For the third season in a row Southern Utah Coach Ed Lamb and his staff will be among more than 500 coaches joining forces to support the Coach To Cure M.D. Program. The coaches will be wearing patches on their sleves at Saturday's game to raise awareness of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

About Coach To Cure MD

• Coach To Cure MD is a project of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) in partnership with the American Football Coaches Association.
• Coach To Cure MD is a one-day, nationwide awareness building and fundraising event that will be held this Saturday.
• The goal of Coach To Cure MD is to:
  • Raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne, pronounced "DOO-SHIN")
  • Generate new financial support for Duchenne research
  • Demonstrate coaches' commitment to the betterment of young men and the core academic research missions of their universities
• College football coaches all over the country have been asked to wear a patch with the Coach To Cure MD insignia on Saturday. By wearing this patch, coaches will show their support for Coach To Cure MD and the fight against this disease.
• Coach to Cure MD is supported by thousands of college coaches, including legends of the game like Mack Brown, Jim Tressel, and Dick Tomey.
• PPMD is the largest nonprofit organization in the United States focused entirely on Duchenne.

About Duchenne muscular dystrophy

• Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood.
• Duchenne affects approximately 1 in 3500 boys worldwide crossing all cultures and races.
• Because Duchenne is a progressive disease, those living with Duchenne will need the assistance of a wheelchair in their adolescence, will lose upper body function in their teens and sadly lose their battle with Duchenne in their mid twenties.
• Duchenne is 100% fatal - but there are promising treatments on the horizon.

About the AFCA

• The AFCA is the professional association of America's football coaches, with more than 10,000 members.
• The AFCA promotes the improvement of the coaching profession and highlights the good work of coaches on and off the field.
• The AFCA is committed to the core academic mission of colleges and universities by offering every resource available to making its communities a better place to live.

WACO, Texas – For the third year in a row, college football coaches nationwide will join together in support of the Coach to Cure MD program, which will be held during games of Saturday, September 25, 2010. The rapidly growing annual effort has raised more than half a million dollars to battle Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

On September 25th, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) members will wear a Coach to Cure MD logo patch on the sidelines and college football fans will be asked to donate to research projects supported by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. focused entirely on 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).

Last year, more than 5,200 college coaches at 351 different institutions participated in the Coach to Cure MD event. Both those figures are well higher than the program's inaugural year in 2008, when 2,675 coaches from 207 schools took part.

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.

The financial service firm TIAA-CREF has signed on again this year as the national sponsor and will donate air-time on September 25th for a Coach to Cure MD commercial featuring football legends, Jim Tressel and Rich Rodriguez.

“Coach to Cure MD is a tremendous cause for the sport of college football,” said Grant Teaff, executive director of the AFCA and legendary former coach at Baylor University. “The coaches' support during the last two seasons has been outstanding, and we aim for even more success this year. The AFCA is proud to be involved in such an important effort.”

“The Coach to Cure MD program is in line with the core values of college football,” said Mount Union head coach Larry Kehres, who is the current president of the AFCA. “We believe we can raise millions of dollars to support this crucial effort. Help us in the fight to end Duchenne.”

“Our Buckeyes are supporting the Coach to Cure MD program again this year because of the unique parallels between this sport and Duchenne,” said Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. “It is a disease that robs young men of precious muscle strength while college football is a game where young men are at the peak of their muscle strength. We are proud of the recent $600,000 research grant awarded to the Nationwide Children's Research Institute on our campus.”

In addition to the coaches' efforts, families affected with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy will also gather for fund-raising tailgate parties on campuses around the country to encourage more fans to get involved.

“Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy is thrilled with the progress of Coach to Cure MD over the last two years,” said Pat Furlong, founding president and CEO of PPMD. “The AFCA and its coaches are helping us put up a vigorous fight against Duchenne, and college football fans have joined the battle in great numbers. We are taking a comprehensive approach in the fight against Duchenne—funding research, raising awareness, promoting advocacy, connecting the community, and broadening treatment options.”

About the AFCA
The American Football Coaches Association was founded in 1922 and is considered the primary professional association for football coaches at all levels of competition. The 10,000-member organization includes more than 90 percent of head coaches at the 700- plus schools that sponsor football at the college level. Members include coaches from Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan and Mexico.

About PPMD
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1994 by parents of children with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy. The organization's mission is to improve the treatment, quality of life and long-term outlook for all individuals affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy through research, advocacy, education and compassion. PPMD is headquartered in Middletown, Ohio with offices in Fort Lee, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.parentprojectmd.org.

Contacts:
Charley Green, Coach to Cure MD, 214-734-8028 or cgreen@breakaway-sports.com Vince Thompson, AFCA, 254-754-9900 or vince@afca.com Will Nolan, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, 800-714-5437 or Will@parentprojectmd.org