News Archive

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Central Florida will head into the new-look Big East off an impressive showing in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl.

The Knights dominated Ball State 38-17 on Friday night in their final game as a member of Conference USA, amassing 494 yards total offense while holding the high-scoring Cardinals to their lowest point total of the season.

"Offensively, this is one of the best games we had all year," quarterback Blake Bortles said. "Everyone just really picked up and went, and that's why we won the way we did."

Bortles threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns. The redshirt sophomore also rushed for a career-high 80 yards and scored on a 6-yard run that helped UCF (10-4) build a 21-point halftime lead.

"I'm really impressed with (Bortles) and what he did and can do," Ball State coach Pete Lembo said. "He moved the ball downfield very easily, and I'm sure they're excited to have him back for another two years."

Bortles tossed first-half TD passes 7 and 5 yards to Latavius Murray, who also scored on a 2-yard run. J.J. Worton's 7-yard scoring reception made 35-10 late in the third quarter.

"I thought Blake did everything he needed to do by making the right decisions," UCF coach George O'Leary said. "Basically, he made the right decisions that moved us down the field. He really showed tonight why he's our guy out there."

Ball State (9-4) was hoping to finish with at least 10 wins for the third time in school history. However, its high-powered offense sputtered while being held 18 points below its season average. Keith Wenning threw a 7-yard TD pass to Willie Snead early in the second quarter, but the Cardinals didn't get into end zone again until Snead scored on a 16-yard reception with 5 minutes remaining.

Bortles completed 22-of-33 passes without an interception to become UCF's first 3,000-yard passer since 2002. His three TD passes were a career-best and tied the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl record.

Wenning, meanwhile, was 22 of 34 for 217 yards and two TDs for Ball State, which had a six-game winning streak snapped.

UCF, one of several schools joining the Big East next season, rebounded from an overtime loss in the Conference USA title game to finish with double-digit victories for the third time since stepping up to the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Knights also won 10 in 2007 and 2010, when they were Conference USA champions.

The Knights' loss to Tulsa in the Conference USA title game kept them close to home for the postseason. Instead of heading to the Liberty Bowl for the second time in three years, coach George O'Leary and his players settled for a 100-mile trek west from Orlando to Tropicana Field, the home of major league baseball's Tampa Bay Rays.

O'Leary also brought his team to St. Petersburg in 2009, losing to Rutgers by three touchdowns. Friday night's victory improved the 66-year-old coach's record to 4-5 in bowl games, including a 2-3 mark with UCF.

Ball State's first bowl appearance since 2008 is the latest step in an impressive turnaround under Lembo, whose team suffered early losses to Clemson, Kent State and Northern Illinois before winning six straight down the stretch to put themselves into a position to fill the Big East's slot in the Beef 'O' Brady's game because the league didn't have enough bowl-eligible teams to meet its commitment.

The Cardinals beat two teams from BCS conferences in the same season for the first time, defeating Indiana and South Florida in consecutive weeks. They had the MAC's second-most productive offense at 471.3 yards and 35 points per game and won four times by scoring the winning points in the final 2 minutes or overtime.

But with UCF dominating time of possession, Ball State never really had an opportunity to get its high-octane show going.

The Knights held the ball for nearly 13 minutes of the opening quarter, compiling a 159-15 advantage in total yardage. By halftime UCF had run 42 plays and gained 299 yards to build its lead to 28-7.

Jahwan Edwards rushed for 89 yards on 14 carries for Ball State, which fell to 0-7-1 in eight bowl appearances. Snead had seven receptions for 78 yards.

"Ball State came with a good game plan and they are a well-coached, very good team," O'Leary said. "They wouldn't have nine wins if they weren't."

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 13, 2012) – Nashville recording artist Shelly Starks, who has performed with Grammy®winning artists such as Sugarland and Bryan White, will be singing the national anthem at this year’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. The game, which features UCF and Ball State at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m., is owned by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, and will air on ESPN.

Starks, a resident of nearby Clearwater, Fla., has performed the national anthem at more than 20 professional and collegiate sports events, including several Major League Baseball games and locally for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.

Signed to London's Right Recordings and distributed via Universal Music Group, her recent single
“To Be A Woman” has been charted on iTunes and Amazon in several countries around the world. Customer reviews currently rate the single five out of five stars on both iTunes and Amazon.

“It’s an awesome opportunity to have a local resident and national recording artist kick off our game,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “Shelly has received terrific fan responses from her past performances and we look forward to having her set the tone for a great night of football.”

Learn more about Shelly Starks on her website at http://www.shellystarks.com.  You can also follow her on Facebook and on Twitter at @ShellyStarks.

Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012  

Today's Weather:
Hi:  79 degrees
Lo:  56 degrees
Sunny

UCF TEAM ARRIVAL:
Led by a police escort, four charter buses pulled up to the Renaissance Vinoy Resort in beautiful Downtown St. Petersburg this afternoon bringing UCF's entire team - all 104 players - to their bowl week home. As soon as the coaches and players exited their buses, local and national media greeted them to get their insight into the bowl events and the game vs. Ball State.
 

George O'Leary, UCF Head Coach 
On being in a bowl game close to home
"Basically our fan base is close and I like playing games in a warm weather areas. We are looking forward to the game Friday. I think the city of St. Petersburg has done a great job of organization with the bowl and they really make you feel at home as far as taking care of all your needs."

Sean Beckton, UCF WR Coach
On playing at Tropicana Field
"I enjoyed last night, seeing these guys pick up their bowl gifts. Today I enjoyed watching these guys see the nice arena over here."

On getting time to relax during bowl week
"Coach O'Leary gives us an opportunity to spend some time with our families in the afternoon.  We get our work done early in the morning so that after practice we have time to bond with our families and catch up after a long season."

ST. PETERSBURG, FL. (December 13, 2012)– Sonee Thompson, a graduate of the University of Florida and certified fitness expert, was selected as the 2012 winner of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 2012 Talent Tryouts.  Thompson was chosen after a rigorous selection process from a group of five finalists.

The tryouts, which were created to discover an on-camera, sports personality to cover Bowl events, are in their third year of existence.

A native of Pensacola, Florida, Thompson will join the Bowl’s professional video crew as the on-air talent and will cover various events leading up to the game, including the Beach Bash, the Battle of the Bands, the Team Hospital Visit and the game between UCF and Ball State on Friday, Dec.  21 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The Bowl, owned and operated by ESPN Regional Televison (ERT), will air on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

“I’m excited to see Bowl Week unfold from the shorelines to the sidelines,” said Thompson. “I’m thrilled to be chosen to cover the events, meet the teams and executives and capture their energy and adrenaline in words and actions.”

As host, Thompson will be the face of the bowl, conducting interviews with players at the events.

“We had a very talented group of finalists and all of them could have very easily been our choice,” said Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Executive Director Brett Dulaney. “We had to review the demo tapes a few extra times to finally determine our winner and we are happy to have Sonee serve as our host reporter.”

You can view Sonee’s video reports during Bowl Week as well as her finals competition video on the Bowl’s You Tube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/stpetebowl.

Tickets for the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg are on sale now and start as low as just $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Fans can enjoy the pregame festivities in The Miller Lite Party Deck, the only on-field hospitality village in all of professional or college football. Fans can sit right behind the team bench and hear all of the hard- hitting action. It will be the only Beef ‘O’ Brady’s location where fans can literally be in the huddle and still enjoy all the food and beverage served at this premiere event. For tickets in The Miller Lite Party Deck, fans may contact Carlos Padilla at 727-290-9865 for more information.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 1, 2012)– UCF, led by a high-scoring offense and a relentless defense, is headed to the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg as the Conference USA representative after accepting a bid to the bowl. The Knights will face a team to be determined from the BIG EAST in the fifth edition of the ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, owned bowl game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

“We’re looking forward to having UCF back in our bowl this year,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “We had a terrific experience with them in 2009 and because of our location many of their alumni and fans were able to easily come over and enjoy a great bowl week experience and support their team.”

“Playing in the postseason is special for our student-athletes, our program, and our fans. We know the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl provides a positive experience for everyone involved,” said Todd Stansbury, Vice President and Director of Athletics at UCF. “I’ve heard many good things about UCF’s participation in St. Petersburg back in 2009. Playing in St. Petersburg is great for our fans. We are pleased with the success our football team has had this season. They have certainly earned the right to take part in a bowl game. We’re excited about the bowl game and all the events and activities leading up to the game.”

UCF (9-4, 7-1 C-USA) won the Conference USA East Division championship for the fourth time in the past eight years.  The Knights have displayed an ability to light up the scoreboard, scoring 50 points twice this year and hitting the 40-point mark three other times.  

George O’Leary is in his ninth year as head coach of the Knights where he has led the school to all five of its bowl appearances.  UCF’s last bowl game was in 2010, which was a milestone game for the school as the Knights claimed its first-ever bowl victory with a 10-6 win over SEC foe Georgia at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

"Any time you get a chance to go to a bowl game, it's a great opportunity for your football team and your fan base to enjoy the excitement of bowl festivities,” said O’Leary.  “The last time we were in St. Pete, it was a great experience for us. The players and fans thoroughly enjoyed it, and we are looking forward to going back and playing in the bowl this season."

UCF’s sophomore QB Blake Bortles has had a stellar season throwing for 22 touchdowns and rushing for seven more scores.  Latavius Murray, who was the MVP in the 2010 Liberty Bowl, leads the team in rushing with 1,035 yards and has 16 touchdowns (14 rushing/2 receiving).  On defense UCF has a plus-11 turnover margin to rank 18th in the nation and second in C-USA.

