ESPN Regional Television, Inc., a subsidiary of ESPN, announced today an agreement with six-time NFL Pro Bowl fullback and four-time All-Pro selection Mike Alstott, who spent his entire NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to be named the honorary chairman for the 2008 St. Petersburg Bowl, which will be televised nationally Saturday, Dec. 20, at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, live from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.
Alstott will serve as a representative of the newly created postseason college football bowl game and will make appearances on behalf of the event. His participation will benefit the Mike Alstott Family Foundation.
"It's such an honor to be involved in this great event in the inaugural year," Alstott said of his association with the St. Petersburg Bowl. "Football has been such a huge part of my life and I am thrilled to be able to continue to support the sport I love, along with the city my family and I call home. This event will not only bring a lot of excitement to the teams playing in it and the city as a whole, but is also supporting the community through the Mike Alstott Family Foundation."
Pete Derzis, Senior Vice President & General Manager, ERT, added: "The St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay area already is synonymous with sports, and we are thrilled to have local sports icon Mike Alstott represent the St. Petersburg Bowl. Mike Alstott is a household name in St. Pete and he definitely will add to the fans' excitement about and enjoyment of this bowl game."
The St. Petersburg Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), which markets and owns five other bowl games - the PapaJohns.com Bowl, Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl and New Mexico Bowl. For more information about the St. Petersburg Bowl, call 1-800-325-2910 or visit the official Web site, www.stpetersburgbowl.com
