May 22, 2009

UCLA head football coach Rick Neuheisel will join several other college football coaches on the 2009 Armed Forces Entertainment college football "Coaches Tour" beginning late next week.

The mission of the tour is to help rally U.S. servicemen and women in the Middle East and Europe and show appreciation for their efforts.

"I am honored to be participating in this tour," said Neuheisel. "Our men and women overseas put their lives on the line every day, and I'm thrilled to be able to personally thank them for all they do. They are a long way from home, and if we can bring a little bit of home to them, then we have accomplished the goal of the tour."

The other coaches on the tour include former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, Mack Brown (Texas), Troy Calhoun (Air Force), Jim Tressel (Ohio State), Jim Grobe (Wake Forest), and Houston Nutt (Mississippi).

The "Coaches Tour" will depart the U.S. on May 28. The coaches will visit troops stationed at U.S. military installations in Germany, Turkey, Spain, Iraq and Djbouti (Africa) and will return to the U.S. on June 4.

On the tour, the coaches will personally interact with the troops, hold more formal college football symposiums where troops will have an open microphone to ask questions, and at some locations, will host flag football games for the military members and serve as honorary coaches.