GEICO Named Title Sponsor Of The "State Champions Bowl Series," To Be Hosted At Ford Center At The Star In Frisco, TX
High School Football Event Pairing State Champions in Post Season Play to be Held at Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters; Live on ESPNU, Friday, December 23
FRISCO, Texas, Oct. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GEICO has been named title sponsor of the State Champions Bowl Series. For the second time since 2014, this unique event will allow high school football champions from different states to play against each other in post-season bowl games to be televised live on ESPNU. The games will also be available through WatchESPN, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider. Participating teams will play in a single game matchup, with a total of two games to take place at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on Friday, December 23. Games will kick off at 6:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. EST.
The Star is a 91-acre campus that hosts the World Corporate Headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys in Frisco, Texas. In addition to their corporate offices and practice/training facility, The Star features Ford Center—a state-of-the-art 12,000-seat indoor football stadium that is home to the Frisco ISD high school football teams, which will host a variety of events. The Star will also include an entertainment district lined with restaurants and shops, the Omni hotel, a medical center and more. The campus offers an experience for fans worldwide to take a look inside the entire operation of the Dallas Cowboys.
Currently the AIA (Arizona), FHSAA (Florida), GHSA (Georgia) and UHSAA (Utah) have approved its member schools to participate in the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series. Team match-ups will be announced in mid-December.
"The GEICO State Champions Bowl Series gives ESPNU yet another opportunity to showcase the next generation of college athletes," said Dan Margulis, ESPN Senior Director of Content Strategy and Scheduling. "This event, created by Paragon Marketing Group, will give fans more to enjoy during an already exciting time this football season." Paragon Marketing Group worked with GEICO to create this fan-friendly event that rewards State Champions for their excellence and celebrates high school football on a national level. "We thank the AIA, GHSA, FHSAA and UHSAA for participating, and look to expand the event in future years," said Rashid Ghazi, Partner, Paragon Marketing Group.
"We are honored to host the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series here at Ford Center at The Star," said Dallas Cowboys Chief Operating Officer Stephen Jones. "Seeing some of the nation's top high school student athletes showcased here in Frisco will be an incredible event for all fans in attendance, for all those watching at home on ESPNU, and most importantly, for the student athletes playing in the games."
The State Champions Bowl Series took place previously on December 27, 2014 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. In 2014, Trinity Christian (FL) defeated Eastside Catholic (WA) 35-21, Miami Central (FL) defeated Bothell (WA) 37-27 and Booker T. Washington (FL) defeated Bingham (UT) 34-28.
Additional information is available at www.geicobowlseries.com.
About GEICO
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the second-largest private passenger auto insurance company in the United States. GEICO, which was founded in 1936, provides millions of auto insurance quotes to U.S. drivers annually. The company is pleased to serve more than 14 million private passenger customers, insuring more than 23 million vehicles (auto & cycle).
About The Ford Center at The Star
Ford Center at The Star is a state-of-the-art, 510,000 square foot indoor athletic facility shared by the Dallas Cowboys, the City of Frisco, and Frisco ISD's high schools. The facility seats 12,000 and features interior and exterior video boards. At 2,270 square feet, the exterior video board is the largest in high school sports. Ford Center boasts one indoor and two outdoor (one turf and one natural grass) NFL and University Interscholastic League (UIL) compliant practice fields. Four luxury suites and a premium hospitality area—Cowboys Club—overlook the indoor stadium and outdoor practice fields.
Ford Center at The Star is home to Dallas Cowboys Football Operations including locker room, training room, coaches' offices, team rooms, Training Table and hydrotherapy. Frisco ISD also has dedicated locker rooms, training room, press area, and coaches' offices at the facility. The facility will house Frisco ISD events such as football games, soccer games, marching band competitions, graduation commencement and other similar events.
About Paragon Marketing Group
Paragon Marketing Group is a corporate consulting agency specializing in sports, entertainment and cause related sponsorships. Paragon, owns and operates the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series and has partnered with ESPN over the past 13 years to deliver over 450 live high school football and basketball telecasts featuring many of the top teams and players in the nation. Paragon's consulting clients include Bayer, Gatorade, PNC Bank, Toyota, Yokohama and UCHealth.
About ESPN
ESPN, Inc. is the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets with over 50 business entities. Based in Bristol, Conn., with approximately 4,000 employees (approximately 8,000 worldwide), ESPN Plaza includes nearly 1.2 million square feet in 18 buildings on 123 acres (additional 500,000 sq. ft. rented nearby). The company is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN. In 2015, ESPN produced more than 51,000 hours of live event/studio programming across platforms.
For further information on the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series and for media credential requests please contact: [email protected]
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SOURCE GEICO
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