Welcome to a new Chick-fil-A Bowl season!  We have had many new and exciting events since last year’s game, and we have much to look forward to in the upcoming months as I look to make my first Chick-fil-A Bowl as chairman a memorable one.

We are especially proud of our Chick-fil-A College Kickoff game, which held its inaugural event over Labor Day weekend by hosting a pair of preseason Top 25 teams in Alabama and Clemson. The event was a huge success on and off the field, with Alabama kick-starting its season with a 34-10 win over the Tigers. Away from the Dome, we hosted 12,000 fans for the national broadcast of ESPN’s College GameDay and had more than 22,000 fans in Centennial Olympic Park for the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff FanZone presented by Coca-Cola Zero. It was a first-class event and we hope you were able to take part in the fun.

This past spring, the Chick-fil-A Bowl hosted a pair of events including the second installment of the Chick-fil-A Alma Mater at Reynolds Plantation and the Chick-fil-A Bowl Duck ‘N’ Dodge charity dodgeball tournament.  The events were a great success and combined to raise nearly $500,000 for charity and scholarship.
Those two events have taken us a long way towards increasing our record-setting efforts in charitable giving, leading all bowl games with more than $1.2 million being donated this year.

This year, the Chick-fil-A Bowl will induct two new members into our Hall of Fame. The new members of the family are Lou Holtz and Chuck Long.

Lou Holtz is recognized as one of the top coaches in NCAA history, earning the distinction as the only coach history to lead six different programs to bowl games. He is also the only coach to guide four different programs to final top 20 rankings - including an undefeated national championship season with Notre Dame in 1988. He made a pair of visits to the Peach Bowl while coaching the N.C. State Wolfpack, splitting a pair of meetings with Bobby Bowden’s West Virginia squad.

Chuck Long quarterbacked Iowa to a win over Tennessee in the 1982 Peach Bowl and is currently serving as the head coach at San Diego State University. In the 1982 game, he helped his Hawkeyes top the Vols 28-22 by thowing for a then record 220 yards in the first half en route to 304 yards and three touchdowns. Long was a prolific passer throughout his career with the Hawkeyes, becoming the first Big Ten player and just the second player in college football history to throw for more than 10,000 yards in a career.

This year’s Bowl Week will feature the same fun and exciting events as past years, but there are sure to be some new surprises in store.  The week will include the Georgia Power Football Feud, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Breakfast, the Texaco Scholarship Luncheon and “Chalk Talk” presented by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Chick-fil-A Bowl Parade, FanFest presented by Coca-Cola, and the MVP Tailgate presented by BB&T.  Tickets to all of these events will be available at the Chick-fil-A Bowl Web site; be sure to get yours before the events sell out! 

On behalf of the Executive Committee and Bowl staff, we are so glad that you are part of our team! Enjoy Bowl Week 2008!

Scott McCune
Chairman
Chick-fil-A Bowl

On August 30, 2008 Chickfil-A Bowl President Gary Stokan's vision of creating a BCS-style neutral site game became a reality. The match-up of then #9 Clemson and #24 Alabama drew the attention of ESPN¹s College GameDay and paved the way for one of the most successful season-opening games in history.

In an initiative led by the Chick-fil-A Bowl in partnership with the Atlanta Sports Council and ESPN the model for the “Kickoff Classic” has been re-invented and the bar has been raised to the highest level.

Billed as the “Daytona 500 of college football,” the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff will continue to create the biggest and best match-up of the first Saturday of every season, and host the game in Atlanta in a prime-time celebration of the start of college football.

In its inaugural year, the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff was able to

Match Alabama against Clemson ­ two top-25 teams ­ in a sold-out game that was nationally telecast on ABC

Secure ESPN¹s College GameDay and College Football Live shows to appear in Centennial Olympic Park, drawing 12,000 fans for the national broadcast of the show

Host a pre-game fan entertainment area that attracted more than 22,000 fans throughout the day

Deliver an average TV rating of 3.6, equating to more than four million households

And, create an annual event that will generate $25-30 million in economic impact and more than $1 million in tax revenues for Atlanta each year.