Tickets for the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg are on sale now and start as low as just $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Fans can enjoy the pregame festivities in The Miller Lite Party Deck, the only on-field hospitality village in all of professional or college football. Fans can sit right behind the team bench and hear all of the hard- hitting action. It will be the only Beef ‘O’ Brady’s location where fans can literally be in the huddle and still enjoy all the food and beverage served at this premiere event. For tickets in The Miller Lite Party Deck, fans may contact Carlos Padilla at 727-290-9865 for more information.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 23, 2012) - The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg is excited to announce that the Sirata Beach Resort & Conference Center on St. Pete Beach will serve as the media headquarters for this year's game.  The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg is an ESPN Regional Television (ERT) owned bowl game featuring teams from the BIG EAST and Conference USA. The game will be played Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. 

"Following last year's game we looked at various areas where we can upgrade our Bowl game experience and being able to host our media at a terrific beachfront resort was one of the goals we set out to do," said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg.   "We are very pleased that the Sirata Beach Resort & Conference Center leadership worked closely with us to create an ideal package that we feel the media will greatly appreciate."

The popular beachfront resort on the Gulf of Mexico has 382 newly decorated rooms and suites, three pools, two whirlpools plus two beachfront bars, Harry's Beach Bar and Rum Runners, providing great outdoor dining in a sunset rich venue. 

"The Sirata Beach Resort is extremely excited to be identified as the host hotel for members of the media covering the Beef 'O' Brady Bowl St. Petersburg this coming December," said Gregg Nicklaus, President of the Sirata Beach Resort & Conference Center.  "It is a great opportunity for us to showcase our beautiful resort and for them to enjoy some well-deserved relaxation on our 13-acre beachfront campus."

About Beef 'O' Brady's

Beef 'O' Brady's is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef 'O' Brady's neighborhood market. The "kid appeal" of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef 'O' Brady's is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef 'O' Brady's has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visitwww.beefobradys.com for more information.

ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership  The nation's largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football, basketball and Olympic sports, NHRA and professional and amateur golf, accounting for more than 3,400 live and/or original hours of programming. ERT's owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.

In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events:

Collegiate Football

BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston); Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl (Honolulu) and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards

Collegiate Basketball

Armed Forces Classic (Ramstein Air Base, Germany), DIRECTV Classic (Anaheim, Calif.); Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant (S.C.); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu);  Jimmy V Classic presented by Corona Extra (Madison Square Garden); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); BracketBusters and State Farm Champions Classic (Georgia Dome, Atlanta)

Collegiate Lacrosse

ESPNU Warrior Classic

Additional Events

ESPN National Golf Challenge

For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 18, 2012) - Legendary University of Florida quarterback and 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2012 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Kickoff Luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 20 at Noon at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort. The Luncheon takes place the day prior to the kickoff of the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg, which is owned by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, and features a BIG EAST Conference team against a representative from Conference USA at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.

“I’m grateful to the Bowl for the invitation,” said Wuerffel.  “I look forward to sharing several stories from my life, both from on-and-off the field, to help inspire the listeners to see life from a deeper perspective, looking beyond all the self-centered messages in our culture in hopes that we all might learn to be better teammates and people.”

Wuerffel achieved an elite status during his four-year career at the University of Florida, which included leading the Gators to the 1996 National Championship and four SEC Championships. One of the most respected achievements for Wuerffel is that he is the only player to win the Heisman Trophy and also receive the Draddy Trophy, which is presented annually by the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame to the nation's top football scholar-athlete.

“We are very fortunate to have a college football icon in Danny Wuerffel as our keynote speaker,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director, Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg. “Danny earned so many accolades during his storied collegiate career at the University of Florida and I am confident that the student-athletes and other guests at our Kickoff Luncheon will all look forward to hearing him speak and meeting him afterwards.”

A limited number of tables are still available for the Kickoff Luncheon.  For more information on availability, please contact the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg office at 727.290.9865.

Tickets for the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg game are on sale now and start as low as just $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.comor by phone at 1-800.745.3000.

Fans can enjoy the pregame pageantry in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Miller Lite Party Deck, the only on-field hospitality village in all of professional or college football. Fans can sit right behind the team bench and hear all of the hard- hitting action. It will be the only Beef ‘O’ Brady’s location where you can literally be in the huddle and still enjoy all the food and beverage any fan would want. For tickets in the Miller Lite Party Deck, fans may contact Carlos Padilla at 727.290.9865 for more information.

About Beef 'O' Brady's
Beef 'O' Brady's is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef 'O' Brady's neighborhood market. The "kid appeal" of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef 'O' Brady's is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef 'O' Brady's has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visitwww.beefobradys.com for more information.

ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming,ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football, basketball and Olympic sports, NHRA and professional and amateur golf, accounting for more than 3,400 live and/or original hours of programming. ERT’s owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.
In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters forESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC,BIG EAST,Big 12,Mid-American,WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events:
Collegiate Football
BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.);Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg;Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth);MAACO Bowl Las Vegas;Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque);MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.);Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston);Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu) andThe Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards

Collegiate Basketball
Anaheim Classic (Anaheim, Calif.);Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant (S.C.);Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu);Jimmy V Classic (Madison Square Garden);Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.);Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan);BracketBusters andState Farm Champions Classic (Georgia Dome, Atlanta)

Collegiate Lacrosse
ESPNU Warrior Classic

Additional Events
ESPN National Golf Challenge

For more information, visitESPNPlus.com.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (June 20, 2012) - The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg and the NCAA Football Youth Initiative will once again team up to host a free youth football clinic for boys and girls ages 5-14 from the Tampa Bay area.  The event will take place on Friday, July 20 from 9 a.m.- Noon ET at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex in Clearwater (2450 Drew Street).  

Beef 'O' Brady's is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef 'O' Brady's neighborhood market. The "kid appeal" of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef 'O' Brady's is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef 'O' Brady's has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visit www.beefobradys.com for more information.

ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation's largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football, basketball and Olympic sports, NHRA and professional and amateur golf, accounting for more than 3,400 live and/or original hours of programming. ERT's owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.

In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events:

Collegiate Football  

BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, Ala); Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla); Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston); Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl (Honolulu) and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards

Collegiate Basketball  

Anaheim Classic (Anaheim, Calif); Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant(S.C.); Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Classic (Madison Square Garden); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); Sears BracketBusters and State Farm Champions Classic (Georgia Dome, Atlanta)

Collegiate Lacrosse  

ESPNU Warrior Classic

Additional Events  

Hawaiian Islands Invitational (Soccer) and ESPN National Golf Challenge

For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.     

• Game MVPs were Marshall wide receiver Aaron Dobson with seven catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns and FIU wide receiver T.Y. Hilton with eight catches for 88 receiving yards and 147 all-purpose yards.
• Marshall records Conference USA’s first victory in the Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl.
• FIU’s 10 points are the fewest scored in a Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl.
• Record Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl lows by FIU include passing yards (159), rushing attempts (27), first downs (12), third down conversion percentage (4-for-15), third down conversions (4) and most punts (9).
• Record Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl highs by Marshall include passing attempts (39), completions (27), completion percentage (69),
• The teams combined for a Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl record 16 punts.
  Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl individual records:
• Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato had 27 completions and 39 attempts
• FIU receiver T.Y. Hilton had eight receptions
• Marshall’s Andre Booker had three marks with four punt returns for 58 yards with a long of 39
• Marshall’s Tyler Warner tied the field goal mark with two
• FIU’s Jack Griffin had the longest field goal, making one from 46 yards out.
• FIU’s Josh Brisk had eight punts. The blocked punt is credited to the FIU team and not him individually.
• Former Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington was on the Herd's sidelines for the game.
   

2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg

Sunday, Dec. 18

Today’s Weather:
Hi:  75 degrees
Lo:  65 degress
Mostly Sunny

Practice:
Marshall had its first practice at Tropicana Field this morning from 9:00 am - 11:00 am.

Doc Holliday, Marshall Head Coach
“We are playing a quality team in FIU that’s well coached and extremely talented.  Just like any other game we play, we have to make sure that we are well prepared or we’ll have problems.”

On the progression of freshman QB Rakeem Cato
“He has gotten better as the season has gone along.  He’s a typical freshman. You go through a lot of growing pains with freshmen.  Fortunately he’s got some games under his belt now.   He grew throughout the year. You saw the improvement he made from game one until the end of the year against East Carolina.”

Vinny Curry, Marshall Defensive End
"We’re definitely excited about playing at this point.  We worked hard for this game.  We’re down here on a mission and that’s to win a football game.“

Tyson Gale, Marshall Linebacker
“They (FIU) have the same kind of skilled players as Houston and Southern Miss.  We just have to take the same approach.  We can’t miss open tackles.”

On his final game
“This is a big game for me because it’s my last game as a senior and I know I may never play a football game again.”

FIU Practice
FIU practiced for 90 minutes on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Tropicana Field.

Mario Cristobal, FIU Head Coach
“We’re ready, we've prepared hard and very thorough. It's such a tremendous opportunity for our players; they have been so enthusiastic at practices. It's time to play this game and put on a great show for the city of St. Petersburg and show who we are.”
On Marshall QB Rakeem Cato
“He's a good player and it's hard to slow him down. He's an athletic quarterback, you have to play assignment football, by that I mean, don't let your eyes drift, don't get caught looking at something you’re not supposed to be and make sure you are on point the entire game for 60 minutes.”

