Coverage from the 2009 Coaches Tour

May 27th, 2009 - June 4th, 2009

2009 Tour Image Gallery

2009 Tour Slide Show: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Trip Diary
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
By 2ndLt Nicholas Mercurio
I was along for the ride for what was a once in a lifetime adventure with a group of truly extraordinary leaders and military professionals. The following is a daily account of my experiences with the tour. [READ MORE]

MORALE ENTERTAINMENT, LLC. in association with Armed Forces Entertainment coordinated the second annual Coaches Tour to the Middle East. The 2009 tour was led by Tommy Tuberville (Coach Emeritus) and included six active NCAA FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) coaches, including the 2008 Coach of the Year Mack Brown (Texas), Jim Tressel (Ohio State), Troy Calhoun (Air Force), Jim Grobe (Wake Forest), Rick Neuheisel (UCLA) and Houston Nutt (Ole Miss). The tour launched from McConnell Air Force base near Wichita, Kansas, the home of the 22nd Aerial Refueling Wing. The majority of the air transportation was handled by a KC-135R, four engine transcontinental aircraft. The tour visited U.S. military installations in Germany, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Djibouti and Spain. Highlights from the 2009 Tour can be seen here and a diary documenting the trip here.

Trip Highlights

  • Personal interaction between the coaches and an estimated 15,000-20,000 US service members
  • Flag football game with troops coached by FBS coaches
  • College football symposium between troops and coaches
  • Coaching/player combine

Coaches Tour 2009 Discussed by the Coaches

Trip Highlights

Wake Forest football coach Jim Grobe stands on the sideline during an Air Force versus Army football game at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, on May 31. Grobe and six other NCAA football coaches voiced their support for the Airmen and Soldiers in the game despite a storm that filled the air with sand. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jason Schaap)
Mack Brown, head football coach at Texas University, talks to Airmen during lunch at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. The base was an early stop during Coaches Tour 2009, a morale-boosting mission that brought NCAA football coaches to U.S. servicemembers overseas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jason Schaap)
UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel (on right) and Air Force football coach Troy Calhoun talk while riding inside the cockpit of an Air Force C-17 Globemaster headed to Iraq. The flight was part of Coaches Tour 2009, a morale-boosting mission that brought NCAA football coaches to U.S. servicemembers overseas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jason Schaap)

Click on the pictures below for complete biographies of each participating coach


In the News

Overseas tour touches Tressel The Columbus Dispatch (7/26/09)

Highlights from the 2009 Tour (6/10/09)

Nutt, Tuberville and others taking part in Coaches Tour The Oxford Eagle (5/15/09)

Grobe to visit Iraq in support of troops Wake Forest Official Press Release (5/13/09)

Mack Brown visits Fort Hood Austin News KXAN (4/29/09)

Tressel Headed To Iraq and Afghanistan WHIO TV (4/7/09)

Re-enlisting with the Longhorns Official Site of Texas Football (3/12/09)

Houston Nutt To Visit Troops In The Middle East Official Site of University of Mississippi Athletics (3/12/09)

Nutt To Visit Troops In The Middle East Rivals.com (3/12/09)

OSU's Tressel to rally troops Akron Beacon Journal (3/6/09)

Tressel to visit US troops MSNBC (3/6/09)

Tressel to visit US troops later this year Newark Advocate (3/6/09)

Tressel to visit U.S. forces in Middle East Columbus Dispatch (3/6/09)

Tressel to visit US troops Springfield News-Sun (OH) (3/6/09)

Ohio State coach Tressel to visit U.S. troops Sporting News (3/6/09)

Coach Tressel discusses what the trip means to him [Phone Conference with Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel and media recorded on 3/5/09 by Morale Entertainment, LLC. - 10.53 MB, mp3 - {right click, save link as}]

Football coaches to meet with troops Official Site of NCAA Football (3/5/09)

Tressel To Visit Troops Overseas, Talks to Media Official Site of Ohio State Football (3/5/09)

Five coaches to visit military personnel ESPN (3/5/09)

College football coaches to take Middle East tour Norwich Bulletin (CT) (3/5/09)

Wake coach Jim Grobe participating in Middle East tour ESPN (3/5/09)

Football coaches to meet with troops International Herald Tribune (3/4/09)

Coaches to meet with troops in Afghanistan, Middle East CBS Sports (3/4/09)

Football coaches to meet with troops CBS KDBC TV - El Paso, TX (3/4/09)

Football coaches to meet with US troops in Afghanistan and Middle East CBS WREG TV - Memphis, TN (3/4/09)

Mack Brown to visit the Middle East KVUE TV - Austin, TX (3/4/09)

Brown headed to Middle East to visit troops Official Site of Texas Football (3/4/09)

Texas' Brown to participate in Middle East tour Dallas Morning News (3/4/09)

Calhoun to visit troops in Middle East with other collegiate coaches Official Site of Air Force Football (3/3/09)

UCLA's Rick Neuheisel headed for a tour in the Middle East Los Angeles Times (3/3/09)

AFA's Calhoun among football coaches to visit Middle East troops Colorado Springs Gazette (3/3/09)

Rick Neuheisel To Visit U.S. Troops Official Site of UCLA Football (3/3/09)

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