Coaches often encourage their players to go the extra yard and leave everything they have on the field, even making comparisons to war or battlefields. On Saturday, Illinois head football coach Ron Zook left Champaign-Urbana to visit the people who are fighting for the United States on a real battlefield.

Zook, along with four other football coaches, left for a tour across Germany and Southwest Asia to meet U.S. troops. The visit will last nine days and make eight total stops.

“This visit to our troops will be very inspiring,” Zook said in a press release. “I want to make sure they understand we appreciate all that they do to make our world a better place to live. Our men and women serving in the armed forces put their lives on the line every day to help defend freedom, and, if in some small way our visit can help to motivate them, our time will be very well spent.”

Zook said he was unsure of the schedule that they would be taking but knows that it will begin with a visit to troops in Germany on Monday.

He will be accompanied by head coaches Tommy Tuberville of Texas Tech, Chip Kelly of Oregon, Rich Ellerson of Army, and Harvard’s Tim Murphy.

“The thing that Tommy Tuberville — I was talking to him (Wednesday) — and he said, ‘Pack light, enjoy yourself,’“ Zook told the media last Thursday. “Whatever you take, you’re going to carry it. No one’s going to carry anything for you.’ He said it’s awfully hot. Tommy was in Miami for years, and he said, ‘(The tour location) is the hottest place I’ve ever been in my life, but it’s just a great thing.’”

Zook and the other coaches will be traveling on the Coaches Tour sponsored by the USO, Morale Entertainment and Armed Forces Entertainment in an effort to boost morale for the troops.

Coaches distribute athletic and university apparel from the sponsors of the event in an effort to bring a touch of home to the troops.

Soldiers can join in on panel discussions and have autograph and photo opportunities with the coaches. Additionally, they will be given the chance to participate in flag football games and a football skills competition.

To date, 40,000 troops have been impacted by the Coaches Tour, and this year the coaches are expected to meet and interact with an additional 15,000 to 20,000 members of the military.

“I’ve talked to some of the coaches that have gone on it, and every one of them has said the same thing — it’s obviously a great honor and a privilege,” Zook said. “You’ll have a different appreciation for what those guys are going through.”

Alex Iniguez contributed to this report