Old Dominion University football will put one name on every jersey when its 2026 season opens Saturday. That choice is tied to a man the program says still belongs to the campus.

ODU will open the season with a tribute to Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah, the 2007 alum and Army ROTC leader. He died after he confronted a gunman inside Constant Hall. The program opens its season on September 5, 2026, against Norfolk State. The night is meant to link the football program with the university and Army ROTC communities.

“The Monarchs will take the field in special Under Armour camouflage jerseys created specifically for the season opener. In a tribute that puts the focus squarely on Lt. Col. Shah, every jersey will feature ‘LTC Shah’ on the back in place of individual player names,” the program said in a statement.

The game-worn uniforms will be sold during the game for $300 each. All proceeds go to Shah’s family. Extra camo items will be at the ODU Bookstore later this week, on Kaufman Mall, and inside S.B. Ballard Stadium on game day. 

The game also points back to Shah’s military work and the ROTC program he led. Special ticket prices are available for military personnel and first responders. The September 1 athletics release confirms the jerseys, the $300 sales, the extra camo gear, and the ticket offer. 

This football night is not the first time the school has marked his name. The same stadium already held the April 2 Monarch Battalion memorial, where about 1,000 people gathered. It also hosted the May 16 honorary doctorate at ODU’s 144th commencement. 

The reason behind the tribute shows who Shah was and what happened in a classroom last March.

Brandon Shah’s legacy and the tragedy

Shah was 42 and an ODU Class of 2007 graduate. He enlisted in the Army in 2003 as an aviation operations specialist. He enrolled at Old Dominion in 2005 and worked in Facilities Management, doing small repairs at Powhatan Apartments. 

Shah later commissioned in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and later became an AH-64 Apache pilot. His awards included two Bronze Stars, the Air Medal with Valor, and the Combat Action Badge.

The ODU alum returned to the University in 2022 as Professor of Military Science and chair of the Military Science Department. Enrollment rose from about 95 cadets to nearly 140 in his first year. He asked the Army to extend the assignment so he could stay with the cadets. 

On March 12, 2026, about 26 senior ROTC cadets were in Constant Hall classroom 2065. Near the end, a shooter entered and opened fire. Authorities treated it as a targeted terrorism attack on people tied to the U.S. military. 

Cadets then overpowered the shooters, but two cadets were wounded. Shah died at a hospital that afternoon, and the attacker also died. FBI Special Agent Dominique Evans said the ROTC students showed “extreme bravery and courage” and prevented further loss of life.

“Brandon did not hesitate or take cover. Instead, he ran forward. He moved toward the threat. He exposed himself to danger, and he closed with the assailant, taking hold of him and bringing him to the ground, creating the moment that his students needed to respond and fight back,” Army Chaplain Lt. Col. Erik Alfsen said

Katherine Shah (Brandon A. Shah’s wife) said that her husband knew exactly what he was doing in those final moments: protecting people.

“He was protecting his kids,” she added. “I’m not going to sit here and ask why us in this moment.” 

A July 28 Cooley review called the attack targeted terrorism and credited Shah and the students with “extraordinary heroism” that prevented a “far greater tragedy.”