Wednesday, September 25, 2013
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

WACO, Texas – For the sixth 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 Sat., Sept. 28, 2013. The rapidly growing annual effort has raised more than a million dollars to battle Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Several Pioneer Football League coaches and their staffs will be participating in this year's event:

• Jeff Voris, Butler
• Paul Nichols, Davidson
• Jim Parady, Marist
• Bobby Lamb, Mercer
• Roger Hughes, Stetson
• Dale Carlson, Valparaiso

On Saturday, 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 (PPMD), 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 10,000 college coaches at a record 580 different institutions participated in Coach To Cure MD events. Both those figures are higher than in any of the program’s first five years (2008-12). Last season marked the first time all 124 Football Bowl Subdivision schools participated, and the five-year fundraising total is more than $1 million.

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.