ESPN’s recognition of Veterans Day 2013, its fifth annual “America’s Heroes: A Salute to the Troops Presented by USAA” initiative, will include live, day-long SportsCenter coverage from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., the Armed Forces Classic men’s basketball game from South Korea, and live television and radio programming form the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Great Neck, N.Y.

SportsCenter at U.S. Naval Academy                                  Friday, Nov. 8

9 a.m. ET     Co-hosts Hannah Storm & Kevin Negandhi

10 a.m.         Storm interviews Roger Staubach in Memorial Stadium

10:30 a.m.    Hannah and Kevin interview Commandant Bill Byrne

11 a.m.         Hannah and Kevin interview Admiral Michael Miller inside Memorial Hall

11:30 a.m.    “Day in the Life” feature

Noon            Hannah talks about the history of the Noon Formation

12:15 p.m.    Kevin introduces “King Hall/Mess Hall” feature from King Hall

1:30 p.m.      Hannah and Kevin introduce “Going Home” feature

2 p.m.          Hannah and Kevin interview Coach Niumatalolo outside Bancroft Hall

2:30 p. m.     Kevin interviews members of Navy Dive team from the Dive pool

6 p.m.          Hannah and Kevin introduce “Why I’m here” / “Bill Belichick” feature

6:20 p.m.      Tom Rinaldi essay on Annapolis; Marine Corps Ball and soccer highlights

Additional Naval Academy Elements

Navy Football Practice All-Access; Coach Ken Niumatalolo wears a mic at  practice

Top Army-Navy highlights

Top Ten Navy highlights: basketball win over Indiana; football win over Notre Dame, and more

Armed Forces Classic (7:30 p.m. ESPN) at Camp Humphreys in

Pyeongtaek, South Korea                       Friday, Nov. 8

Georgetown vs. No. 19 Oregon: Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Andy Katz

Pre-game SportsCenter Special: Armed Forces Classic with Kevin Connors and Jay Williams. Georgetown’s John Thompson III will guest

(Coverage starts 9:30 a.m. Saturday local time — 14 hours ahead of ET)

Vignettes shot at Camp Humphreys, South Korea

• Combined Forces: U.S. and South Korean troops train side by side
• Small Town USA: Camp Humphreys is 6,000 miles from U.S. yet provides all the comforts of home
• Aerial tour of the base and Seoul from Apache helicopter
• Morning PT with both USA/Korean soldiers
• Combatives – hand-to-hand training
• A flight simulator tour – troops prepare for their real world Apache/Chinook flights
• Soldiers watching Monday Night Football (Tuesday morning local time)
• Soldiers watching Sunday NFL games (Monday morning local time)
• Live firefighting training (Korean civilians comprise Camp Humphreys fire department)

Outside the Lines (7 a.m. ESPN2; 8 a.m., ESPNEWS)              Sunday, Nov. 10

Sunday’s Outside the Lines will reprise three-veterans-related pieces:

• GOING HOME – Soldiers returning from duty surprise family members in sports venues and at athletic events.
• SARATOGA WAR HORSE – Veterans connect with former race horses to work through the emotional scars of warfare.
• PURPLE HEART PLAYER – Clemson walk-on wide receiver Daniel Rodriguez is a decorated Afghanistan war veteran.

Sunday NFL Countdown (10 a.m.-1 p.m. ESPN)                     Sunday, Nov. 10

ESPN’s three-hour Sunday NFL Countdown pregame show will include a Veteran’s Day vignette and other content.

Armed Forces Collegiate Boxing Invitational Presented by USAA  (11 p.m. ESPN2 and ESPNU)   Sunday, Nov. 10 & Monday, Nov. 11   

The Armed Forces Collegiate Boxing Invitational Presented by USAA  will be televised on Nov. 10, at 11 p.m. on ESPN2 and Nov. 11, at 11 p.m. on ESPNU. John Brickley and Larry Rawson will call the action.

The event from the Hyatt Regency Grand Ballroom in Crystal City, Va., will feature boxers from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S.  Naval Academy at Annapolis, the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at New London.

First Take (10 a.m. ESPN2) at Merchant Marine Academy Monday, Nov. 11

Skip Bayless, Stephen A. Smith and Cari Champion will opine on topical sports issues. They will be joined by Admiral James Helis, Superintendent, Merchant Marine Academy.

Stephen A. Smith Show (1-3 p.m. ESPN New York 98.7)         Monday, Nov. 11

at Merchant Marine Academy      

Stephen A. with co-host Ryan Ruocco discuss New York and  national topics

Monday Night Football (8 p.m. ESPN) Miami-Tampa Bay            Monday, Nov. 11

ESPN’s Miami Dolphins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Monday Night Football game will air on Veteran’s Day. The promotional spot leading up to the game will be themed to Veteran’s Day and will be voiced by legendary actor Gene Hackman. Coverage of the game and the Monday Night Countdown pregame (6:30 p.m.) will feature Veteran’s Day elements.

Feature Pieces

War Hits Home — Kenny Mayne shares the story of his nephew Kyle, who served in Iraq and suffered PTSD upon his return. Kyle died of an overdose at the age of 27. The family has since been raising funds for alternative therapies for suffering soldiers.

The Belichicks — Bill Belichick on the influence of his father, a former Navy assistant football coach, and memories of playing high school football and growing up in Annapolis.

Why I’m Here — Selected Midshipmen talk about what service means to them

King Hall — A behind the scenes look at the orchestration involved in serving all 4500 Midshipmen lunch

A Day in the Life – An all-access look at the daily life of a Middie from Reveille to lights out

Annapolis — Tom Rinaldi essay on why Annapolis is not just another college town

Vignettes — The Chapel; Memorial Stadium; Campus scenes

“Shout Outs” to the Troops

Those recognizing our U.S. Veterans include: Josh Freeman, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Chris Long, Andrew Luck, Nick Mangold, Geno Smith, Sonya Richards-Ross, Rex Ryan and others.

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