University of Kentucky Accepts Invitation to Play in BBVA Compass Bowl

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Dec. 5, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, today announced that the University of Kentucky will represent the Southeastern Conference in the fifth annual BBVA Compass Bowl.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101104/DA95221LOGO)

The Wildcats (6-6, 2-6 SEC) will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers of the BIG EAST Conference in the BBVA Compass Bowl, an ERT owned and operated event, on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011 at Birmingham's historic Legion Field.  The game will be televised by ESPN at 11 a.m. CT.

"We look forward to hosting the University of Kentucky in Birmingham for their fifth consecutive bowl game and their first-ever matchup with the Pitt Panthers," said Mark Meadows, Executive Director of the BBVA Compass Bowl. "We know the players and fans from both teams will enjoy the great hospitality and all of the bowl week events and activities our bowl committee has planned."

The Wildcats have played in bowls in Birmingham twice before, participating in the 1983 and 1984 Hall of Fame Bowls at Legion Field.  Current Wildcats' head coach Joker Phillips was a player on the '83 and '84 Kentucky teams that played against West Virginia and Wisconsin, respectively, in the Hall of Fame Bowls.

In addition to playing in its fifth consecutive bowl game, Kentucky will be making its 15th bowl appearance overall.  

"As we continue to grow our football program at Kentucky, it is our privilege to be invited to the BBVA Compass Bowl," said Mitch Barnhart, Kentucky Director of Athletics.  "We are excited to play in Birmingham, the home of the Southeastern Conference office and a historic stadium at Legion Field, and have the opportunity for our players, coaches, families and fans to enjoy a city that has a great football tradition and a place in our nation's history.  We look forward to this event and the challenge of playing an outstanding team from the University of Pittsburgh."

Tickets to the 2010 BBVA Compass Bowl will be available at 56 BBVA Compass branch locations throughout North and Central Alabama including those in Birmingham, Huntsville and Montgomery starting Monday, December 6th. Tickets are also available online at www.bbvacompassbowl.com or by calling 800-590-3981. Tickets are priced at $50 each for sideline seating and $30 each for corner seats.

''At BBVA Compass, we want to provide fans an opportunity to participate in what they love,'' said Chris Ward, BBVA Compass east region retail executive. ''We also know from listening to our customers that convenience is one of the most important aspects they want in their banking relationship. So, we are very pleased that for the first time in the history of this bowl fans will have the added convenience of purchasing tickets at BBVA Compass branch locations throughout North and Central Alabama.''

ABOUT BBVA COMPASS

BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates more than 717 branches including 382 in Texas, 92 in Alabama, 65 in California, 77 in Arizona, 45 in Florida, 36 in Colorado and 20 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass is the 15th largest U.S. commercial bank based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Texas (4th), Alabama (3rd) and Arizona (5th). For the second consecutive year, BBVA Compass was named as a "Lender of the Year" by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Additional information concerning BBVA Compass can be found on our website www.bbvacompass.com.

BBVA Compass is a subsidiary of Compass Bancshares, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) (MAD: BBVA). BBVA is a financial services group with approximately $755 billion in total assets, 48 million clients, 7,400 branches and approximately 104,000 employees in more than 30 countries. BBVA ranks among the top 20 largest financial institutions in the world based on market capitalization and 21st in Global Finance magazine's list of the "World's 50 Safest Banks" for 2010. BBVA provides its customers around the world with a full range of financial services, including commercial and wholesale banking, retail banking services, consumer loans, mortgages, credit cards, securities brokerage, wealth management, pension plan management and insurance. The BBVA Group maintains a leadership position in Spain, Mexico, Latin America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States as well as operations in China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Additional information about the BBVA Group can be found at www.bbva.com.

Editor's Note:

BBVA Compass is a trade name of Compass Bank. Compass Bank, member FDIC.

ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership

The nation's largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,000 telecasts of sporting events. Programming includes football, basketball, NCAA events, golf and NHRA events accounting for more than 2,200 live and/or original hours of programming. In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (e.g. – SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC).

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events, including collegiate football events: the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas); BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl (Honolulu); Texas Bowl (Houston); the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards; collegiate basketball events: the 76 Classic (Anaheim, Calif.); Cancun Governor's Cup; Charleston Classic (S.C.); DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational; Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); Lane Furniture All-College Basketball Classic (Oklahoma City) and BracketBusters; as well as the ESPNU Warrior Classic (Lacrosse) and the ESPN National Golf Challenge presented by Callaway. For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.

SOURCE BBVA Compass; ESPN