The Arizona football program unveiled some remarkable new uniforms on Wednesday that will be worn this weekend when the Wildcats play host to Hawaii in Tucscon.
Arizona’s uniforms will commemorate the U.S.S. Arizona, which lost 1,177 people during the attack on Pearl Harbor in one of the deadliest attacks on American soil. The U.S.S. Arizona was bombed and sunk off the coast of Hawaii in 1941, where it remains today at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.
The uniforms will feature multiple tributes to the ship with every detail having a meaning.
#WeRemember 🇺🇸
We will recognize, remember and honor the memory of the U.S.S. Arizona and its crew.#BearDown pic.twitter.com/ahkKMfkLKg
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) September 15, 2016
The nameplate on the back of the jerseys will feature “BB-39,” the U.S.S. Arizona hull number. The left shoulder will feature a 48-star flag as Arizona was the 48th state in the union. The right shoulder features a patch of the 47th Flight Squadron, which was credited with downing eight Japanese aircrafts following the Pearl Harbor attacks.
The final detail on the jersey that is a nod to the U.S.S. Arizona is on the front center chest. The patch replicates a medallion worn by Esther Ross when the ship was christened and launched in 1915.
Finally, the helmet also features a number of nods to the ship.
The front decal features the date of the Pearl Harbor attack, Dec. 7, 1941, while the back bumper reads, “At ‘Em Arizona,” the rallying cry for the ship. On the back mid-helmet, there is a decall of the bell from the U.S.S. Arizona which currently hangs in the Memorial Student Union of the University of Arizona. Finally, the side A decal was inspired by the football jersey worn in a U.S.S. Arizona team photo.
This may be one of the greatest tribute uniforms we have ever seen.
Arizona and Hawaii kickoff at 10:45 p.m. ET on the Pac-12 Network.
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