Go Bowling Military Bowl Gameday Elements
The GO BOWLING MILITARY BOWL OFFICIAL TAILGATE starts at 8 am in the Blue parking lot on the west side of the stadium, with music, entertainment, military displays and more with food/beverages available for purchase. The Tailgate is free and open to the public.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Go Bowling Military Bowl will take significant conservation steps to produce an environmentally-friendly event with the goal of achieving ZERO WASTE in the Military Bowl Tailgate Festival and in hospitality areas throughout the game. Last year, the Bowl collected more than 2.1 tons of waste that was converted into compost and recycled 2.68 tons of plastic and aluminum products.
The GO BOWLING MILITARY BOWL MOBILE APP, sponsored by Titania Solutions Group, is the home for all things Military Bowl.
The GO BOWLING MILITARY BOWL 50/50 RAFFLE winner will be announced during the fourth quarter. The Raffle, sponsored by TEC Solutions, benefits Patriot Point, the Military Bowl Foundation’s 294-acre retreat for wounded, ill and injured service members, their families and caregivers.
The MEDAL OF HONOR RECEPTION begins at 9 am in the Admiral Lawrence N* Banquet Room on the first floor of the press tower. Media are welcome to attend. Five Medal of Honor Recipients are attending this year’s Go Bowling Military Bowl: Doc Ballard, Barney Barnum, Joe Marm, Tommy Norris and Alfred Rascon. Each of these Recipients served in the Vietnam War.
Prior to the game, the Go Bowling Military Bowl congratulated Pitt linebacker Luke DelGaudio and East Carolina linebacker Jackson Barker, who are members of the GO BOWLING MILITARY BOWL STEM SCHOLAR-ATHLETE PROGRAM, which recognizes football players interested in STEM studies at each school in the ACC and the American Conference, the two leagues represented in today’s Bowl. DelGaudio is a graduate student completing pre-med studies to attend medical school. Barker is a senior studying exercise physiology. The Military Bowl Foundation is making a donation in each player’s name to their respective school’s general scholarship fund.
TICKETS FOR TROOPS, which provides complimentary tickets for active-duty and veteran service members and their family members, is sponsored by DRB Group; Go Bowling; NextGen Federal Systems; Stars and Stripes; and State & Liberty Clothing Co.
Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 10:30 am when PREGAME PAGEANTRY begins:
- TEAM FASTRAX PARACHUTE JUMP TEAM consists mostly of military veterans from the Rangers, Special Forces and Airborne units. Today’s performance is dedicated to Staff Sergeants William Nathaniel Howard and Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar of the Iowa National Guard, who were killed in an ambush while serving in Syria earlier this month. Today’s jumpers are:
- Landing first with the live feed and Go Bowling bowling ball is U.S. Army active-duty soldier Eric McCullough.
- Landing second with the live feed is U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jon Forman.
- Landing with the Armed Forces Medley flag is 30-year U.S. Army veteran Kevin Engel.
- Landing with the Go Bowling banner is Mike Bursaw, a veteran of the U.S. Special Operation Command Parachute Demonstration Team and the Air Force Parachute Team.
- Landing with the Purple Heart flag is U.S. Army veteran and two-time Purple Heart Recipient Pasha Palanker.
- Landing with 2,000 square feet of stars and stripes is Larry Compton, a big flag specialist who holds two Guinness Book of World Records for largest flags jumped from an airplane.
- MOMENT OF SILENCE: The Military Bowl Foundation extends its deepest sympathies to the families of four U.S. Army soldiers who died in a crash during flight training earlier this year: Chief Warrant Officers Andrew Kraus and Andrew Cully and Sergeants Donavon Scott and Jadalyn Good were killed when their helicopter crashed in Washington state. Chief Warrant Officer Kraus is the son of Mission BBQ co-founder Bill Kraus, a longtime partner of the Bowl and someone who has certainly shown his commitment to service members. The Military Bowl Foundation asks everyone to remember these soldiers and all others who have lost their lives serving the country.