“Here’s the reaction:

“It was like a bowl game to start the season ...
it’s one of those games I¹ll always remember.”
­ Antoine Caldwell, University of Alabama Guard

“I¹ve always been an advocate of playing in big games like this that brings national exposure to the program.²
­ Nick Saban, University of Alabama

“Everyone else is chasing Atlanta.”
The New York Times

“This inaugural Chick-fil-A College Kickoff had the feel of a Bowl Championship Series game.”
­Terrance Moore,
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“The bar has been raised. Great recruiting, great opportunity and the kids want to play in games like this.”
­Kirk Herbstreit,
ESPN college football analyst

“Every football coach in America is going to want to bring their football team to this game.”
­Lee Corso, ESPN college football analyst

“The national attention our program got as a result of this game was among the most significant things to happen to Alabama football in years. The Chick-fil-A College Kickoff put our program in the spotlight early in the season, allowing us to reap benefits in student and athletic recruitment and positive publicity.”
Mal Moore, Athletics Director, University of Alabama

Once again, Reynolds Plantation and the Ritz-Carlton Lodge played host to what is surely the premier coach and celebrity golf event in the country as the second Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater at Reynolds Plantation hit the shores of Lake Oconee April 27-29.

The event brought together top NCAA head coaches and celebrity alumni from around the country along with professional golfers, Chick-fil-A vendors and sponsors for an unforgettable three-day golf and resort retreat. Championship golf, A-list entertainers and the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s well-known hospitality combined for an event that created lasting memories and more than $465,000 in charity and scholarship.

The celebrity round will air nationally on CBS at 2  p.m. (ET) on Christmas Day.

The University of South Carolina’s team of Spurrier and Sterling Sharpe carded a 12-under-par 60 to earn a five-stroke victory in the 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater at Reynolds Plantation and the $120,000 first-place scholarship donation. The team from UCLA (Rick Neuheisel/Sinjin Smith) and last year’s winners, Virginia Tech (Frank Beamer/Dell Curry), tied for second with a seven-under 65.

“Sterling is just an excellent player, he hits it the way the pros do,” Spurrier said after his victory. “And I was fortunate to hit some putts. I probably hit more putts today than I have in any one round in the last five or six years.”

“Coach Spurrier and Sterling Sharpe really brought their ‘A’ games in winning the championship among such a great field of competitors,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president. “Our congratulations go out to the team from South Carolina and our thanks to all the teams who came out to enjoy a great day on the golf course, some good competition and a lot of laughs.”

Final Team Standings:

SCHOOL	COACH	CELEBRITY	SCORE	CHARITY PURSE
South Carolina	Steve Spurrier	Sterling Sharpe	-12	$120,000
UCLA	Rick Neuheisel	Sinjin Smith	-7	$45,000
Virginia Tech	Frank Beamer	Dell Curry	-7	$45,000
Georgia Tech	Paul Johnson	Jon Barry	-5	$30,000
Wake Forest	Jim Grobe	Billy Packer	-4	$22,500
Colorado	Bill McCartney	Kordell Stewart	-3	$15,250
Michigan	Rich Rodriguez	Brian Griese	-3	$15,250
Maryland	Ralph Friedgen	Neil O’Donnell	-1	$12,000
Arizona State	Frank Kush	Michael Haynes	E	$11,000
Auburn	Tommy Tuberville	Pat Sullivan	+1	$10,000
Minnesota	Tubby Smith	Jim Petersen	+2	$9,000
Boston College	Jeff Jagodzinski	Chris O'Donnell	+4	$8,000
Alabama	Nick Saban	Ken Stabler	+7	$7,000

The Chick-fil-A Bowl is setting a new standard for giving fans on-demand access to the most up-to-date information during the scouting and team selection process. Throughout November, fans will be able to view a weekly team-specific selection blog and video commentary to get updates on their team’s chances of being selected to play in this year’s Chick-fil-A Bowl.

The Bowl’s newly redesigned and upgraded Web site (Chick-fil-ABowl.com) is packed with features designed to help fans get all the latest information in preparation for the Dec. 31 game.

Each Thursday in November, fans can log on and read Leeman Bennett’s Team Selection Blog delivered by AT&T and participate by posting comments for the Bowl or other fans. The Blog will disclose the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s scouting schedule for the week and provide brief updates on each of the teams being considered.

In addition, fans will be able to view the new President’s Selection Scenarios video blog delivered by AT&T featuring recorded video segments from Chick-fil-A Bowl President Gary Stokan. Stokan will provide his thoughts on the teams being scouted each week until the official team selections Dec. 7.

“We want to give the fans as much information as possible so they can follow their teams through our selection process,” Stokan said. “Bowl season is the most exciting time of the year in college football and we think the fans should feel like they are a part of it.”

