Murphy To Join USO Coaches' Tour

Tim Murphy is no stranger to sharing his football knowledge. But this spring, he’ll be teaching a very different audience—that of America’s deployed troops.

Murphy, who is entering his 17th season at the helm of the Harvard football team, is one of five coaches selected to be a part of the 2010 USO/Morale Entertainment Coaches’ Tour. He will be traveling, along with four other American coaches, to Germany and southwest Asia starting May 23 to visit with troops stationed in both locations.

West Point’s Rick Ellerson, Oregon’s Chip Kelly, Illinois’ Ron Zook, and Texas Tech’s Tommy Tuberville will join Murphy on the tour.

On the trip, which will take the coaches to eight countries in nine days, the quintet will pose for pictures, share their football strategies and experiences, and deliver athletic gear from their schools to the troops. The military men will get some additional time for R&R with the coaches, participating in combines and flag-football games to test out their skills.

This is Murphy’s first trip with the Coaches’ Tour, which will conclude at Andrews Airforce Base in Maryland on May 31.

Former Yale coach Jack Siedlecki was on the inaugural tour in 2008, and big names like former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis and Ohio State’s Jim Tressel headline a list of 11 past participants.