Willie Slater is a fan of the 2012 movie “Red Tails.” The athletic director and football coach at Tuskegee University said the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, upon which the movie is based, is amazing.

Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl will be the site of the inaugural Red Tails Classic. (Chris Pruitt, Wikipedia)

“I have that plane, a picture of it, in my office,” he said.

Sunday, Sept. 5, Slater and his Golden Tigers football squad will pay tribute to the Black World War II Army Air Forces servicemen when they take on Fort Valley State in the Red Tails Classic at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl. Kickoff is 6 p.m. and the game will be nationally broadcast on ESPNU.

The game will be one of two contests played at Cramton Bowl to open the college football season. The inaugural Montgomery Classic will be played Wednesday, Sept. 1, featuring Jacksonville State and UAB.

Slater said he hopes his players will be instilled with pride in the accomplishments of the Red Tails.

“I know a lot of them have seen the movie, if not all of them,” he said, acknowledging the place on campus where the real Red Tails fighters trained. “We’re right there on campus. We have the place where you can go walk around in there and look.

“All of them (Tuskegee players) have done that,” Slater continued. “I know they did that before they came to Tuskegee because they came there as recruits. We take everybody down there. We always make sure that we take them down to see that stuff.”

While the game will bring attention to the participating historically Black football programs, Slater hopes the game casts a bright light on the World War II heroes.

“It’s meant to be something to bring exposure to the Red Tails, not necessarily the football team,” he said. “We’re trying to honor the Red Tails.”

Overlook of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, Tuskegee, Alabama. (Erin Harney/AlabamaNewsCenter)

Pete Derzis is the ESPN senior vice president of college sports programming and ESPN Events. He said ESPN is pleased to highlight Tuskegee University in a kickoff event in Montgomery the next three years.

“The history of this outstanding HBCU institution is accented with the important role the Tuskegee Airmen played in World War II,” Derzis said, “and serves as a great source of pride that we hope to highlight within this nationally televised event.”

Tuskegee interim President Charlotte Morris acknowledged that Tuskegee’s Labor Day football game will be different this year.

“We are excited about taking on conference rival Fort Valley State University in this year’s Inaugural Red Tails Classic,” she said. “The Tuskegee Airmen are our American heroes, and we are elated to honor them in this newly branded classic.”

The Red Tails Classic adds to a roster of games that includes the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff and Cricket Celebration Bowl. The games display ESPN Events’ dedication to celebrating the tradition, legacy and values of historically Black colleges and universities.

Tuskegee Airmen of the elite, all-African American 332nd Fighter Group at Ramitelli, Italy. (U.S. Air Force, Wikipedia)

Photograph of the Tuskegee Airmen, likely taken in Southern Italy or Northern Africa, c. 1942-1943. (U.S. Air Force, Wikipedia)

Tuskegee airmen Woodrow W. Crockett and Edward C. Gleed, Ramitelli, Italy, March 1945. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Several Tuskegee airmen attending a briefing in Ramitelli, Italy, March 1945. (Toni Frissell, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

The famed Tuskegee Airmen were a pioneering group of Black aviators who flew many missions during World War II. (file)

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed and Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton Dean share in understanding the importance of the Red Tails Classic to their community.

“Montgomery is proud to bring these unique sports experiences to Cramton Bowl,” Reed said. “The Red Tails Classic and Montgomery Kickoff will be enjoyed by fans, families and local businesses alike, and these events will diversify our growing tourism sector.”

“It is no surprise that once again Montgomery County has been chosen to host not one but two nationally televised college football games this fall,” said Dean. “We are pleased and honored to welcome the inaugural Red Tails Classic and the Montgomery Kickoff. 2021 continues to bring blessings as these two games will provide both national exposure and a positive economic impact. I am grateful ESPN Events continues to see how special Montgomery is in its selection of this great county and thankful for all the dedication by our residents to bring these games here.”

Fort Valley State and Tuskegee are members of the NCAA Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). The SIAC did not sponsor football during the 2020-21 academic year due to the pandemic.

This will be the first SIAC football game in 660 days. The last official game was played on Nov. 16, 2019, when Birmingham’s Miles College defeated Albany State 21-6 in the 2019 SIAC Championship Game.

Fort Valley State (6-4, 4-2 SIAC) finished third in the SIAC East Division in 2019. Tuskegee (5-5, 4-2 SIAC) finished second in the SIAC West Division in 2019.