The National Football League will continue its long history of honoring veterans and active-duty members of the military with its annual Salute to Service campaign. For every point scored during the NFL’s 32 designated Salute to Service games, the league will donate $100 to each of its three core, military non-profit partners – Pat Tillman Foundation, USO and the Wounded Warrior Project.
The Salute to Service campaign, which began in Week 9, is designed to unify and elevate the extensive military appreciation work of the NFL and its clubs. Throughout November, teams will designate one home game to honor the military. Denver’s contest vs. San Diego on Sunday, Nov. 18 is the team’s dedicated Salute to Service game.
During these games, teams will display a number of Salute to Service-branded elements in stadiums, with the majority in and around the end zone in order to highlight the league’s new donation program tied to scoring. Branded elements include goal post wraps, pylons with camouflage ribbon decals, wall banners and the words Salute to Service written in the back of the end zone.
Denver’s game vs. San Diego is sponsored by USAA and OtterBox and is dedicated to our all of veterans and our U.S. Armed Forces serving throughout the world. Representatives from the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Wounded Warrior Heroes from Fort Carson will be recognized during a special halftime ceremony. Several other military guests will be honored throughout the game during coin toss, player introductions, Broncos Country Heroes Recognition and Salute to Service Recognition.
Additional on field elements featuring camouflage include ribbon lapel pins, Gatorade towels, Nike and Under Armour gloves for players, captain’s patches and camouflage ribbon footballs used during every play. Game used items will be collected following Salute to Service games and auctioned on NFL Auction, with 100% of net proceeds donated to the league’s three core military non profit partners. The game coins that will be used for the opening toss of the Broncos game against the Chargers are pictured above.
In addition, The NFL and USAA, the NFL’s Official Military Appreciation Sponsor, are continuing their annual Salute to Service Award, which recognizes NFL players, alumni, coaches, owners, executives and front office staff who demonstrate an exemplary commitment to honoring and supporting the military community.
When all 32 teams take the field during the Salute to Service campaign, branches of the U.S. military will be represented on their helmets. Conceived by USAA, a new initiative will enable NFL teams to deepen their connection to the military community by identifying local military units from each branch of service to honor on game day. Teams will wear helmet decals honoring military branches with their insignia (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy), and the stories of connection between clubs and local units will be highlighted throughout the Salute to Service campaign in broadcast and online.
Here is a look at the decal on cornerback Champ Bailey’s helmet:
USAA will work with several teams during Veterans Day weekend to honor the men and women who have served and are serving in the U.S. military. Fans in select stadiums will participate in in-stadium card stunts to thank the military for their service. In addition, USAA and the NFL will hand out team-branded wristbands to fans at select games on November 18.
All fans will be able to visit www.millionfansalute.com to download photos to share with and thank veterans and service members. In addition, fans can create a digital salute honoring past and present members of the U.S. military on behalf of their favorite NFL team through November 26, 2012. The three cities with the most salutes will earn rewards for their local military community from USAA.
In 2010, the NFL and Pat Tillman Foundation established the NFL-Tillman Military Scholar award to annually honor an individual who exemplifies Pat’s enduring legacy of service. The scholarship is part of the Tillman Military Scholars program established by the Pat Tillman Foundation to support educational opportunities for veterans and active service members and their spouses.
The Tillman Military Scholars program covers direct study-related expenses such as tuition and books, as well as other basic needs such as housing and childcare. As a result of fundraising from this year’s Salute to Service campaign, the NFL’s annual support of the Tillman Military Scholars program will continue to grow and help young men and women to pursue their degree program of choice.
Additional Salute to Service moments will include recognition of all military personnel in attendance, on field ceremonies honoring service men and women and special pregame national Anthem renditions performed by military bands and choirs.
The NFL continues to offer its NFL Game Pass service free of charge at USO Centers for military members stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Germany, Italy, Korea and Japan. At the USO facility in each of these locations, service members can watch every NFL game live and online in its entirety. NFL Game Pass service also is offered free of charge at US Embassies.
Fans can find out more about the NFL’s commitment to the military and veterans by visiting www.nfl.com/salute. In addition, on the NFL’s Facebook page, fans can submit their photos in support of our military to be a part of the Salute to Service mosaic or give a virtual gift using the Salute to Service gifting app.
Tags: Salute to Service, Week 11
I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!
Always got to hand it to our military man and women. Thanks for all you do.
