COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Air Force Academy football team will honor the Tuskegee Airmen with special uniforms and helmets.
The Falcons will debut the Air Power Legacy Series uniform combination on Saturday, Oct. 3 against Navy at Falcon Stadium.
The gray helmet features the P-51 aircraft flown by the Tuskegee Airmen with the red tails and nose that helped identify the squadron. The helmet will feature four squadron patches for the 99th, 100th, 301st and 302nd.
According to the school, the pants feature a stenciled information graphic on the side. A nameplate on the jersey says Red Tails, inspired by hand-lettered names painted on the side of the P-51 aircraft.
A group of African-American pilots from the U.S. Army Air Corp, the Tuskegee Airmen were commissioned by President Franklin Roosevelt in September 1940. The pilots began their training at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama. More than 900 pilots graduated from the program and more than 350 served in active duty as fighter pilots, according to the Air Force.
Air Force currently only has two games scheduled this season: Saturday, Oct. 3 against Navy in Colorado Springs and Saturday, Nov. 7 at West Point against Army.
The football program has honored the Air Force's history with special uniforms each season since 2016.
The team honored the World War II Flying Tigers of the U.S. Army Air Corps in 2016, the F-35 aircraft in 2017, the AC-130 in 2018 and the C-17 aircraft in 2019.
> Learn more at GoAirForceFalcons.com.
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