Sept. 24, 2009

Memphis, Tenn. -

On Saturday, college football coaches across the country will join to fight one opponent - Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. By wearing an arm band with the Coach to Cure MD insignia, coaches will show their support for Coach to Cure MD, a charitable project of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

Both Tommy West and Mark Snyder will be showing their support this weekend when the University of Memphis hosts Marshall University on Saturday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Game time for the C-USA rivalry matchup is slated for noon, and the game will be broadcast by CSS.

Football fans will be able to donate to muscular dystrophy research either online at www.CoachToCureMD.org or by texting the word "CURE" to 90999 to automatically donate $5 from their mobile phones.  

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood. It is a progressive muscle disorder that causes loss of muscle function and independence.  The Duchenne gene is found on the X-chromosome so it primarily affects boys – approximately one in every 3,500 live male births across all races and cultures.  To date, there is no cure and life expectancy is just in the 20’s.

The AFCA is joining with the Parent Project for Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) to make Coach to Cure MD a reality and generate support for research using the nationwide, one-day, game-day event.

Key Points Regarding Donations

·         On Saturday, September 26th, text the word CURE to 90999 and donate $5  

·         You’ll receive a message back two seconds later asking you to confirm your donation

·         Reply to this message with the word YES and you will receive another text back thanking you for your donation 

·         The $5 is then added to your next cell phone bill on a separate line under donation

·         You can text the word CURE to 90999 up to five times to give a maximum of $25

·         The service is available on most major U.S. carriers and standard text rates may apply

·         Please visit www.CoachtoCureMD.org for more information or for full terms and conditions