"IU's Memorial Stadium stands as an enduring tribute to the sons and daughters of Indiana who have honored their country through military service for nearly 200 years, and as a somber reminder of the ultimate sacrifice many of those from Indiana have made in the name of freedom," said IU President Michael McRobbie. "So, it is especially appropriate that the prow of the storied USS Indiana now joins the guns and mainmast from that great ship as permanent fixtures at the stadium and at the university, which like this ship, proudly bears the name of our state."

The last ship to be named for the Hoosier state, the USS Indiana served in the Pacific during World War II. A collector of Navy memorabilia saved the prow -- the front portion of the ship -- from being scrapped, and the university acquired it earlier this year. It has been refurbished, and is now on display outside Memorial Stadium's west entrance alongside the ship's mainmast and two of its gun mounts that were gifted to the university by the Navy in 1966.

A 35,000-ton South Dakota class battleship, the USS Indiana was commissioned in April 1942 and earned nine battle stars for her service.