Sports Media News

ESPNU LAUNCHES 2010 COLLEGE GAMEDAY TOUR

Customized Minibus with DJ Booth, Body Painting Station Headed to College GameDay Sites for 2010 Season

CHICAGO (September 1, 2010) — ESPNU is bringing the “ESPNU College GameDay Tour” to all 14 regular-season College GameDay stops for the 2010 season.  The new experiential marketing tour, featuring a fully customized ESPNU minibus, will include a DJ booth, as well as a college-themed body and face painting station where students can pick their school colors each week to display their school spirit.

At each tour stop fans will be able to listen to a live DJ, and visit the painting station before kickoff to uniquely express their true fandom in the stands.  The tour will also include several LED televisions showing live coverage of the College GameDay telecasts (televised on ESPNU from 9 – 10 AM ET and ESPN 10 AM to noon).  Throughout the event ESPNU event staff will be distributing ESPNU giveaways to fans, including T-shirts, lanyards and koozies.  Another focal point of each stop will be the ESPNU monument (a 24-foot tall monument designed in the likeness of the ESPNU logo), which will be prominently displayed on each host campus throughout the weekend.

The ESPNU College GameDay Tour begins on Sept. 4, 2010, in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game pitting LSU vs. North Carolina.  Each week, the minibus will travel to the College GameDay site, which will originate from one of the day’s best games or with the most compelling storyline.  The site will generally be determined the Monday of that week’s show.  Prior to each Saturday game, the ESPNU minibus will also activate around campus beginning on Thursdays at a variety of different college football-themed events, including pep rallies and tailgates.

“We’re excited that ESPNU, a network so centric to college sports, is going to be a major part of the College GameDay fan experience this season,” said Jeffrey Gonyo, senior director of sports marketing, ESPN.  “By aligning with such an amazing television franchise, the ESPNU College GameDay Tour will literally place us right in the heart of college football each week.”

The ESPNU College GameDay Tour coincides with the announcement that ESPN’s College GameDay is expanding to three hours this season, providing an extra hour of college football analysis, news and features every Saturday.  College GameDay airs at 9 AM ET this fall on ESPNU and ESPNU HD and from 10 AM ET to noon on ESPN and ESPN HD.

The ESPNU College GameDay Tour is free to attend and fans of all ages are welcome to participate.  For more details and the complete ESPNU College GameDay Tour schedule please visit http://www.ESPNU.com.

ABOUT ESPNU
ESPNU launched March 4, 2005. The 24-hour college sports television network televises more than 650 live events annually. Action includes a variety of top football and men’s and women’s basketball games, as well as Olympic sports from 26 Division I conferences. ESPNU is the destination for premier high school programming, including elite football and basketball events. The network also has a wide-ranging agreement with the NCAA for extensive coverage of 22 NCAA Championships.

ESPNU offers over 400 original studio shows, including SportsCenterU, ESPNU Recruiting Insider, The Experts, The Bracket, BCS Countdown and is the television home of ESPN Radio’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd. The brand is also available in high definition on ESPNUHD, now in over 17 million homes. In addition, ESPNU Campus Connection is a multiplatform, student-generated content initiative to enhance the network’s link to college campuses nationwide.

ESPNU has seen a dramatic increase since its inception and is now in approximately 73 million households. The network has long-term carriage agreements with all 10 of the top multichannel TV providers – Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV (Channel 208), DISH Network (Channel 141), Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV and AT&T U-verse.

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College GameDay to Kick Off Season in Atlanta Sept. 4

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot – expanded to three hours and now beginning on ESPNU at 9 a.m. ET and continuing on ESPN at 10 a.m. every Saturday – will open the season Sept. 4 live from Atlanta, site of No. 21 LSU vs. No. 18 North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game (Sept. 4 on ABC at 8 p.m.). Erin Andrews will anchor several segments of the first hour on ESPNU and contribute reports, interviews and features during the ESPN portion of the two-time Emmy Award-winning program. Chris Fowler will return as show host with analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard. College GameDay is entering its 24th season and the 18th consecutive year of originating from the site of one of the day’s best games or a game with the most compelling storyline.

In addition to the traditional analysis, news and features the show provides each week, the season-opening program will include:

• Mark Herzlich Update: Tom Rinaldi reports on the comeback of Boston College senior linebacker Mark Herzlich from his battle with cancer.

• Garrett Gilbert Feature: Erin Andrews talks with Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert and head coach Mack Brown about the sophomore’s first season as the team’s new starting quarterback and the high expectations for the Longhorns following an appearance in last year’s National Championship Game.

• Urban Meyer Feature: Tom Rinaldi examines the off-season for Florida head coach Urban Meyer and what went into his decisions to resign and return as head coach of the Gators within a few days.

• Discussions: Various topics to be discussed during the show include:

• What to expect from Notre Dame this year under new head coach Brian Kelly;
• the pressure on Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez to bounce back from a 3-win season in 2009;
• The expectations on defending National Champion Alabama and the obstacles to winning back-to-back titles;
• Whether Boise State and TCU deserve their high pre-season rankings.

