ST. PAUL – Long-time University of Northwestern football coach Kirk Talley has been given a prestigious honor – to lead Team USA at the upcoming World University Championships. The championships, which will be held in Monterrey, Mexico, will take place June 1-13.  Athletes in Action (AIA) is the organization heading the event for Team USA.

A more in-depth look at Athletes in Action, as well as the coaching staff and roster for the World University Championships here and on American Football at the World University Championships here. 

"Being named the head coach of the USA Team for the World University Championships in American football is a great honor," said Talley. "The opportunity to represent Jesus Christ, Athletes in Action (AIA), the University of Northwestern and our football program is a real gift."

Prior to heading south of the border, the team and staff will meet in Xenia, Ohio, where they will participate in a six-day training camp to prepare for the upcoming championships.

"We have a small, talented coaching staff and I can hardly wait to meet our players when we convene in Xenia, Ohio," added Talley. "Clint Mahan and Tyler Warner, of AIA, have done a fantastic job of pulling this all together and it will be pretty cool to see how it all plays out."

When they arrive in Monterrey, the team will play against Guatemala on June 4 before having a one-day turnaround before a contest with Japan on June 6. The complete schedule of games can be found here.

Talley concluded by saying, "We have eight practices before our first game and then our second game will be played with just one day of rest.  So we have a big challenge ahead and I believe the coaching staff, the players and the rest of our team will be ready to meet the challenge.  It will be a great week of iron sharpening iron!"

Fans can follow Talley's journey via his blog, which can be viewed here. In addition, Talley will provide updates on his Twitter page (@unwfbcoach).