Wesley Carroll, FIU Quarterback
"These guys have been motivated and we have had awesome preparation.  Our practices have been high tempo; a lot of energy, a lot of positive reinforcement. Everybody is amped up and ready to go to get this going."

On the Bowl Experience:
"It has been great here. The bowl has done a great job. The food has been great, the hospitality has been unbelievable. The cruise last night was unbelievable. It was cool to get out there on the water."


BEACH BASH at TradeWinds Island Resort
With the temperatures in the mid-70s and sunny skies, it was a perfect day to enjoy St. Petersburg Beach at the TradeWinds Island Resort. Both teams arrived at the resort in the afternoon and after team meals, the players took advantage of the numerous beach amenities including a water slide, beach volleyball court and of course the beach.

Later in the afternoon the teams met for their first competitions of the week at the main pool deck.  Surrounded by fans from both teams, players from each team competed in a belly-flop contest, hula-hoop contest, talent show and a dance-off.  Each team claimed two wins so the deciding contest will be on the field on Tuesday night at 8:00 pm in the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg.
Contest Winners:
Belly Flop: Brandon Bullock, Marshall
Hula Hoop: Jose Cheeseborough, FIU
Talent Show: Ceedrick Davis, FIU
Dance Off: Isaiah “Jazz” King & Troy Evans, Marshall

UP NEXT
What’s Happening -- on Monday, Dec. 19
Weather Forecast:
Hi:  72 degrees
Lo:  61 degrees
Mostly Sunny

Closed Walk-Throughs at Tropicana Field:
Both teams will hold final walk-throughs on Monday afternoon at Tropicana Field.

All-Children’s Hospital Visit: 9:00 a.m.
Team captains, mascots and cheerleaders from each team will visit the children at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. ESPN/Disney and the two participating teams will provide gifts.

Kickoff Luncheon at Renaissance Vinoy Resort: Noon
Coaches, student-athletes, and other members of the official travel party join the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg staff, sponsors, community leaders and fans for a luncheon at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort. The luncheon will include speeches by each head football coach. The keynote speaker will be Vince Papale, who was the subject of the blockbuster Disney movie, “Invincible,” the stirring football drama starring Mark Wahlberg as Papale.  

Battle of the Bands at TradeWinds Island Resort St. Pete Beach: 2:30 p.m.
Fans, school bands, cheerleaders and mascots in beach attire join in for an afternoon full of fun and festivities, including a beach cook out, tug-­o-war, flag football, boxing ring, and more on beautiful St. Pete Beach. The event is free and open to the public.

Bowl Block Party at Ferg’s Sports Bar Downtown St. Petersburg: 5:00 p.m.
Bands, cheerleaders and mascots will be on-site for the festivities that include live bands, interactive games and displays. Bowl tickets and merchandise will be available. The event is free and open to the public.

5K Run/Walk benefiting The Mike Alstott Family Foundation and Athletes for Hearts, Inc. at Tropicana Field
The 5k race starts on the east side of Tropicana Field at 6 p.m. and will be preceded by the Kids’ Races at 5:30 p.m. All races will finish at the popular sports bar, Ferg’s. There will be a silent auction at Ferg’s with proceeds from the race and auction going to Athletes for Hearts, Inc. and the Mike Alstott Family Foundation. 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Mike Patrick, Craig James and Jeannine Edwards will be the ESPN announce team for the 2011 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg. The fourth edition of the ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, owned bowl game features FIU against Marshall at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 8p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3 and ESPN 3D.

In addition, the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg can be heard nationally on ESPN Radio with Rob Stone handling the play-by-play duties and Danny Kanell serving as the color analyst.

"We are excited to have one of college football’s premier television crews broadcasting this year’s game," said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg. "The team of Mike Patrick, Craig James and Jeannine Edwards will share tremendous insight on this exciting matchup with the national television audience.”

Tickets for the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg are on sale now and start as low as just $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Fans can enjoy the pregame festivities in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Bud Light Lounge, the only on-field hospitality village in all of professional or college football. Fans can sit right behind the team bench and hear all of the hard- hitting action. It will be the only Beef ‘O’ Brady’s location where fans can literally be in the huddle and still enjoy all the food and beverage served at this premiere event. For tickets in the Bud Light Lounge, fans may contact Carlos Padilla at 727-290-9865 for more information.

About Beef 'O' Brady's

Beef 'O' Brady's is a national franchise of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef 'O' Brady's neighborhood market. The "kid appeal" of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef 'O' Brady's is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings.  The company, headquartered in Tampa, Fla. has more than 210 locations in 22 states. Visit www.beefobradys.com for more information.

ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership

The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television(ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football, basketball and Olympic sports, NHRA and professional and amateur golf, accounting for more than 3,400 live and/or original hours of programming. ERT’s owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.

In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events:

Collegiate Football

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth);BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.) and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards

Collegiate Basketball

76 Classic (Anaheim, Calif.); State Farm Champions Classic (Madison Square Garden; debuts 2011); DIRECTV Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant (S.C.); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); All-College Basketball Classic (Oklahoma City) and BracketBusters

Collegiate Lacrosse

ESPNU Warrior Classic

Additional Events

Hawaiian Islands Invitational (Soccer) and ESPN National Golf Challenge

For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.

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Media Contacts:
Jeffrey Kamis, Trifecta Team, jeff@trifectateam.com or 813-784-3642;

Rachel Margolis at ESPN; rachel.l.margolis@espn.com or 860-766-2798

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Lottery is sending ten radio listeners to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg and awarding them prizes up to $10,000! To celebrate the upcoming changes to POWERBALL®, including bigger starting jackpots, better odds and more millionaires, the Florida Lottery is giving away free bowl game tickets, Scratch-Offs, and cash prizes.
 
The Listen to Win radio contest with WFUS 103.5 FM will take place beginning Monday, December 12 through Friday, December 16. Each day two listeners will be awarded two tickets to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg game to see FIU versus Marshall, and $100 in Florida Lottery Scratch-Off tickets. During the game on December 20, the finalists will be called to the field to peel off the top layer of an oversized POWERBALL poster to reveal a prize amount. Finalists have the chance to win up to $10,000!
 
Beginning on Sunday, January 15, 2012, the following enhancements will be made to the multi-state POWERBALL game: starting jackpots of $40 million, an increased second prize of $1 million, better overall odds of winning a prize in the game and more. In order to offer these improvements, POWERBALL tickets will cost $2 per play. More information on the coming changes to POWERBALL will be available in the New Year.
 
Florida voters, by a two-to-one margin, approved a constitutional amendment in 1986 authorizing the state to operate a lottery for the purpose of generating significant additional moneys for education. To date, the Florida Lottery has funded Bright Futures scholarships for more than 500,000 Florida students to attend college in our state. Floridians continue to show their support by purchasing billions of dollars in Lottery products per year, resulting in contributions of more than $23 billion to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund since 1988. For more information regarding the Florida Lottery, its games and its contributions to education, visit www.flalottery.com.
 

# # #
When you play, we all win.
“$23 Billion for Florida’s Students”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Marshall, led by a big-play offense and an opportunistic defense, is headed to the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg as the Conference USArepresentative after accepting a bid. The Thundering Herd will face FIU in the fourth edition of the ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, owned bowl game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. On Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“Marshall football has a storied tradition dating back to 1895 and the program appears back on the rise,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “We are excited to welcome the Thundering Herd to our game for the first time and are looking forward to an excellent matchup.”

“We are thrilled to take part in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl,” said Mike Hamrick, Director of Athletics at Marshall. “The team will get two weeks of additional practice, along with gaining valuable national television exposure. Marshall University has a significant alumni contingent in, not only the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, but the entire state of Florida. The prospect of showcasing Herd Football to that region is exciting.”

Marshall is led by head coach Doc Holliday, who returns to the Sunshine State after serving as an assistant coach for the University of Florida under Urban Meyer from 2005-07. Holliday was the associate head coach at Florida when the Gators won the 2006 National Championship.

“I want to thank the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl staff, President Dr. Stephen J. Kopp, AD Mike Hamrick and the Conference USA staff for the opportunity to play in this game,” said Holliday.  “We are excited to bring our program to the great state of Florida, which is home to over 30 of our current players and many future prospects.”

Marshall’s defense is led by senior defensive stalwart Vinny Curry, a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, as the nation’s top defensive end, as well as candidate for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s best defensive player), the Chuck Bednarik Award (nation’s best defensive player) and the Rotary Lombardi Award (nation’s best lineman). Curry ranks second nationally this season with 21.5 tackles for loss, tied for second nationally with six forced fumbles and tied for fifth with 11 sacks. His 48.0 career tackles for loss is also tops among all active FBS student-athletes, while his 26.5 sacks rank him seventh.

Thundering Herd junior wide receiver Aaron Dobson led the team with 10 receiving touchdowns this season, while the running back tandem of Tron Martinez (591 rushing yards, 3 TDs) and Travon Van (529 rushing yards, 3 TDs) paced the ground attack in 2011.

Marshall (6-6, 5-3) has played the 12^th-toughest schedule in the nation, according to the GBE College Football Ratings. Marshall won a program-record five Conference USA games and finished second in the league’s East Division. The Thundering Herd will be making the 10^th bowl appearance in school history and first since 2009, when they posted a 21-17 victory over Ohio in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit.

Tickets for the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg are on sale now and start as low as just $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster atwww.ticketmaster.comor by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Fans can enjoy the pregame pageantry in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Bud Light Lounge, the only on-field hospitality village in all of professional or college football. Fans can sit right behind the team bench and hear all of the hard- hitting action. It will be the only Beef ‘O’ Brady’s location where you can literally be in the huddle and still enjoy all the food and beverage any fan would want. For tickets in the Bud Light Lounge, fans may contact Carlos Padilla at 727-290-9865 for more information.

About Beef ‘O’ Brady’s
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef ‘O’ Brady’s neighborhood market. The “kid appeal” of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visitwww.beefobradys.comfor more information.

ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming,ESPN Regional Television(ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football, basketball and Olympic sports, NHRA and professional and amateur golf, accounting for more than 3,400 live and/or original hours of programming. ERT’s owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.

In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters forESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC,BIG EAST,Big 12,Mid-American,WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events:
Collegiate Football
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg;Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl(Dallas-Fort Worth);BBVA Compass Bowl(Birmingham, Ala.);MAACO Bowl Las Vegas;Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque);Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl(Honolulu);Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas(Houston);MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney(Orlando, Fla.) andThe Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards
Collegiate Basketball
76 Classic(Anaheim, Calif.);State Farm Champions Classic(Madison Square Garden; debuts 2011);DIRECTV Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant(S.C.);Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic(Honolulu);Old Spice Classic(Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.);5-hour ENERGY Puerto Rico Tip-Off(San Juan);All-College Basketball Classic(Oklahoma City) andSears BracketBusters
Collegiate Lacrosse
ESPNU Warrior Classic
Additional Events
Hawaiian Islands Invitational(Soccer) andESPN National Golf Challenge

For more information, visitESPNPlus.com.

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Media Contacts:
Jeffrey Kamis, Trifecta Team, jeff@trifectateam.comor 813-784-3642
Rachel Margolis, ESPN at rachel.l.margolis@espn.comor 860-766-2798 

St. Petersburg, Fla  --December 2, 2011; – Vince Papale, a former NFL wide receiver with the Philadelphia Eagles  and the inspiration for the blockbuster Disney movie, “Invincible,” will be the keynote speaker at the 2011 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Kickoff Luncheon on Monday, Dec. 19, at noon (ET) at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort. The fourth edition of the ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, owned bowl game features a BIG EAST Conference team against a representative from Conference USA at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
 
"Vince Papale is one of a select few whose life story was such an inspiration that it was developed into a feature film," said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director, Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg . "We are privileged to have him as our keynote speaker this year and I am confident that the student-athletes and other guests at the Kickoff Luncheon will be moved and motivated after listening to him.”
 
The story of Vince Papale became internationally recognized in 2006 when the feature film “Invincible,” starring Mark Wahlberg as Papale, became a chart-topping box office success.  Papale’s story is that of an ordinary guy, who against all odds, takes his shot at every fan’s fantasy going from the grandstands to the NFL playing field when he earned a spot on Dick Vermeil’s 1976 Philadelphia Eagles team.  Papale, who earned the nickname “Rocky” because of the similar story of the character from the famed boxing movies starring Sylvester Stallone, is now an author and highly-sought after public speaker.
 
A limited number of tables are still available for the Kickoff Luncheon.  For more information on availability, please contact the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg office at 727.290.9865.

Tickets for the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg are on sale now and start as low as just $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Fans can enjoy the pregame pageantry in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Bud Light Lounge, the only on-field hospitality village in all of professional or college football. Fans can sit right behind the team bench and hear all of the hard- hitting action. It will be the only Beef ‘O’ Brady’s location where you can literally be in the huddle and still enjoy all the food and beverage any fan would want. For tickets in the Bud Light Lounge, fans may contact Carlos Padilla at 727-290-9865 for more information.
 
About Beef 'O' Brady's
Beef 'O' Brady's is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef 'O' Brady's neighborhood market. The "kid appeal" of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef 'O' Brady's is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef 'O' Brady's has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visit www.beefobradys.com for more information.
 
ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television(ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football, basketball and Olympic sports, NHRA and professional and amateur golf, accounting for more than 3,400 live and/or original hours of programming. ERT’s owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.
In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.
ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events:
Collegiate Football
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth);BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.) and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards
Collegiate Basketball
76 Classic (Anaheim, Calif.); State Farm Champions Classic (Madison Square Garden; debuts 2011); DIRECTV Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant (S.C.); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); All-College Basketball Classic (Oklahoma City) and BracketBusters
Collegiate Lacrosse
ESPNU Warrior Classic 
Additional Events
Hawaiian Islands Invitational(Soccer) and ESPN National Golf Challenge
For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.
 