• McShay on Jaquizz Rogers and Jake Locker: ESPN football analyst Todd McShay, who also serves as director of college football scouting for ESPN Scouts Inc., discusses why he thinks Oregon State junior running back Jaquizz Rogers will give opening opponent TCU problems and breaks down the play of Washington senior quarterback Jake Locker, Mel Kiper’s number one prospect for the 2011 NFL Draft.

• New look of Florida State: Analyst David Pollack discusses the new look of Florida State under first-year head coach Jimbo Fisher, who takes over the Seminoles following the resignation of Bobby Bowden after 34 years as coach.

• Rece, Lou and Mark: Rece Davis, host of ESPN’s daylong Saturday studio coverage with analysts Lou Holtz and Mark May, will anchor a segment featuring updates from reporters at games around the country. In addition, Holtz and May will make their picks for that day’s games.

• Wired: Two “wired” segments, including new Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley as he takes over the Volunteers after former head coach Lane Kiffin left for USC and an entertaining look at the high intensity “big cat drill” LSU does during every practice.

• Freshman impact: Dari Nowkhah hosts a segment from a studio in Charlotte on the freshmen players to keep an eye on in 2010.

• On most weeks, the show will conclude with a special surprise guest – only to be revealed at the end of the show – on the set to pick their game winners for that day.

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ESPNU Announces Show Lineup for College Football Season

ESPNU unveils several additions to its college football lineup for the 2010 season highlighted by a new Saturday morning block (beginning Sept. 4), which kicks off with College GameDay Built by The Home Depot at 9 a.m. ET. Following the one-hour College GameDay, ESPNU will televise SportsNation, a special college football themed version of the popular ESPN2 show, at 10 a.m., and ESPNU College Football WhipAround, a show previewing each Saturday’s biggest games, at 11 a.m. ESPNU will also begin airing an original 30-minute College Football Live every Tuesday-Friday at 4 p.m. throughout the season.

ESPNU’s College Football Programming Schedule

ESPNU College Football Saturday Tailgate (debuting Sept. 4):

• College GameDay (9-10 a.m.) – for the first time, ESPNU will televise the first hour of College GameDay beginning Sept. 4 from Atlanta, the site of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game featuring LSU vs. North Carolina. Chris Fowler will host the show with analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Desmond Howard. Additionally, Erin Andrews will anchor several segments during the first hour on ESPNU.
• SportsNation (10-11 a.m.) – an hour-long original college football themed show where fans can express their opinions and interact with ESPNU.
• ESPNU College Football WhipAround (11 a.m.-noon) – hosted by Dari Nowkhah, ESPNU’s newest show will whip around the country to preview the day’s biggest college football games and to grab all the latest news and commentary. Several ESPN analysts will contribute to the show, including Brent Musburger, Todd Blackledge, Bob Davie, Bob Griese, Brian Griese and Andre Ware.

Additional College Football Programming

• College Football Live – ESPNU will televise the college football studio show in an original, 30-minute episode Tuesday-Friday at 4 p.m. Both editions of the show (ESPN and ESPNU) will run back-to-back the same day at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.
• ESPNU College Football: The Experts – formerly named Coaches Spotlight, this weekly three-hour studio show (televised live each Tuesday at 1 p.m.) will rotate in top college football “experts” bringing fans intelligent conversation and debate. Lowell Galindo hosts each week and will be joined by six college football analysts and insiders.
• Crunch Time – each show (airing Mondays at 5 p.m.) will look back at the last few minutes of the best college football games from the previous week, all packaged into a one-hour program.
• ESPNU BCS Countdown – the hour-long live studio show, hosted by Galindo, will discuss the ever-changing college football standings live Mondays at 6 p.m. ESPN’s Mike Bellotti, David Pollack and Tom Luginbill will share analyst responsibilities.
• ESPNU Road Trip – a 30-minute series which taps into the tradition, rivalry and revelry on select college campuses that is synonymous with the college football experience (airing Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 13 and 27 at 6:30 p.m.).
• ESPNU Recruiting Insider – a weekly hour-long studio show (airing Thursdays at 5 p.m.), hosted by Galindo, will discuss high school sports and athletes and their future impact on the college scene, and provide inside information surrounding recruiting news. The show will include analysis from Luginbill, Craig Haubert, Jamie Newberg and Corey Long.
• SportsCenterU – ESPNU’s news and information show, hosted by Galindo, Luginbill and Charles Arbuckle, focuses on men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletics (televised Thursday and Saturday nights, following the 10:30 p.m. game, with re-airs Friday and Sunday mornings).

ESPNU College Football Fall Lineup (Dates and times subject to change)

ESPNU
The 24-hour college sports television network televises more than 650 live events annually and offers over 400 original studio shows. ESPNU has seen a dramatic increase since its inception on March 4, 2005 and is now in over 73 million households. The brand is also available in high definition on ESPNUHD, now in over 17 million homes.

