South Mecklenburg High School hosts first-ever S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame Football Game
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Among the myriad memorial services held late last week commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks – and honoring first responders to include the military – perhaps none were as visibly albeit understatedly stirring as that of a Charlotte, N.C.-area high school football team which recognized both the horrific losses of 9/11 and the sacrifices made by military veterans in the follow-on Global War on Terror: The football team specifically honored military veterans in neighboring South Carolina.
On Thursday, Sept. 10th (the eve of 9/11), the South Mecklenburg (Charlotte) High School Football Team dressed out in uniforms displaying both the official patch of the S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame (minus the “inductee” scroll) and a 9/11 “Never Forget” patch on the sleeves of their jerseys: The special uniforms were worn during the first-ever S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame Football Game which was played between South Mecklenburg and Ardrey Kell High Schools.
“This was a wonderful, very creative recognition by young North Carolina ballplayers and their coaches who paid tribute to those of us here in South Carolina and more broadly nationwide,” said retired USMC Col. Steve Vitali, a S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 2026). “What they did should serve as a model for high school and college athletic programs nationwide this year and next.”
Vitali, a veteran Marine combat commander of the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was himself recognized alongside fellow S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Famers in a special halftime ceremony during the University of South Carolina vs. Towson University football game at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, Saturday night.
“Colleges have played military appreciation games for years now, often around November 10 – the USMC birthday – and Nov. 11 Veterans Day,” said Vitali. “But what South Mecklenburg did in their recognition of us on the eve of 9/11 is truly unique. I would urge other high schools to follow their lead in honoring veterans between now and the end of November which is Veterans Month.”
Jay Alverson, South Mecklenburg’s offensive line coach and one of Vitali’s fellow Hall of Fame inductees, agrees.
“Approximately 1,100 spectators gathered for the South Mecklenburg and Ardrey Kell football game which raised close to $5,000 for the SCMVHOF’s mission of educating and inspiring the next generation of service from America’s high school students,” said Alverson, himself a USMC veteran, also a retired USAF staff NCO and intelligence analyst. “I would absolutely encourage other schools to follow suit.”
South Mecklenburg Offensive Lineman Brendan Hall, a 16-year-old HS junior already with more than 20 college offers (including from South Carolina and Clemson), said last week’s game and the jerseys worn spoke volumes about sacrifice and remembrance.
“The jerseys we wore didn’t just tell the crowd who ‘South Meck’ was,” said Hall. “The jerseys were a sign to never forget 9/11. That day was not only an historic event for America. Thousands of lives were lost and hundreds died trying to save others. We remember that day and honor it, and pass it along for generations to come.”
South Mecklenburg Head Football Coach Joe Evans said. “We were honored to be chosen to participate as the first host-school for the S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame game. As coaches it’s our job to lead and mentor young people as they prepare to move into adulthood. Some of our student athletes are considering military careers, and so much of what the military does translates to football. We felt uniquely positioned and especially honored to be selected as the first team to host a Hall of Fame game.”
According to Alverson, credit rests with Coach Evans and the school itself.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Coach Evans as well as the administration of South Mecklenburg High School for hosting this first-ever Hall of Fame football game,” said Alverson, a 2025 inductee who also serves as the Hall of Fame’s executive director. “We hope schools across South Carolina will be interested in hosting the game in the future and we would welcome any school interested in hosting to reach out to us. We would love to talk about how hosting a game helps with the Hall of Fame’s mission of honoring, educating and inspiring the memory of those who have served as well as the next generation to serve.”
[For more information email Jay Alverson at [email protected].]
– W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a formerly deployed U.S. Marine Infantry leader, retired field-grade officer in the S.C. Military Department, and a New York Times bestselling editor. He traveled to Iraq twice during the war as a civilian combat correspondent and military analyst; the second time during the U.S. and British surge against Al Qaeda strongholds in that country. Smith is a S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 2025).
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