Team Introduction Press Conference Set for Thursday in Atlanta

WHO:

Jerry Mack, North Carolina Central University head coach

Broderick Fobbs, Grambling State University head coach

John T. Grant – Executive Director, Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl

Dr. Dennis Thomas, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Commissioner

Duer Sharp, Southwestern Athletic Conference Commissioner

WHAT:          

The Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl Press Conference

WHEN: 

Thursday, December 8, 2016, 10AM ET

WHERE:

Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce  

235 Andrew Young Intl Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30303

2nd Floor Board Room

RSVP:            

Please RSVP to Jackie O. Asare, [email protected] or Jessica Manning, [email protected].

We’re less than 2 weeks away from The Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl, the first college bowl game of the season. Join us this Thursday, December 8 at 10am as we formally introduce MEAC Champion North Carolina Central and SWAC Champion Grambling State as our 2016 participants. The press conference will feature North Carolina Central head coach Jerry Mack, Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs, John T. Grant, Executive Director of The Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl, and both conference commissioners.

Establishing itself as the first bowl game of the season, The Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl is a postseason football game owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. It is a championship-style game between the MEAC and SWAC champions to be televised Saturday, December 17^th on ABC. For HBCU Football Fans, student, and alumni, The Celebration Bowl is the pinnacle of HBCU experiences!  Theundefeated.com ranks The Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl as the #1 HBCU event to attend!

Over 35,000 fans filled The Georgia Dome in the inaugural game last year. In addition, over 14.8 million viewers watched at home on ABC as North Carolina A&T defeated Alcorn State 41-34. This year North Carolina Central Eagles defeated North Carolina’s A&T’s Aggies 42-21 to claim its third straight MEAC Championship and Grambling State University defeated Alcorn State 27-20 to win the SWAC.  “The teams have now been solidified. Each of them are undefeated in conference play, and ranked in the FCS top 20.  said John T. Grant.  We are excited to have the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl kick off the college football bowl season in Atlanta with this championship matchup”

ESPN Events collaborates with 100 Black Men of Atlanta to organize the game’s ancillary events which include a youth symposium, robotics showcase, gospel uplift concert, fan experience and more. A full list of events surrounding the game are available and links to purchase tickets are available on The Celebration Bowl’s website and at ticketmaster.com, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, or in person at the Georgia Dome Box Office. Prices range from $15 to $60, plus applicable taxes and fees. Visit www.TheCelebrationBowl.com and follow Facebook, Twitter or YouTube

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 13 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.  ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

Collegiate Football
AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (Houston); Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Baton Rouge, La.); Montgomery Kickoff Classic (Montgomery, Ala.); Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); St. Petersburg Bowl (Florida); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta) and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Collegiate Basketball

AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s  Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic presented by Corona (Uncasville, Conn.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); PK80 (Portland, Ore.); State Farm Armed Forces Classic (Honolulu); State Farm Champions Classic (New York City); Tire Pros Invitational (Orlando, Fla.) and Wooden Legacy (Orange County, Calif.)

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Liquid Soul Media Contacts: Jackie O. Asare, [email protected] 718-930-8400

and Jessica Manning, [email protected] 404-313-7602

ESPN Media Contact: Rachel Margolis Siegal at 860-766-2798 or [email protected]

Hope-Beckham Inc. Media Contacts: Kerstin Hunt at 404-604-2491 or [email protected]; Wendy Hsiao at 404-604-2192 or [email protected]