GULF SHORES, Ala. — By the time 2009 is in the books, the Blue Angels aFlight Demonstration Squadron will have performed 69 air shows at 35 different sites across the United States. Last season, more than 13 million spectators watched the Blue Angels perform, and since their inception in 1946, the Blue Angels have performed for more than 455 million fans.

But on Tuesday, something will happen that has never happened before with the Blue Angels. A Gulf Shores High School coach will be on board.

Coach Marcus Early, assistant athletic director and offensive coordinator for the Dolphin’s football team has been given the opportunity the fly with the team known for their graceful aerobatic maneuvers as well as their fast-paced, high-performance maneuvers.

While Early is obviously excited and possibly a bit nervous, he has school counselor Joanna Mercer to thank for giving him the flight of a lifetime.

A Marine Corps recruiter had forwarded some paperwork to Mercer thinking that she might be interested in doing the flight.

“I am a lot older than Marcus and wasn’t sure I wanted to do it,” Mercer said. “So the recruiter told me to pass it along to someone who I thought would want to fly. I immediately thought of Marcus because he is such a fine young man, he is in great shape, he is a role model for all the kids at school, and I thought he would be perfect. We need a little morale boost.”

Mercer said Early was a perfect example to the students as to how one should act and present himself and of what a good teacher really is.

So Mercer helped Early with the paperwork, she wrote a nomination for him and then Early had a physical examination. Turns out, Early was the best candidate available and they called him and gave him his flight date.

Mercer said that in 15 years of counseling, many opportunities have come along to do some interesting things, but she has never been given such an opportunity as this and is thrilled that she could pass the experience on to Early.

Early, who has to be at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station in Pensacola for his pre-flight briefing at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday is both excited and a little nervous.”

“I am excited. I consider this a great honor,” Early said. “I told Joanna how excited I was, but next Tuesday when I get out of the plane, I might not be so excited.”

“My only regret is that it is not on a Saturday so then students could come out and experience this with him,” Mercer said.

The Blue Angels will perform at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Early will be on the 1 p.m. flight.