By Southern Pigskin Staff
SouthernPigskin.com

Follow us at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin.  Become a fan at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of hosting the Rose Bowl, Duke will wear commemorative helmets in its game against Virginia Tech on November 5 at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.

DURHAM, N.C. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of hosting the Rose Bowl, Duke will wear commemorative helmets in its game against Virginia Tech on November 5 at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.

The distinctive Battleship Grey matte helmet will be complemented with a black facemask and a decal replicating a logo used by the 88th Infantry Division of the United States Army that held the nickname x9cBlue Devilsx9d during World War II. In addition, Dukes standard black jersey will don an official Rose Bowl 75th Anniversary commemorative patch and, underneath the uniform, the Blue Devils will wear gray Nike Pro three-quarter sleeves and tights.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States government prohibited large gatherings on the West Coast, and, on January 1, 1942, the Rose Bowl was played for the only time outside of Pasadena, Calif., after Blue Devil head coach Wallace Wade offered Duke Stadium as the host venue. Oregon State defeated Duke in the contest, 20-16, in front of 56,000 spectators.

On Friday, November 4, bestselling author Brian Curtis will speak at the Duke University Bookstore on campus about his most recent book, Fields of Battle, featuring the men who faced each other in that game and in many cases ultimately were on the same team on the battle fields overseas. Time for the event is to be determined.

On the evening of November 4, Duke will host an event featuring Curtis at Blue Devil Tower beginning at 6:30 p.m. Limited spaces remain for the event and pre-registration is required using the following link: http://goduke.com/quest/Questionaire.dbml?QID=382421&DB_OEM_ID=4200

During the game on Saturday, Duke University Archives will have its Rose Bowl memorabilia and artifacts on display on the concourse level of the stadium. In addition, Curtis will be on hand to autograph copies of Fields of Battle.

Following an open date this weekend, Duke travels to face Georgia Tech on Saturday, October 29. Kickoff is set for 12 noon.

Courtesy of Duke Sports Information