CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – The Illinois football team has revealed their Military Appreciation Day helmets which feature multiple ways to honor those who have served. The Fighting Illini will wear the helmets Saturday against Minnesota at 11 a.m. at Memorial Stadium.
Some of attributes on the helmets include 10 stars around the helmet logo. These stars represent the 10 Fighting Illini football players who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation during WWII and the Vietnam War. Another feature is the list of names of 189 University of Illinois students and alumni who died in WWI. These heroes are also honored on the Memorial Stadium columns. The third helmet feature includes a POW/MIA sticker on the back of each helmet to honor Americans who were prisoners of war or served and never returned home.