Kellogg Company Announces Team Kellogg's™ Athletes Who Will Fuel The Company's 2012 Team USA Sponsorship

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., Oct. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In advance of this month's Pan American Games, Kellogg Company, an official sponsor of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, today is announcing Team Kellogg's™, a select group consisting of a U.S. Olympic legend and several U.S. Olympic and Paralympic champions and hopefuls training to represent Team USA at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Kellogg – which has been helping people start their day right for more than 100 years – chose to partner with these athletes because they are proof that a great start to every day is a critical component to success. As part of the company's U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team sponsorship, Team Kellogg's athletes will share their personal nutritional habits and their favorite breakfast routines.

Team Kellogg's includes Juan Agudelo (soccer), Michael Landers (table tennis), Dwight Phillips (track and field), Summer Sanders (swimming legend), Rebecca Soni (swimming), Casey Tibbs (Paralympic track and field) and Kerri Walsh (beach volleyball). Fans can find more information about each athlete and follow their journeys at www.facebook.com/kelloggs.

"We are proud to partner with U.S. athletes who believe – as we do – that the power of breakfast is crucial to a great start," said Kellogg North America President Brad Davidson. "Team Kellogg's is an amazing group of athletes who remind fans everywhere that each day is filled with the potential to achieve your goals, both big and small, when you start it off right."

As part of Kellogg's sponsorship of Team Kellogg's and the United States Olympic Committee, all Team USA athletes and coaches will have access to the same great breakfast foods and snacks that fans across the country love, from Kellogg's Frosted Flakes® and Mini-Wheats® cereals to Nutri-Grain® and Special K® cereal bars. Kellogg will serve these products at the U.S. Olympic Training Centers and additional team venues as well as on-site in London to help fuel Team USA. In addition, Kellogg commits financial support to aid Team USA athletes as they train and compete at the highest level.

Meet Team Kellogg's

Eating breakfast regularly is a key to starting your day right – no matter if you're on the road to the Olympic Games or heading off to the classroom or office. The seven members of Team Kellogg's recognize the importance of refueling in the morning to get the body going.

"Kellogg's® products have been at the start of my day since I was a little kid, and I can remember eating Mini-Wheats® to get nutrients and energy before volleyball practice," said two-time defending Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh. "I am excited to partner with Kellogg Company and this group of outstanding athletes to share our journeys to London with fans."

Team Kellogg's includes:

• Juan Agudelo – Men's Soccer
  • Agudelo was born in Manizales, Colombia, and moved to the United States with his family at age 8 where he began his impressive soccer career. He has made 11 appearances with the U.S. National Team and became the youngest player on the team to score in international competition when he netted the only goal in a 1-0 defeat of South Africa in 2010. He currently plays for the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer where he has scored six goals in the 2011 season.
• Michael Landers – Table Tennis
  • Landers, a Long Island, N.Y., native found the sport of table tennis at the age of 9 and developed a passion for it, which resulted in his becoming the youngest U.S. men's singles table tennis champion in 2009 at the age of 15. Currently, he trains at a table tennis club in Manhattan and often travels to China to train with the world's best players.
• Dwight Phillips – Track and Field
  • Long regarded as a "big event performer," Phillips won a gold medal at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and recently became just the second man in history to win four world titles in men's long jump when he took gold at the 2011 World Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The father of two young sons, Phillips is also a five-time U.S. Outdoor champion who trains in his home state of Georgia.
• Summer Sanders – Swimming Legend
  • Sanders became unforgettable in the swimming world during her tenure at Stanford University where she won back-to-back NCAA swimmer-of-the year awards before bringing home four medals (two gold, one silver, one bronze) at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Now a mother of two, she has gone on to extend her knowledge of the sport outside the pool as a former commentator for NBC's Olympic coverage and other network sporting events. 
• Rebecca Soni – Swimming
  • Among Soni's many accomplishments, the three-time medalist at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (one gold, two silver) recently took gold in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke at the 2011 FINA World Swimming Championships in July. Her collegiate career was every bit as illustrious at the University of Southern California (2006-2009) where she was an 11-time All-American and four-time NCAA Champion.
• Casey Tibbs – Paralympic Track and Field
  • Tibbs, a father of three, competed in the 2004 and 2008 Paralympic Games and has amassed four medals (two gold, one silver, one bronze) in an array of events including the pentathlon, long jump and 4-x-100m relay. An active member of the U.S. Navy, he became the first amputee to be an Air Crewman through the U.S. Navy Aircrew School.
• Kerri Walsh – Beach Volleyball
  • Walsh began her Olympic journey on the indoor volleyball court at Stanford University (1996-1999) and garnered a number of records including becoming only the second player in NCAA history to receive First-Team All-American honors all four seasons.  She then went on to become one half of the winningest team in beach volleyball history with partner Misty May-Treanor.

Partnerships to Bring Fans Valuable Nutrition Information

The 2012 sponsorship efforts will be Kellogg's most extensive Team USA Olympic-focused marketing campaign in the history of the company's decades-long relationship with the USOC. Team Kellogg's athletes will be featured in television, print and online advertising, as well as on a variety of Kellogg's product packaging and point-of-purchase displays in retail locations.

According to Kellogg Company's recent Breakfast in America survey, more than 80 percent of American adults believe breakfast is an important start to the day. Kellogg's Team USA Olympic campaign will reinforce that truth and, as part of the effort, fans will learn the value of good nutritional habits, unique tips and daily practices directly from the world-class members of Team Kellogg's.  For example, not only is breakfast cereal with milk a leading source of 10 nutrients(1), Kellogg offers many ready-to-eat cereals that are at least a good source of fiber (3 grams) and provide a half serving (8 grams) of whole grains.

As another element of the sponsorship, Kellogg and USOC nutritionists will harness their combined expertise on a number of projects to benefit Team USA and fans, including producing a series of educational nutrition videos featuring U.S. Olympic athletes and experts, which will be showcased on both organizations' online media channels.  

Kellogg's Relationship with the USOC

Kellogg Company has a long-standing relationship with the USOC.  Kellogg will support the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams for the 2012, 2014 and 2016 Games, as well as the 2011 and 2015 U.S. Pan American and Parapan American Teams. Kellogg supported the Olympic Games from 1976-1992 and the U.S. Olympic Teams from 2000-2008. During that time, a wide variety of Kellogg brands carried the U.S. Olympic Rings and other Olympic Marks.

Kellogg Company's sponsorship of the USOC includes all Kellogg's cereal brands, toaster pastries, frozen waffles/pancakes, fruit-flavored snack pieces, cereal bars, cookies and crackers.

About Kellogg Company

For more than 100 years, consumers have counted on Kellogg for great-tasting, high-quality and nutritious foods. Kellogg Company, with 2010 sales of more than $12 billion, is the world's leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles and veggie foods. Kellogg Company's beloved brands, which are manufactured in 18 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries, include Kellogg's®, Keebler®, Pop-Tarts®, Eggo®, Cheez-It®, All-Bran®, Mini-Wheats®, Nutri-Grain®, Rice Krispies®, Special K®, Chips Deluxe®, Famous Amos®, Sandies®, Austin®, Club®, Murray®, Kashi®, Bear Naked®, Morningstar Farms®, Gardenburger® and Stretch Island®. For more information on the Kellogg Company, including our corporate responsibility initiatives, visit www.kelloggcompany.com.  

(1) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-2006.

SOURCE Kellogg Company