Tuskegee Airman from Bethesda Honored with Super Bowl Coin Toss

Col. Charles McGee, 100-year-old former Tuskegee Airman and Bethesda resident, participated in the 54th Super Bowl coin toss on Feb. 2. 

The @49ers win the toss and elect to defer.

The @Chiefs will take the ball to start the game.

📺: #SBLIV | 6:30pm ET on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app pic.twitter.com/xrd6RIQ7Qo

— NFL (@NFL) February 2, 2020

The Tuskegee Airmen were the only black pilots during World War II. In the war, McGee flew in 136 combat missions. At the on-field coin toss, he was joined by three other 100-year-old veterans: Staff Sgt. Odón Sanchez Cardenas, Lt. Samuel Lombardo and Cpl. Sidney Walton.

Col. Charles McGee | Photo Courtesy of the CAF                                  Red Tail Squadron

The Senior Programs Aimed at Re-Kindling Lifetime Engagement (SPARKLE) is hosting a talk with McGee on Feb. 12 at Buffalo Soldiers Great Hall, as part of Silver Spring’s Black History Month celebration.

About Maryam Shahzad

Maryam is a reporter with Montgomery Community Media. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. Previously, she was an intern with MCM. She can be reached at mshahzad@mymcmedia.org or on Twitter @maryam_mcm.

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