Bringing military families together through the power of sports.

One idea. One volunteer. A response nobody expected.

Salute to the Season began in 2025, when founder Tony Russell was serving as a Resident Council volunteer at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Being a veteran himself, Tony Russell wanted an opportunity to bring military members and their families together who may otherwise be experiencing separation or general familial strain from the demanding life and career of the military.

Growing up in southeast Texas, Tony Russell spent his whole life seeing how football united communities. Through this, he realized that the NFL is a foundational American institution that has brought people together for decades. The revelation that football is a community-building event sparked the idea for Salute to the Season.

Inspired to make a difference in his community, he began reaching out to NFL teams to try to coordinate a community event focused on active-duty service members and their families. By the time the inaugural event arrived, 29 of the NFL’s 32 teams had shown their support through donations and regular correspondence with the founding member, Tony Russell.

In 2026, Tony and his family relocated to West Point, and with it came the opportunity to expand on his mission. Salute to the Season is now entering Year Two with a bigger goal: to build a lasting initiative focused on military families that can expand beyond one event and a specific sport.