ESPN HD To Televise Second Annual Under Armour All-America High School Football Game

ESPN HD To Televise Second Annual Under Armour All-America High School Football Game at Citrus Bowl Stadium Primetime on Jan. 4th

Three-Time Grammy Award-Winning Artist Ludacris to Perform Live at Halftime

Practice Coverage on ESPNU Dec. 31 – Jan. 1; Skills Challenge on ESPN2 Jan. 2

The second annual Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, an ESPN and Intersport owned-and-operated all-star football competition spotlighting the nation’s top high school seniors, will be played at a new venue – Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009. In addition, the 2009 game will be televised in high definition as part of a new, expanded three-hour prime-time window (8-11 p.m. ET) on ESPN HD. Dave Ryan (play-by-play announcer), Tom Luginbill (National Recruiting Director for ESPN Scouts, Inc. and ESPNU football recruiting analyst) and Quint Kessenich (sideline reporter) will call the action from Orlando.

ESPN HD’s prime-time broadcast not only will feature the nation’s top athletic talent, but also will include a special halftime performance by multi-platinum selling recording star and three-time Grammy Award winner Ludacris.

The inaugural game was played at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex (DWWS), which will continue to host the event’s practice sessions and the Burger King High School All-America Skills Challenge. The three-hour daily practice sessions will be televised live on ESPNU Dec. 31 – Jan. 1, from 3-6 p.m., as part of a special edition of ESPNU Recruiting Insider. The Burger King High School All-America Skills Challenge will take place on Friday, Jan. 2 (airing tape delayed on ESPN2 Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.). The Skills Challenge will consist of drill sequences by position for quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, defensive backs, linebackers and offensive and defensive lineman.

Of the 82 players selected by ESPN Scouts, Inc. to participate in the Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, 67 are ranked in the ESPNU 150 player rankings, including eight in the top 10: No. 1 Russell Shepard, QB (Houston, Texas) Cypress Ridge High School (Black Team); No. 3 Trent Richardson, RB (Pensacola, Fla.) Escambia High School (White Team); No. 4 Manti Te’o, OLB, (Honolulu, Hawaii) Punahou High School (White Team); No. 5 Garrett Gilbert, QB (Austin, Texas) Lake Travis High School (Black Team); No. 7 Jacobi McDaniel, DT (Greenville, Fla.) Madison County High School (Black Team); No. 8 Craig Loston, S (Aldine, Texas) Eisenhower High School (White Team); No. 9 Jelani Jenkins, OLB (Wheaton, Md.) Good Counsel (Black Team); and No. 10 Matt Barkley, QB (Santa Ana, Calif.), Mater Dei High School (White Team) to name a few. To view the entire White Team roster, please click here and to view the Black Team, click here.

In addition, several players will announce their college decisions on air during the televised Under Armour All-America High School Football Game activities: No. 30 Andre Debose, WR, Ray Ray Armstrong, S, and No. 143 Dyron Dye, DE, who all play for Seminole High School in Sanford, Fla. Branden Smith, CB (Booker T. Washington, Atlanta, Ga.), No. 31 John, Martinez, OG (Cottonwood High School, Salt Lake City Utah), Mark Brazinski, OC (Immaculata High School, Somerville, N.J.) and No. 8 Craig Loston, S (Eisenhower High School, Aldine, Texas) will also declare which school they intend to play college football.

Former NFL head coaches Marv Levy and Mike White will coach the teams in the 2009 Under Armour All-America High School Football Game. Levy will serve as head coach of the White Team, while White will coach the Black Team. Both coaching staffs, selected by ESPN Scouts, Inc., will consist of an offensive and defensive coordinator, with support from 19 high school coaches who have players participating in the game.

Tickets for this year’s game are $10 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com.

About Under Armour

Under Armour® (NYSE: UA) is a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories. The brand’s moisture-wicking synthetic fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate to provide a performance alternative to traditional natural fiber products.  The Company’s products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe.  The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland, with European headquarters in Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium, and additional offices in Denver, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Guangzhou, China. For further information, please visit the Company’s website at www.underarmour.com.