Toyota Announces Tiny Football League Winners

TORRANCE, Calif., Jan. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. announced the nine winning teams in the Tiny Football League (TFL), an initiative that prompted Pee Wee football teams nationwide to demonstrate their commitment to key Toyota values for a chance to win a donation from the automaker, during yesterday's NBC NFL playoff broadcasts. The nine winning teams beat out more than 600 entries in the contest. Eight of the teams, which were selected by a panel of judges, will each receive a $5,000 donation, while the TFL Fan Champion, as determined by popular vote, will receive the $10,000 grand prize.

"We wanted to spotlight kids who demonstrate key Toyota values both on and off the field in a fun, unexpected way," said Tim Morrison, corporate manager of marketing communications, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "We also hoped that the Tiny Football League would inspire adults to get involved with Pee Wee football, further nurturing and developing the values of teamwork, constant improvement and determination within these young athletes."

Nearly 18,000 votes were cast in the contest, and the public crowned the Saddleback Valley Wolverines from California as the TFL Fan Champion. The Wolverines' collaborative spirit, dedication and strong sense of respect enabled the team to overcome adversity and constantly improve throughout the 2010 season. The other winning teams—two from each of the four TFL regions—include:

• Northeast: Elizabeth Packers, New Jersey
• Northeast: Fort Drum Mountaineers, New York
• West: Williams Bengals, Arizona
• West: Southern Marin Broncos, California
• Midwest: JustUs Warriors, Michigan
• Midwest: Wilmington Hurricane Bantams, Ohio
• South: West Augustine Yellow Jackets, Florida
• South: Lexington Colts, Mississippi

The Tiny Football League provided Toyota an opportunity to give back to the community through its Sunday Night Football sponsorship. The campaign showcased several Pee Wee football teams during NBC's Sunday Night Football halftime programming through a series of 20 humorous, light-hearted TFL vignettes that began September 9, 2010. The vignettes drove traffic to a site hosted on Toyota.com and the Toyota Facebook page, where coaches and league officials were invited to submit their team for a chance to win a donation from Toyota. Teams were encouraged to submit a photo and explain how they uphold Toyota values of teamwork, constant improvement and determination. Deadline for submissions was November 9, 2010.

To learn more about the TFL and the winning teams, visit http://www.toyota.com/tfl or http://www.facebook.com/toyota.

About Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of more than 1,400 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers. Toyota directly employs more than 34,000 people in the U.S. and sold more than 1.76 million vehicles in 2010.  

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030501/TOYLOGO)

SOURCE Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.