Army football uniform honors Ivy Soldiers, 4th Infantry Division

Army football will celebrate the Ivy Soldiers of the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division with special green uniforms for the 127th Army-Navy game. The contest will be played Saturday, December 12, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The uniform was revealed on Sunday in conjunction with Fox Sports' weekly pregame show "Fox NFL Sunday" as former pro standout and show co-host Rob Gronkowski bounded onto the make-shift stage at West Point dressed in the full uniform and helmet, to the roaring approval of the U.S. Military Academy cadets gathered for the program.

Nike and the U.S. Military Academy have worked in conjunction with the design of the special uniforms every year since 2016 — ironically, the 82nd Airborne Division was the first to be celebrated, and former New York Giants linebacker Michael Strahan, who introduced the video piece for Fox, mentioned his father served in that division.

The 4th Infantry Division was established in Nov. 1917 at Camp Greene, North Carolina, during World War I. It was reactivated in June 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia, and led the D-Day invasion at Utah Beach in Normandy on June 6, 1944. The famed division — now headquartered at Fort Carson, Colorado — has served in Vietnam, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. From 2014-19, the Division has served in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve throughout eastern Europe.

The division's motto of "Steadfast & Loyal" is intertwined with the uniform design.

Fox Sports personnel and hosts spent several days at West Point, sharing time with the cadets and taking part in some of the activities and tests that cadets participate in during their four years. In addition to the Fox NFL Sunday telecast, the network also broadcast its college football "Big Noon Kickoff" pregame show on Saturday, ahead of Saturday night's Air Force-Army game at Michie Stadium.

Curt Menefee, Charles Woodson, Julian Edelman and Strahan hosted from West Point. At the same time, Charissa Thompson, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jay Glazer hosted from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

kmcmillan@th-record.com

X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR