Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Carl Eller has agreed to anchor Team USA in next year’s International Tug of War Celebrity Pull on July 2.

“When I retired from football, I hung up my jersey, but not my competitive spirit,” said Eller, a 2004 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. “To paraphrase former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath, ‘I guarantee a victory over Canada in the 2013 International Tug of War Celebrity Pull.’”

International Falls Mayor Tim “Chopper” McBride he is “pleased to have ‘tackled’ Carl Eller for next year’s tug of war.” 

“Carl is just one of 16 Vikings in Pro Football’s Hall of Fame and it is an honor to have him on the pull next year,” he said.

Former Mayor Shawn Mason, development director for International Falls, credited “Team USA Celebrity Talent Scout” Robin Bjorkquist, who was at the Vikings training camp, for recruiting next year’s team.

“Robin has done a great job connecting us with Vikings management and players,” Mason said. “Robin’s effort, together with the natural beauty our area displays when the Vikings come up to visit, is paying off. Once we get them here, they talk about us and want to come back.”

Mason said a charity dinner is being added next year in connection with Pulling for Peace. 

“In 2013, we are adding a charity dinner in support of Backus the night before the pull, so we are seeing how this event not only promotes International Falls but also provides a fundraising opportunity for Backus,” she said.

Pulling for Peace conducts the annual International Tug of War across the Rainy River, which marks the border between Canada and the United States, as part of “International Peaceful Borders Day.”

The two countries share the longest undefended border in the world and have had peaceful relations for nearly 200 years.

More information on the International Tug of War is available at www.pullingforpeace.com.