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On Saturday, Rutgers football will wear special uniforms to honor all those who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Among those lost were 37 alumni of Rutgers.
The uniforms will commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the attacks that saw two of the towers at the iconic World Trade Center fall. In addition, terrorists attacked the Pentagon, blowing a hole in the side of the military facility. A fourth hijacked plane saw the passengers successfully thwart the intended target, resulting in the plane crashing in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. There were 2,977 victims from the attacks that were perpetrated by terrorist group Al-Qaeda.
The uniform reveal includes the patriotic messaging on the gloves, reading ‘Never Forget.’ The message was a popular slogan in the days and weeks after the attacks.
Rutgers will play at Syracuse on Saturday, putting the two states most affected by the attacks in terms of loss of life against each other on the gridiron.
#NeverForget pic.twitter.com/m23nscVx3y
— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) September 9, 2021
The days after the attacks saw an outpouring of emotion on playing fields all over the country. Of note were moments such as the New York Yankees and New York Mets wearing hats featuring the different first responders to the site of the World Trade Center. Football players carried American flags onto the field as part of pregame introductions.
All sports, from local to the big leagues seemingly commemorated the attacks and the loss of life on that day. MLS star defender Mike Petke of the then MetroStars poignantly was photographed wearing an ‘NYPD’ hat and carrying an American flag into the field prior to the national anthem when MLS returned to action after a hiatus following the attacks.