One of the most anticipated games in college football is this weekend and the hype continues to build. The Army Black Knights from West Point stand at 8-3, while the Navy Midshipmen from Annapolis are at 6-5. Both teams have beaten the Air Force Academy, which means the winner of next week’s game takes home the coveted Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
While the intense soldiers versus sailors and Marines rivalry always draws a crowd, another fun aspect of this game is the uniforms. Even that annoying, sports-apathetic coworker who jokingly cheers, “yay sportsball!” gets excited about the new uniform unveilings. While the Navy is paying tribute to the Blue Angels with their uniforms in this year’s game, the Army is honoring their WWII roots with their “Pando Commando”-inspired uniforms.
Related: Navy’s new ‘Blue Angel’ unis for the 2017 Army-Navy game are glorious
The uniforms sport the traditional Army gold and white. They are clean and simple, but decorated with 10th Mountain insignias and patches. The uniform color choices aren’t just to differentiate the teams on the field, they’re an homage to the division. The gold represents excellence and the white is symbolic of mountain tops and of high aspirations.
Featured heavily is the unit’s distinctive ‘X,’ found on the helmet, jersey, and cleats. The ‘X’ represents wartime service, but is also the Roman numeral for ‘ten.’
On the chest is the 10th Mountain’s divisional coat of arms, along with the Latin phrase, “Vires Montesque Vincimus,” which means, “we conquer powers and mountains.” Under that is the division’s motto, “Climb to Glory.” The West Point Black Knight’s logo rests just below the neckline.
The cleats, however, have an exceptionally cool part of military history on stamped them: the original “Pando Commando” patch. The skiing panda with a rifle is a play on the unit’s origins. The unit is originally from Camp Hale of Pando, Colorado, where the 10th Mountain would train for combat in the Alps and the frigid North. The patch was later replaced in 1944 with the more commonly known “Mountain” tab that has stuck with the unit ever since.
The official Army West Point Sports Twitter has released the announcement video, which you can watch below. We Are The Mighty will be at the game, so keep an eye out for our insider perspective.
Go Army! Go Navy!
Honoring the Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division #ClimbToGlory pic.twitter.com/gOwGjEF4gE
— ArmyWestPoint Sports (@GoArmyWestPoint) December 4, 2017