The Navy Midshipmen will use their annual bout against the Army Black Knights to honor a historically significant force.
Navy will honor the Jolly Rogers aviation unit with a themed uniform during Saturday's 125th edition of the Army-Navy game.
The Jolly Rogers, established in 1943, conveys a legacy that displays the tradition of excellence, victory and elegance in the United States Navy with the taglines "Fear the Bones" and a call sign, "Victory."
They've flown nine versions of fighter jets in the previous 63 years, with their first airborne craft coming in January 1943 on the F4U Corsairs assigned to VF-17 in World War II.
Here's to Victory! Here's to the Bones☠️https://t.co/5ziKfHBeBm#JollyRogers | #BeatArmy pic.twitter.com/XrQmuF7DcW
— Navy Athletics (@NavyAthletics) November 20, 2024
The jersey's design is tailored to represent the squadron. The colors and placement of the elements on the jersey are meant to illustrate the aircraft the Jolly Rogers flew. The dark navy cowl mirrors the Jolly Rogers' craft design, with the stripe on the collar referencing the stripe on the top edge of the jet's tail fin.
"Navy" is written across the chest in bold letters to resemble the wording on the aircraft's side. The numbers reference the numbers on the fuselage, trailing edge flap and wings on the aircraft's side.
The striped patterns on the sleeves illustrate the Jolly Rogers aircraft stripes with nine triangles -- on the jersey and the pants -- that symbolize the nine different types of aircraft the Jolly Rogers have flown in their history.
The helmet which is hand-painted features "Fear the Bones" on the helmet along with the striped triangle pattern with the skull and crossbones emblem on the side.
The bottoms of the uniform honor the six Jolly Rogers squadrons, beginning from 1943 to the present.
This marks the second time Navy football has honored the Jolly Rogers. In 1962, the Midshipmen, formerly known as the Cadets, wore a helmet design in a 34-14 win against the Army.