-30-

Media Contacts:
Jeffrey Kamis, Trifecta Team, jeff@trifectateam.com or 813-784-3642
Rachel Margolis, rachel.l.margolis@espn.com or 860-766-2798

 

October 6, 2011
 

Tickets for the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg are on sale now and start as low as just $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. The fourth edition of the ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, owned bowl game features a BIG EAST Conference team against a representative from Conference USA at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Fans can enjoy the pregame pageantry in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Bud Light Lounge, the only on-field hospitality village in all of professional or college football. Fans can sit right behind the team bench and hear all of the hard- hitting action. It will be the only Beef ‘O’ Brady’s location where you can literally be in the huddle and still enjoy all the food and beverage any fan would want. For tickets in the Bud Light Lounge, fans may contact Carlos Padilla at 727-290-9865 for more information.

The 2010 game between Louisville from the BIG EAST and Southern Mississippi from Conference USA was a thriller to the end and captured the highest television ratings (2.6) in the short history of the bowl, up more than 20 percent from the previous year.  The game featured numerous highlights including a one-handed touchdown grab by USM QB Austin Davis on a trick play, a 62-yard touchdown run by USM’s Desmond Johnson and a 96-yard kickoff return by Louisville’s Jeremy Wright. The Cardinals prevailed 31-28 on a fourth quarter field goal by Chris Philpott, capping a successful turnaround season under first-year head coach Charlie Strong.

BIG EAST teams have won all three games played in the bowl which received NCAA certification in 2008. The inaugural bowl game on December 20, 2008 featured USF topping Memphis 41-14.  In the second edition on December 19, 2009, Rutgers posted a 45-24 victory over Central Florida.

About Beef 'O' Brady's
Beef 'O' Brady's is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef 'O' Brady's neighborhood market. The "kid appeal" of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef 'O' Brady's is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef 'O' Brady's has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visit www.beefobradys.comfor more information.

ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television(ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football, basketball and Olympic sports, NHRA and professional and amateur golf, accounting for more than 3,400 live and/or original hours of programming. ERT’s owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.

In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events:

Collegiate Football

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl(Dallas-Fort Worth); BBVA Compass Bowl(Birmingham, Ala.); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney(Orlando, Fla.) and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards

Collegiate Basketball

76 Classic (Anaheim, Calif.); State Farm Champions Classic(Madison Square Garden; debuts 2011); DIRECTV Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant(S.C.); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic(Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); All-College Basketball Classic(Oklahoma City) and BracketBusters

Collegiate Lacrosse

ESPNU Warrior Classic

Additional Events

Hawaiian Islands Invitational(Soccer) and ESPN National Golf Challenge

For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.

Media Contacts: Jeffrey Kamis, Trifecta Team, jeff@trifectateam.comor 813-784-3642 and Rachel Margolis, rachel.l.margolis@espn.comor 860-766-2798 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. November 30, 2010; – Kellen Winslow, a member of the Class of 1995 Hall of Fame inductees, will be the keynote speaker at the 2010 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Kickoff Luncheon, Monday, December 20, at 12 Noon in the Renaissance Vinoy Resort. Conference USA member Southern Mississippi will meet a still-to-be named opponent from the BIG EAST Conference in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg Tuesday, December 21 at 8 p.m. at Tropicana Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. Owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg is now in its third season.

"Kellen Winslow is known as a class act, both for his accomplishments at the University of Missouri and with the San Diego Chargers, as well as his community involvement," said Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg Executive Director Brett Dulaney. "He will no doubt provide a powerful message to the student-athletes and traveling parties in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg. The student-athletes will surely count this among their many cherished memories from their Bowl experience."

Winslow was a five-time Pro Bowl selection at tight end while with the Chargers from 1979-87. He finished his career with 541 receptions for 6,741 yards and 45 touchdowns in nine seasons. Winslow is often recalled for his13-reception performance in a 1981 playoff game against the Miami Dolphins, when he also blocked a field goal with four seconds remaining in regulation, helping the Chargers to a 41-38 overtime win. He is the father of current Tampa Bay Buccaneer tight end Kellen Winslow, Jr.

Tickets for the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg are on sale through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone (1-800-745-3000) for just $47.75. Enjoy the pregame pageantry in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Bud Light Lounge, the only on-field hospitality village in all of professional or college football. For just $175, fans can sit right behind the team bench and hear all of the hard- hitting action. It will be the only Beef 'O' Brady's location where you can literally be in the huddle and still enjoy all that food and beverage any fan would want. For tickets in the Bud Light Lounge, fans can contact Carlos Padilla at 727-290-9865 for information.

In last season's Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg, the Rutgers, of the BIG EAST, defeated UCF, of Conference USA, 45-24 in front of a crowd of 28,000. In the inaugural game in 2008, USF, representing the BIG EAST, defeated C-USA representative Memphis 41-14 at Tropicana Field.

Media Contacts: John Gerdes at 813-909-3152 or stpetebowl@yahoo.com Rachel Margolis at 860-766-2798 or rachel.l.margolis@espn.com