TOWSON, Md. – As Military Appreciation Week rolls along for the No. 16 Towson University men's lacrosse team, the program has announced that it will once again sell its one-off game helmets to benefit local military support organizations.
 
This Saturday, the Tigers will host No. 7 University of Denver at noon for Towson's Military Appreciation Day. For a second-straight season, the Tigers will sport special helmets for the game.
 
The Tigers will wear custom Cascade Rs with helmet decals donated by Zima Gear for Military Appreciation Day.
 
Throughout the week leading up to the game, the Tigers will release pictures of the helmets, which began on Monday with a look at the customized facemask. On Tuesday, the back panel of the helmet will be released, followed by the left side of the helmet on Wednesday. Thursday's release will feature custom chinstraps, while the helmet will be shown in its entirety on Friday morning, along with a detailed description of the helmet design.
 
Photos of the helmets will be available on TowsonTigers.com each day, as well as the Towson men's lacrosse social media platforms: Facebook.com/TowsonLacrosse, Twitter.com/Towson_MLax and Instagram account at Instagram.com/Towson_MLax.
 
Each helmet will be for sale through TowsonTigers.com will be available for purchase at $300 per helmet. Proceeds from the sale the helmets will be donated to local military support organizations USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore (USO-Metro) and The Baltimore Station. The helmets will go on sale Friday at 12:01 p.m. at www.TowsonTigers.com/auctions and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
A total of 45 helmets will be for sale. There will also be a helmet signed by the entire Towson lacrosse team available for raffle. Tickets, set at $5 per ticket, can be purchased during the game, which begins at noon at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium. The winner of the raffled helmet must be present to win. Only NINE helmets from each service branch will be available for purche.

Today's Military Appreciation Helmets: Defined

The Zima Gear decals on the custom Cascade R helmets Towson is sporting have special meaning. Below is a list of each decal and its meaning.

Matte Gray Helmet Shell - Represents the steel helmets worn by the US Army during engagements in World War I.
Back Panel - World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring the 100th anniversary of the United States' entry into The Great War.
United States Logo (Right Side) - Represents the United States with a reflective Uncle Sam from the famous "I want YOU for U.S. Army" posters. Uncle Sam is made of a material the reflects when a camera flash goes off.
Back of Helmet Stripe - The Red, White and Blue stripe along the bottom of the helmet emulates the border on the Uncle Sam poster.
Chin Straps - Both sides of the chin straps reads "Thank You Veterans" on the upper right strap. The chin cup features a Support our Troops ribbon.
Mohawk Vent Stripes - Each player will wear a helmet with a different mohawk vent stripe, representing the five branches of the United States Armed Forces: Army (Black/Gold), Marines (Red/Blue/Gold), Navy (Blue/Gold), Air Force (Blue/White), Coast Guard (White/Red).

In honor of the service and sacrifice of the military members and their families, Towson Athletics is providing complimentary tickets to past or present service members, along with three additional guest tickets.
 
Other events surrounding Military Appreciation Day will be The Old Guard's Presidential Salute Battery, which will fire off cannons after each Tiger goal. During halftime of the game, the US Army's Fife & Drum Corps will put on a performance.
 
Additional partners joining Towson Athletics in Military Appreciation include Maryland National Guard, American Red Cross-Chesapeake, Gold Star Mothers, Maryland Veterans Administration, Shootout for Soldiers, Veteran Corps of America, featuring de-militarized weapons from various eras, Catch-A-Lift Fund and Maryland's 9/11 Rolling Memorial.
 
- TowsonTigers.com –