Army football players run out on field carrying American flags

The Army’s Black Knights came out of the tunnel each carrying an American flag to show support for the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks on the 20th anniversary. The team was getting set to play Western Kentucky in hopes of going 2-0 to start the 2021 season.

It’s the first game Army is playing in front of all fans since November 2019. The coronavirus pandemic impacted the season keeping fans at home in 2020. The only people the Black Knights played in front of were West Point personnel and the Corps of Cadets. Last week, Army defeated Georgia State 43-10 to give Jeff Monken his 50th win as Army head coach.

Monkey opened up his experience 20 years ago during the 9/11 attacks in an interview with the Times Herald-Record. He remarked on the importance of starting up sports again and getting back to normal. He was an assistant coach at Georgia Southern at that time. "The importance of getting back to normal (was a) sense of message about who we are as a nation, that we're not going to be held hostage by an invisible enemy," he said.