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Chick-fil-A Bowl and ESPN A day full of activities featuring ESPN’s College GameDay leads up
ATLANTA – The long wait is over. College football is back and the celebration is set. The Chick-fil-A Bowl and ESPN have teamed up to create the ultimate college football season kickoff event, and all fans are invited. Saturday, Aug. 30, the Chick-fil-A Bowl and ESPN will open Centennial Olympic Park for a day-long celebration of the 2008 season. The event is free to the public. ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will get the day started at 10 a.m. with the country’s most popular live college football show. Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will break down all the big match-ups of the first Saturday of the season and set the stage for the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff game between Alabama and Clemson that night at 8 p.m. – the Saturday Night Football telecast on ABC. From noon to 6 p.m., fans can enjoy two entertainment areas designed to keep the excitement building up to kickoff. The ESPN Kickoff Week Festival presented by Gillette and the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff FanZone presented by Coca-Cola Zero will feature interactive games and other activities where fans can eat, drink, pass and kick away the hours prior to the game while experiencing the ESPN-branded entertainment that follows the GameDay crew around the country. ESPN’s College Football Live show will also originate from the Park beginning Thursday, Aug. 28 at 3:30 p.m. and again on Friday, Aug. 29 at 3:30 p.m. Live segments from Atlanta will contribute to a three-hour SportsCenter special from 12 – 3 p.m. on Thursday. “This event is going to be the Daytona 500 of college football,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president. “We think we’ve created the biggest and best celebration to start the college football season. And we’re going to host this event every year capped off by a great match-up of two premier teams.” The Chick-fil-A College Kickoff game day experience will become the premier season-opening event to each and every college football season, right here in Atlanta. “This will be special for college football fans and an excellent way to start the season,” said Dave Brown, ESPN vice president, programming and acquisitions. “We have all the right elements to make this the premier season-opening event – a partner in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, a sponsor in Chick-fil-A, a city in Atlanta and two premier conferences in the ACC and SEC.” The Chick-fil-A College Kickoff between Alabama and Clemson will kick off at 8 p.m. in the Georgia Dome and be part of a split national broadcast by ABC. Parts of the country will receive Michigan State at California. For more information on the day’s schedule including maps and directions, visit Chick-fil-ABowl.com. The Chick-fil-A Bowl is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and hosts the longest-running rivalry series between the ACC and SEC. In the last 16 years, the ACC and SEC are tied at 8-8 with only one point separating the two conferences in total points (SEC: 323, ACC: 322). Ten of the last 16 games have been decided by a touchdown or less. The Chick-fil-A Bowl has disbursed more than $84 million in its 40-year history, ranking it 8th among all bowl games in cumulative payout. The Bowl also leads all other bowl games in charitable contributions, giving more than $1 million to organizations in need in 2007 alone. Chick-fil-A College Kickoff Schedule of Events 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008 Summary: ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot show featuring Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will be live in the Park from 10 a.m. to noon. In addition, ESPN’s College Football Live show will broadcast from Centennial Olympic Park once per day Thursday and Friday leading into game day. Immediately following the GameDay broadcast Aug. 30, two fan areas will be open from noon to 6 p.m. The ESPN Kickoff Week Festival presented by Gillette and the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff FanZone presented by Coca-Cola Zero will feature food and beverages, interactive football games, ESPN-branded entertainment and official event merchandise. Tickets are available for Alabama and Clemson fans to attend separate official pre-game parties for Tide and Tigers fans in the Georgia World Congress Center. Individual team parties run from 4:30 to 7 p.m. and will include an appearance by the university bands and cheerleaders. Fans can visit Chick-fil-ABowl.com to purchase team party tickets. Parking passes are also available.
-- Chick-fil-ABowl.com -- |
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