Razorback Stadium Stair Climb Honors the Fallen of 9/11

Before sunrise breaks over Fayetteville, Razorback Stadium fills with cadets, military members, first responders, and neighbors who show up in the dark for one reason, to remember together.

THE DEETS

📅 Friday, September 11, 2026
🕓 Gates open at 4:00 AM | Opening ceremony: For military and first responders at 4:00 AM | For the general public at 5:30 AM
📍 Donald W. Reynolds Stadium, 350 N. Razorback Rd., Fayetteville, AR 72701 | Enter through Gate 16
📱 RSVP through the QR code on the event flyer
🔗 More info

110 Flights and Twenty Five Years

This year marks the 14th time University of Arkansas Air Force ROTC and Army ROTC have opened the stadium gates before dawn for the Stair Climb. Participants take on 1,980 stadium steps, the equivalent of 110 flights of stairs, the same climb firefighters made inside the World Trade Center. The event stands as a tribute to the 343 FDNY firefighters who died that day and everyone else who lost their lives in the attacks. The date carries extra weight in 2026, landing on the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

Cadets Carry the Memory Forward

For the students leading the event, the morning is as much about connection as it is about history. Army ROTC senior Nina Wade points to the mix of people who turn out, saying it means a lot to see civilians and service members climbing side by side. Senior Cadet Trevor Bolena, who wasn’t alive in 2001, says that distance from the event makes remembering it even more important for his generation.

The event draws hundreds of students and others from across the area every year, climbing together with no requirement to have a military or first responder background of your own.

If you’ve never climbed alongside the Razorback Battalion before, this is the year to start. Bring someone who needs a reason to be there before sunrise, and stand with the rest of Northwest Arkansas as the community marks 25 years of a promise not to forget.