- Performing today’s NATIONAL ANTHEM is country music singer and songwriter Kendal Conrad, who has performed the national anthem more than 75 times this year, including performances for the Chicago Bears, Washington Nationals and Denver Nuggets.
- Today’s FLYOVER is being performed by squadron VRM-40, the Mighty Bisons from Norfolk, Va. VRM-40’s mission is to provide airborne logistics support to underway aircraft carriers and secondary missions as directed by the Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic.
Joining the team captains and game officials at midfield for the PREGAME CEREMONIES will be five Recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration presented for acts of valor in the face of enemy danger: Doc Ballard, Barney Barnum, Joe Marm, Tommy Norris and Alfred Rascon; Maryland Governor Wes Moore; and Military Bowl Foundation President & Executive Director Steve Beck. Performing the COIN TOSS is Tyler Herreman, President of the Bowling Proprietors Association of America, who will use the official commemorative Go Bowling Military Bowl coin produced by MetalPromo.
FOLDS OF HONOR has raised more than $240 million provided more than 51,000 scholarships for children and spouses of fallen or disabled American military service members and first responders. Folds of Honor and its partner of 15 years, Anheuser Busch, today are welcoming scholarship recipient Megan Popp, the daughter of Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Jared Popp. Megan is majoring in exercise science at Towson University with the goal of becoming an occupational therapist.
The ENLISTMENT CEREMONY following the first quarter will see new recruits take an oath administered by Brigadier General Matthew G. Brancato of the Air National Guard. Each of the six military branches will be represented: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force.
The WASHINGTON NATIONALS RACING PRESIDENTS will take the field for a special in-game race. The Racing Presidents are on hand as part of the Nats on Base initiative, which provides year-round experiences that contribute to the quality of life for service members and their families in the Washington, D.C., region.
As part of the Military Bowl Foundation’s support of youth football, several championship teams participated in the Go Bowling Military Bowl Parade and received complimentary game tickets: ANNE ARUNDEL YOUTH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION championship teams from the Cape St. Claire Cougars, Gambrills-Odenton Wildcats, Police Athletic League Hawks and South River Seahawks are joined by the Maryland state champion Patuxent High School Panthers in attendance today.
Navy Federal Credit Union is honoring the NAVY FEDERAL ROTC STUDENTS OF THE YEAR at today’s game: Alec Bessonny of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Matthew Kolster of Creighton University and Kylie Williamson of Cornell University. Alec, Matthew and Kylie assisted with the unfurling of the giant flag during the pregame pageantry.
Today’s HALFTIME SHOW will be performed by the East Carolina Marching Pirates and the University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band.
The Go Bowling Military Bowl is proud to recognize 11 local teachers and present each with a grant as part of the College Football Playoff Foundation’s EXTRA YARD FOR TEACHERS, which is sponsored locally by Wegmans Food Markets Inc. The Go Bowling Military Bowl, College Football Playoff Foundation and ESPN have teamed up to award a $1,000 grant for the first touchdown scored today to Collin Pannell at Annapolis Elementary School.
Following the third quarter, Military Bowl Foundation President & Executive Director Steve Beck will be joined by Patriot Point managing members Rob Taishoff and Kathy Taishoff, Patriot Point retreat directors Allen and Robin Richmond, Bowling Proprietors Association of America President Tyler Herreman and Bowlers to Veterans Link Chairwoman Nancy Schenk and Bowlers to Veterans Link Executive Director Jessica Abel as Bowlers to Veterans Link presents Patriot Point with a $100,000 donation for the SEND-A-VET CAMPAIGN.
GAMEDAY TIMELINE
7:30 am: Stadium parking lots open.
8 am: Go Bowling Military Bowl Official Tailgate in the Blue parking lot on the west side of the stadium. Free admission: face painting, music, military displays, games and more. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.
9 am: Medal of Honor Reception, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium N* Banquet Room. Invitation only.
9:30 am: Stadium gates open to the general public. Please note that the Bowl has a clear bag policy and there is no re-entry.
10:30 am: Pregame Pageantry begins.
11 am: Kickoff, 2025 Go Bowling Military Bowl: Pitt vs. East Carolina