Switzer connects with troops in Iraq

Barry Switzer is back from Iraq and a USO tour sponsored by Tostitos in conjunction with the Fiesta Bowl. Switzer coached a flag football game on New Year’s Day, stayed in one of Saddam’s palaces and took cover when rocketfire struck near his base. Best of all, Switzer got to mingle with American troops. He is tired and worn out. But he’s awfully glad he went.

“It’s such a great feeling of knowing we’ve got our best over there,” Switzer said Tuesday during my segment with Jim Traber and Al Eschbach on The Sports Animal. “There is no dissension. They are all together, getting this thing done. It was a great experience. Made me feel great about the people over there.”

Team Liberty huddles as troops watch in front of MRAP's during the first-ever Tostitos/USO “Salute the Troops” Bowl, where legendary college football players played alongside troops in Baghdad, Iraq, January 1, 2010. Team Freedom, led by coach Barry Switzer, beat Team Liberty which was led by coach Tommy Bowden. ORG XMIT: 1001042350042901

Switzer and Tommy Bowden coached teams that included former football greats and current American military personnel. Former Sooners Joe Washington, Tony Casillas and Brian Bosworth were on Switzer’s team, which beat Bowden’s team 36-8 at Camp Liberty.

Switzer and Co. donned armor and head gear when taking a C31 to Iraq from Kuwait City. During a pep rally the day before the game, the incoming rockets were heard. “I looked around, and everybody hit the deck,” Switzer said. “So I got down.” Switzer estimated seven or eight rockets hit about a mile away. He said he could feel the vibration of the building. No one was killed but some were injured.