USU Football Coaching Staff Joining AFCA in Coach to Cure MD Program

Utah State [University] football head coach Gary Andersen and his staff will join with college football coaches across the country in support of the Coach to Cure MD program, which will be held during games on Saturday, Sept. 24. Now in its fourth year, the rapidly growing annual effort is on track to surpass the million dollar mark for donations this year to battle Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Football fans can donate to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research by either going online to www.CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word CURE to 90999 (a $5 donation will automatically be added to your next phone bill).

The Aggies are hosting Colorado State on Saturday, and CSU head coach Steve Fairchild and his staff will also be wearing the Coach to Cure MD patches.

Coach To Cure MD is a partnership between the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), a professional organization for more than 10,000 college football coaches and staff, and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the largest national charity devoted exclusively to Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Last year, nearly 10,000 coaches and more than 500 college football programs participated in the third annual Coach to Cure MD event, up from 351 schools that participated during its inaugural year. The AFCA membership includes more than 90 percent of head coaches at the 700-plus schools that sponsor football at the college level.

In 2008 the AFCA adopted PPMD's Coach to Cure MD program as one of their charity efforts. One reason the AFCA was drawn to Coach to Cure MD was because of the unique parallels between Duchenne, a disorder which robs young men of precious muscle strength and college football, a game where young men are at the peak of their muscle strength.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood and primarily affects boys across all races and cultures. Boys and young men with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy develop progressive muscle weakness that eventually causes loss of mobility, wheelchair dependency and a decline in respiratory and cardiac function. Currently, there is no cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and limited therapeutic options exist.

Utah State continues its two-game homestand by hosting border-foe Colorado State for USU's Homecoming game Saturday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. (MT) at Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium.

To purchase tickets, or for more Aggie Athletics ticket information, fans can contact the USU Ticket Office at 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305, in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, or on-line 24 hours a day at www.utahstateaggies.com by clicking on the "tickets" button.

Fans can follow the Aggie football program at Twitter or on the USU football blog. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at Twitter or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.

Additional Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics website.