While visiting Chick-fil-Bowl.com, fans can enjoy a number of other features to help them gear up for a trip to the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Other features of the redesigned site include:

• Video Library – Includes highlight reels from past games, humorous Chick-fil-A Bowl television commercials, press conferences and past Bowl Week events.
• View the Field – Ticket holders can check the view of the field from any section in the Georgia Dome and purchase tickets to the game and other Bowl Week events.
• Bowl History – Serious fans can check the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s record books for outstanding teams and players and read about great games from the past.
• Fan Enuf? – The best ACC and SEC fans can prove their metal by posting videos showing how they support their teams. The best videos will be in line to win Bowl prize packs including tickets and an Xbox 360. All submitted videos will be posted to the site for viewing.
• Bowl Week Daily Updates – During Bowl Week (Dec. 26-31) fans can follow their teams through their Bowl Week events with daily photo and text updates.
• Live Stats – During the game on Dec. 31, fans can follow the action using a live scoreboard and real-time game stats.

The enhanced Web presence of the Chick-fil-A Bowl is designed and managed by Atlanta-based ebroadcasters media. Providers of a wide range of digital and video solutions, ebroadcasters provides clients the creativity, agility and confidence to help them deliver on their business objectives through a unique combination of core competencies including agency-level Website and graphic design, professional live and post HD and SD video production and live, video-on-demand, on location and Webcast engineering services. For more information, visit ebroadcasters.com.

Scott McCune, vice president Integrated Marketing with The Coca-Cola Company, has been named chairman of the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

McCune takes over for Chuck Fruit, former senior advisor in marketing, strategy and innovation with The Coca-Cola Company, who passed away unexpectedly in May.

As one of the nation’s leading brand marketers with Coca-Cola since 1994, McCune is responsible for the development of worldwide media, sports and entertainment marketing strategies, worldwide licensing and global events and the New World of Coca-Cola.

“Given Scott and Chuck’s strong friendship and the continuity created by extending the relationship with Coke, Scott is the best and most appropriate selection,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president. “We are all saddened by the circumstances in which this change is taking place, but there is no doubt that Scott is a well respected leader who brings the right experience at the right time to keep moving our bowl and our brand forward.”

McCune’s primary responsibility as chairman will be to oversee the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s Executive Committee and Strategic Planning Committee. Together, these two groups determine the Bowl’s strategic direction as it relates to growing the Bowl’s overall brand.

“This is very much a challenge I am looking forward to,” McCune said. “In the last 10 years, the Chick-fil-A Bowl has grown into a significant national brand and is poised to reach even greater heights within college football’s bowl landscape. My charge will be to make sure the Chick-fil-A Bowl realizes every bit of its incredible potential.”

The Chick-fil-A Bowl made an additional move to lock up the long-term leadership of its Executive Committee by naming Daryl Evans, vice president / advertising and marketing communications, AT&T Mobility, as the organization’s vice chairman. Evans has served on the Chick-fil-A Bowl Executive Committee for five years. Evans is tabbed to succeed McCune at the end of his term beginning in 2010.

This year’s bowl season kicked off in grand fashion for the Chick-fil-A Bowl volunteers with the “Bowl before the Bowl” on September 10 at 300 Atlanta bowling alley. Those who volunteer their time to the Chick-fil-A Bowl are the lifeblood of the organization and help ensure a great Bowl Week experience for our teams and fans.

“It’s a great feeling when you see so many long-time volunteers getting together to have some fun,” said bowl president Gary Stokan. “This is what this bowl game is all about.”

For this event, 65 of the bowl’s more than 450 volunteers came out to 300 to show off their bowling skills and mix and mingle with the bowl staff and the Chick-fil-A cow. David K. Lee and Kenny Dease had the best nights on the lanes of anyone in attendance, tying with the top score of 200. Also among the top scorers for the evening were David Stansfield (186), Alicia Neal (164) and Bryan Harris (164). The team of Dease and Danyel Wheeler won the team title with an average score of 146, just ahead of the 138.7 average rolled by Lee, Mel Halfon, Randy McAuley, Cheryl Kuhn, Josh Garner and Michelle Garner. Third place was the Bowl staff team of Andy Albright, David Epps, Matt Garvey, Diana Trujillo, Benji Hollis and Derek Martin who averaged a 124.17.

While this serves as the official kickoff to the volunteer’s involvement with the 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl, there is much more fun to be had by volunteering for one of the many Bowl Week activities like FanFest  and the Chick-fil-A Bowl Parade. If you’re interested in lending a hand – or know someone who is – there’s still time to register as a volunteer. Just visit http://2008chickfilabowl.theregistrationsystem.com/ and sign up for as many events as you would like to by Dec. 4.