From the National Anthem to the final whistle, it was all about the Army and patriotism at H.A. Chapman Stadium on Saturday.
The Black Knights of West Point defeated the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, 49-7. This was the second meeting between Tulsa and Army and the first in Tulsa. Tulsa won the previous meeting 49-39 at West Point in November 2007.
Fans received ballcaps with the Tulsa logo in red, white and blue, when entering the gates, in support of Military Appreciation Day.
The crowd of 24,409 was treated to the National Anthem sung by Joe Everson, who is billed as the “only singing action painter.” While singing the Star-Spangled Banner, Everson painted a portrait of the Statue of Liberty, upside down, and spun it right side up at the conclusion of the song. He has performed for many professional sports teams around the country and for Fortune 500 companies.
Senator Markwayne Mullin was on the field prior to the game for a special presentation, and Governor Kevin Stitt was in attendance.
Miss USA Alma Cooper was also on the field prior to kickoff. Cooper, an Army 2nd lieutenant and U.S. Military Academy graduate, was crowned Miss USA in August. In April, Cooper became the first active-duty Army officer to compete in and win the Miss Michigan USA competition, according to West Point. According to Stars and Stripes magazine, Cooper, 22, graduated with honors in 2023 and majored in math. She’s now working on a master’s degree in statistics at Stanford University as a Knight-Hennessy scholar.
It was truly a spectacular sight to stand on the sideline taking photos as the Army Golden Knights parachute team landed, one-by-one, on the TU logo at midfield. One of the Knights carried in with him a game football. The precision it takes to maneuver out of an airplane 3,000 feet in the air, battle the swirling Oklahoma winds and land safely at the middle of a football field is amazing.
Army honored the 1st Infantry Division with a logo decal on the players helmets and coaches’ headsets. The 1st Infantry Division (1ID) is a combined arms division of the United States Army and is the oldest continuously serving division in the Regular Army. It has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917 during World War I and it was officially nicknamed “The Big Red One.”
The University of Tulsa did a great job as a host for this special day and it certainly made those in attendance proud to be Americans.
TULSA BEACON RADIO
Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national level guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. This week my guest will be Bob Archer from MedicarePrepare. If you have any insurance questions you would like answered, send a text message to 918-770-9939. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.