets pay homage to each former Illini football player who lost his life in service:

“On the side, " Bielema said, "we’ll also have 10 stars that symbolize the 10 former football players that fell in service ... nine during WWII and one during the Vietnam War, which was [John] Bruce Capel.”

A fitting tribute.

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