Arizona State football will play a game on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. But the school and team did not forget what 9/11 is about.
The Sun Devils have a memorable 50-yard-line design created in honor of those who died in the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
Take a look below at what is on the field at Sun Devils Football Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The school, its players, coaches, and students will remember 9/11 in their own way.
Arizona State takes the field on Saturday night for a home game against Nevada-Las Vegas. The Sun Devils, who play in the Pac-12 Conference, are coming off an opening-week 41-14 win over Southern Utah.
Many college football stadiums will be packed in remembrance of 9/11. In the wake of those terrorist attacks in New York City, professional and college sports stopped. But college football returned to the field, under a heavy police presence, at Starkville, Miss.
Mississippi State played host to South Carolina on Sept. 20, 2001.
Now Outsiders may want to know when Arizona State played its first game after 9/11. The Wildcats returned to the field on Sept. 22, 2001. They lost to Stanford 51-28 and finished 4-7 in Dirk Koetter’s first season as Arizona State head coach.
Other College Football Programs Will Honor 9/11 Remembrance
Besides Arizona State and its midfield emblem, there are other college football programs that will remember 9/11 in their own ways.
Navy and Air Force moved their game to coincide with the sad event’s 20th anniversary.
Players representing both branches of the U.S. military plan to wear special uniforms. Air Force’s uniforms will pay tribute to B-52 bomber jets; the Navy will honor the Marine Corps.
Florida and Ohio State join Arizona State in paying their respects on 9/11.
Florida’s helmet designs were made public on Thursday. They are all white with the Gators’ usual signature orange gone. Their color scheme has been changed to look like an American flag.
Ohio State will don special 9/11 decals when it plays Oregon on Saturday.
Gators running back Malik Davis feels grateful that the team can honor first responders. “[The first responders] put themselves last and they put the health of others first,” he said. “So it means a lot to me and I’m happy we’re able to go out and represent them this weekend.”
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said this tribute is personal for the team.
“We had a player on our team that lost a family member (in the attacks),” Day said. “It was just very, very real being in the Northeast. It doesn’t seem that long ago to me, but being from the Northeast, it was a very, very difficult time. This year brings up a lot of memories.”