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ESPN and BYU Reach Agreement for Football Rights Beginning in 2011

ESPN, Inc. and Brigham Young University (BYU) have reached an eight-year agreement for exclusive rights to BYU home football games across multiple ESPN platforms for the 2011 season through the conclusion of play in 2018. ESPN has an option to extend the agreement through 2019.

“BYU is nationally recognized as an outstanding university and for the history and tradition of its premier athletic programs,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN senior vice president, college sports programming. “Once BYU decided to chart an independent course for football, we both recognized it is a good opportunity to build and grow our strong 30- year relationship. With this agreement, college football fans around the country will see the quality and pageantry of BYU as well as the passion and enthusiasm of its supporters.”

“ESPN’s long history of televising some of the great games in Cougar football history was one of the reasons we reached out to them when we began this process,” said BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson. “We’re thrilled to return to an official relationship with the family of networks that has done so much for us over the years, and which has a well deserved reputation for high-quality productions. We’re also grateful to ESPN for accommodating our in-house broadcasting arm, BYU Broadcasting.”

ESPN will receive first selection rights to all BYU home games and any neutral site matchup where BYU is the designated home team. Details include:

• An annual minimum of three games on ESPN, ESPN on ABC or ESPN2, including telecasts on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
• An annual minimum of one game on ESPNU.

• ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN GamePlan will be able to simulcast any ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC telecast.
• BYU content will also be available on ESPN Classic, ESPN.com and ESPN Mobile Properties.

Any games not selected by ESPN will be available on BYU Broadcasting.

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Lee Corso Honored with NCFAA Contributions to College Football Award

ESPN’s Lee Corso – one of college football’s most knowledgeable, opinionated and entertaining analysts and a part of the two-time Emmy Award winning College GameDay Built by The Home Depot from its first year in 1987 – will be the recipient of National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) 2010 Contributions to College Football Award. The award given annually by NCFAA, an association of all the major awards in college football, recognizes exceptional contributions to college football and a lifetime of achievement and integrity.

“I am humbled and honored to receive the NCFAA Contributions to College Football Award, especially following the previous recipients of the award,” said Corso. “I have enjoyed my involvement in college football – as a player, coach and analyst for the past 52 years. It has been an amazing ride.”

Corso will be the ninth recipient of the award with previous honorees including Darrell Royal, Keith Jackson, Vince Dooley, Tom Osborne, Chuck Neinas, Frank Broyles, Bobby Bowden and LaVell Edwards. The award will be presented to Corso Thursday, Dec. 9 as part of The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.

NCFAA President Danielle Moorman added, “We cannot think of a more deserving individual than Lee Corso for this award. As a player, coach and broadcaster, Lee is woven into the fabric of college football and his presence on College GameDay has helped the show become the most authoritative and comprehensive in college football.”

Corso joined ESPN in 1987 after 28 years as a coach at the college and professional levels, including 17 seasons as a head coach. While he is known for his opinions, analysis and daring predictions, Corso’s style of picking his winning team from the featured game by donning that team’s mascot head has become a fan favorite and the most anticipated moment of each show.

In 2001, Sporting News magazine selected Corso as the 17th most influential person in college football. The magazine in January 2004 ranked Corso and fellow GameDay hosts – Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit – as 2003’s “Most Powerful Media Personalities in Sports.”

Corso was head coach at Louisville from 1969-72 and led the Cardinals to two Missouri Valley Conference titles and their second-ever bowl game, the 1970 Pasadena Bowl. He then moved to Indiana in 1973 where he spent 10 seasons as the head coach of the Hoosiers, leading the school to their first bowl victory in 75 years, a 38-37 decision over previously unbeaten Brigham Young in the 1979 Holiday Bowl. He coached Northern Illinois in 1984 before taking over the reins of the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1985 for one season.  He began his coaching career as an assistant coach for 11 seasons (1958-68) at Florida State, Maryland and Navy. In addition, from January-July 1991, Corso served as General Manager of the World League’s Orlando Thunder.

Corso began his television career serving as an analyst on bowl games for Mizlou (1979-82) and USFL games for ABC (1983). He debuted on ESPN in 1987 as a game analyst, calling one season of Arena Football and two seasons of college football. Corso’s seasoned presence and insightful analysis on College GameDay have helped the show earn a huge following.  The in-season Saturday morning show won a Sports Emmy in 2009 and 2007 and received nominations in 2000 and 2003. In 2006, College GameDay received the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame’s Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award.

Corso, whose college roommate was actor Burt Reynolds, received four varsity letters in both football and baseball at Florida State. He is a member of the Hall of Fame at Florida State and the Louisville. Corso was also inducted into the state of Florida Sports Hall of Fame in St. Petersburg. In 2006, he received the Florida State Alumni Association’s Gold Medal, the highest alumni honor.

A graduate of Florida State University, Corso earned a bachelor of arts degree in physical education and a master’s degree in administration and supervision. Corso is director of business development for Dixon Ticonderoga, Heathrow, Fla., an international diversified manufacturer and marketer of writing and arts products.

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