BUY TICKETS

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois will honor and celebrate current and veteran military service personnel during this weekend's Illinois Football game vs. Purdue on Nov. 12, with many military-themed events and features planned for the game. Game time is set for 11 a.m. CT.  

Events and features for the game include:

1. The Air Force Reserve Command's 434th Air Refueling Wing will conduct a pregame flyover in a KC-135 Stratotanker piloted by Captain Rob Reilly. The 434th Air Refueling Wing is headquartered at Grissom Air Reserve Base, IN, and has mobilized in support of numerous US national interests including Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.
2. Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters will be flown to Champaign from Fort Campbell in Kentucky by former Illinois student-athletes 1st Lieutenant Molly Hein, '20, from swimming and diving and Captain Andreas Silbermann, '08, from men's gymnastics
3. Hein and Silbermann will deliver the official coin for the coin toss furnished by the 101st airborne division.
4. Cadets from the University of Illinois' four ROTC branches will perform its swearing in ceremony during the game, with cadets taking the oath of loyalty to the Constitution of the United States and committing to service in the United States military.
5. Illinois ROTC cadets will also conduct a 22-mile ruck march to deliver the game ball to Coach Bret Bielema and team captains in the West Colonnades. The 22 miles brings awareness to the 22 military service personnel that take their own lives each day. The game delivery video will be seen during Saturday's game.
6. The four branches of Illinois' ROTC programs will guard the Prisoners of War (POW) and Missing in Action (MIA) commemorative chair at the 50-yard line on the West side of Memorial Stadium directly behind the Illinois team bench. During each quarter ROTC cadets will stand in attention guarding the chair, with a changing of the guard at each quarter break.
7. Members of Illinois' ROTC will form the pregame players tunnel prior to kickoff and will take over the Omni Blaster sending Illinois ROTC t-shirts into the Memorial Stadium crowd.
8. Gameday Spirit will sell patriotic-themed gear at their gameday locations, with portions of proceeds going to the Chez Center for Wounded Veterans.
9. The Illinois Athletics Ticket Office has made available free tickets for active and retired military service personnel and their families for the game. All military personnel in attendance will be recognized during the game.
10. The Memorial Stadium videoboard will feature military videos and shout outs from personnel around the country and abroad.
11. The game will feature a Tri-Service color guard made up University of Illinois Army, Air Force, Space Force, Navy and Marines cadets.
12. These features complement the military traditions fans see each Saturday at Memorial Stadium, including the sounding of the air raid siren performed by a local veteran to signal the official start of the game, and the ringing of the Navy bell by Naval ROTC cadets and the Army push up crew following all Illini scoring drives.
13. Fans are also encouraged to visit the Colonnades on the east and west side of Memorial Stadium, which honors the University of Illinois students who lost their lives in World War I (etched into the columns) and all subsequent conflicts with the names of alumni, students and faculty who lost their lives (listed on plaques in each tower of the Stadium).

HISTORY OF MEMORIAL STADIUM: Memorial Stadium was built in 1923 as a memorial to Illinois men and women who gave their lives for their country during World War I. Holabird & Roche (now Holabird & Root), an architecture firm founded in Chicago, designed the stadium dedicated to the 189 University of Illinois students and alumni who died in WWI. Their names appear on 200 limestone columns that support the east and west sides of the stadium. On 189 of these columns was inscribed the name of an Illini soldier who died in the war. In addition, carved stone panels were placed on the facility's exterior to commemorate the war and to honor athletic achievements.

The stadium was officially dedicated on October 18, 1924, when the University football team played a homecoming game against the University of Michigan. In 2002, the stadium dedication was extended to those who died in World War II. The new veterans' memorial honors the 948 alumni, students, faculty and staff who were killed in our nation's wars and conflicts since 1918. Their names are engraved on one of four limestone tablets at the entrances to Memorial Stadium's east and west colonnades alongside the names of their fallen World War I comrades.

TICKETS AVAILABLE: Tickets are available for the Nov. 12 Illinois football matchup vs. Purdue, four tickets for $99. Fans can purchase at FightingIllini.com or by calling 866-ILLINI-1.