JSU Army ROTC and University Police Department to Host 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb-

25th Anniversary Event Will Benefit Major Dwayne Williams Memorial Scholarship at JSU

What: 2026 JSU 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

When: Friday, Sept. 11, 2026

Where: AmFirst Stadium, Jacksonville State University

Stadium Opens: 6:15 a.m.

Opening Remarks: 7:30 a.m.

Climb: 110 floors / approximately 2,200 stairs

T-shirts commemorating the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will be available for purchase at the event for $20. All proceeds will benefit the Major Dwayne Williams Memorial Scholarship.

Those interested in participating can register through the event registration form. Donations to support the stair climb and scholarship can also be made through the JSU Foundation.

Register for the Stair Climb:2026 JSU 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Registration

⁠

Support the Stair Climb and Major Dwayne Williams Memorial Scholarship:

JSU Foundation — 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Giving Page⁠

Donations: For questions about the event, contact Ally Spivey at 256-782-5601 or aspivey@jsu.edu.

25th Anniversary Stair Climb Benefits Major Dwayne Williams Memorial Scholarship at JSU

Written by Silver Fox Twin Roy Williams- Birmingham, AL

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Jacksonville State University Army ROTC and the JSU University Police Department will host a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, marking the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Participants will climb 110 floors — approximately 2,200 stairs — in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives in the attacks and in honor of the firefighters, police officers, military personnel and other first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The event will take place at AmFirst Stadium, 700 Pelham Road. Doors will open at 6:15 a.m. on September 11. Opening remarks will begin at 7:30 a.m.

This year's stair climb carries special significance for the Jacksonville community because proceeds will benefit the Major Dwayne Williams Memorial Scholarship for Jacksonville High School students attending Jacksonville State University.

Remembering a Jacksonville Hometown Hero, Army Major Dwayne Williams

Major Dwayne Williams, 40, was a Jacksonville native, University of North Alabama graduate, football player and U.S. Army officer who was killed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

Dwayne's connection to Jacksonville State University continues through the Major Dwayne Williams Memorial Scholarship, established by his mother, Pearl Williams, to help Jacksonville High School students attend JSU. His brothers, identical twins Roy and Troy Williams, mother Pearl and sister-in-law Patrice Williams are all Jacksonville State graduates, further connecting the Williams family legacy to the university and the Jacksonville community.

From the Stair Climb to a 25th Anniversary Remembrance

Shortly after the JSU ROTC Memorial Stair Climb concludes, LTC. Eddie Walker, head of JSU Army ROTC, will serve as the keynote speaker for a “Take the Day Back” 25th Anniversary 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony honoring Army Major Dwayne Williams.

The ceremony is being organized by Williams' brother, Roy Williams, and will take place at the Major Dwayne Williams Pentagon Memorial, located near the entrance to the historic Jacksonville City Cemetery at 800 Church Ave. SE, just off Highway 21 in Jacksonville, Ala.

The ceremony will provide family members, veterans, community leaders and Jacksonville residents an opportunity to honor Dwayne's life, military service and enduring connection to his hometown on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Roy Williams said he is honored that Lt. Col. Eddie Walker is again using the event to raise funds for Major Williams’ scholarship and for being keynote speaker at his 9/11 ceremony.

“Dwayne was more than an Army major killed at the Pentagon,” Williams said. “He was a big brother, a son, a football player, a teammate, a friend and a Jacksonville hometown hero. He made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms so many of us take for granted.”

Dwayne Williams grew up in Jacksonville and went on to attend the University of North Alabama, where he played football before beginning his military career. On Sept. 11, 2001, then-Army Major Williams was killed at the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people.

Twenty-five years later, his hometown continues to honor his life and legacy. Through the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, members of the Jacksonville State community will climb in his memory and honor everyone whose life was forever changed on Sept. 11.

And later that morning, many of those same themes of service, sacrifice, family and hometown pride will continue at Dwayne's Pentagon Memorial during the “Take the Day Back” 25th Anniversary 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony.

For the Williams family, the message is simple: Remember. Honor. Serve. Carry the legacy forward.