Toby Keith was honored at a recent college football game between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
The singer was at the Dec. 6th game, which took place at OU (Norman, Oklahoma) to present OU alum Rear Admiral Doug McClain with the “Patriot of the Game” award.
Awarded through a partnership between the university and Patriot Ford, the honor recognizes “a recently returned member of the armed services at each home game,” according to a press release.
Keith presented the honor during halftime, after which he was surprised when he was given the same award in turn. The award recognized the singer for his longstanding support of American service members, which includes more than a decade of USO tours and patriotic songs like “American Soldier.”
This is not the first time the 53-year-old artist has been recognized for his support of the troops. He received the USO Spirit Award during the Academy of Country Music’s Salute to the Troops earlier this year.
“Since his first USO tour in 2002, Toby has performed nearly 300 shows for military audiences and lifted the spirits of over 250,000 men and women in uniform and their families,” Brigadier General John I. Pray, Jr., USO president and CEO, says.
“Toby’s 11 USO tours have taken him to 15 countries and, yes, four ships at sea.”