*men
Personally, I would like to thank my little brother, my wife, and my grandpas on both sides.
My father deployed yesterday with the 140th wing out of Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora. He has been in the service nearly as long as I’ve been alive (I’m 21) and deployments never get easier. Thank you NFL and Broncos for showing support. I am so proud of my father and want him home already. Broncos, make sure to give love to our own Colorado service members, especially those who just left and will be gone through the holiday season. God Bless!
Im currently stationed in Naples, Italy and leave for Afghanistan in the New Year for my 5th tour, and was wondering how I can get a Bronco Official Game Coin as pictured at the top of this page. Im a huge Bronco Fan growing up in Aurora. If anyone can tell me how please email me at morgan.barnett@us.army.mil Thanks
I would love to purchase one as well for my wife.
This is AWESOME! I am in the Coast Guard currently stationed at Air Station Atlantic City, NJ. Even though while I am in, I will never get to go to a Bronco home game for the military appreciation, Last year while station at Air Station San Francisco I got to go to the Bronco vs Raider game in Oakland. ( where we destroyed the Raiders) It was a great experience, just wish it was in Denver! Thanks for the Donations to these great charities!
I was at that game too JW. Thank you for your service.
Words are just words. lets see if DJ can change for the better.
http://milehighsports.com/2012/11/02/broncos-linebacker-d-j-williams-qa-full-interview/
Thanks for that RH, wow, I don’t recall any interview with anyone having so many deep rooted issues, his head sounds like a really busy place and I wish him the best to try to reconcile with it all. It was actually hard for me as a reader to even get through all that, I can just imagine what it’s like for the guy who actually lives that! Like I always said HUGE LUGGAGE we carry there.
Yeah, I appreciate him being candid. Him butting heads with the LB coach caught my eye. Ive never thought he tackled well, too many drag tackles that let players get extra yards. Seems like no coach changed his technique early enough and now it is pretty much set in stone.
Just because I don’t think he will start on this team again doesn’t mean I am not rooting for him to do so. I would be perfectly happy to eat crow if he turns it around.
He is 30 years old, he better get in gear, haha.
And Stuart:
What’s with “THE DUKE” on the football in the pic? Elway was often referred to as the Duke in Denver.
Hey Bay,
From Wilson’s website:
In honor of the late New York Giants owner, Wellington Mara, one of the most beloved and respected figures in professional sports history, the Official Football of the NFL is called “The Duke”.
Wellington Mara, who spent 81 years with the New York Giants and made numerous contributions to the NFL, was named Wellington by his father, Tim Mara, after the Duke of Wellington. He was given the nickname “The Duke” as a youngster by Giants players.
The NFL first used a ball in honor of Wellington Mara called “The Duke” in 1941 at the suggestion of George Halas, as Tim Mara (Wellington’s father) had helped him arrange for Wilson Sporting Goods Co. to become the league’s official supplier of game balls.
“The Duke” ball was used through 1969 but was discontinued prior to the 1970 season, the first to be played post NFL-AFL merger. The NFL and AFL continued using a Wilson football, but with a new design and no official name. In 2006, the NFL returned the name of “The Duke” to the ball after Mara’s passing in October, 2005.
They have more info on the history of the football here: http://www.wilson.com/en-us/football/nfl/wilson-and-the-nfl/history/;jsessionid=26A7F9F94516F144FD1C507165818197
Thank you Stuart, had not even ever noticed that on the ball, probably because I only held balls after 1969 and definitely was done playing with that by this century, LOL. I learn something everyday.
Thank you for that Stuart
I am active duty Air Force. Those coins are awesome, I hope I can get one.
I truly want to say thank you to ALL military service men and women. I have had my grand father and grand mother in WWII and his 7 brothers, my great uncles and my grandma was in WAC. 2 uncles, 10 cousins, my husband and my son- in- law whose in the marines now and has done 4 tours so far and is a Sargent. So this is a true blessing to me to see people pull together and help the ones who have given us our freedom and risk their lives for us. Now if we can get our political people to think of them as we’ll, we would be set. Also I’ve been watching the Broncos since I was 5 , that I can remember Elway. I was so in love with him. Still am lol. And my grand daughter is named after Peyton Manning. I love my country and the people in it and pray everyday for god to help us thru this and bring our boys and girls home. Thank you NFL for doing this for our Military.