Sixteen spirited but unsung heroes of college football are
basking in the limelight as Capital One Financial Corporation
(NYSE: COF) announced the members of the 10th annual Capital One
All-America Mascot Team. The 16 mascots, representing nine
conferences and including several natural gridiron rivalries, will
go head-to-head throughout the college football season in a battle
royale determined exclusively by fan voting. When the dust – and
fur – settles, one lucky creature will be named the Capital One
National Mascot of the Year at the 2012 Capital One Bowl.
The 16 members of the Capital One
All-America Mascot Team pose for a celebratory photo for the 10th
anniversary of the collegiate sports program. Fan voting will
determine the Capital One National Mascot of the Year which will be
announced at the 2012 Capital One Bowl. Fans can vote for their
favorite mascot at www.CapitalOneBowl.com or
www.Facebook.com/MascotChallenge on a weekly basis to help it win
the honors as national champion and receive a $20,000 scholarship
from Capital One to help fund its school’s mascot program. (Photo:
Business Wire)
This year’s field is comprised of a talented variety of species,
including an eclectic mix of mammals and reptiles. As in years
past, the only things that eclipse the gargantuan size of the
mascots’ heads is their boundless energy and relentless commitment
to claiming the title by any means necessary.
“All mascots look forward to this day with anticipation, as we
seek the recognition we deserve for our tireless efforts and
unwavering loyalty to our schools,” defending champion, Big Blue of
Old Dominion University, said through a mascot interpreter. “It’s a
true measure of our self worth. I know what it takes to be named
Capital One Mascot of the Year and I am not going to let any
muscle-bound Spartan, buck-toothed Beaver or freaky-looking Frog
derail my quest for a second straight title.”
Members of the 2011 Capital One All-America Mascot Team, as
nominated by their schools and selected by a panel of judges from
Capital One and the mascot community, are detailed below.
Wilbur T. Wildcat of University
of Arizona
Sparty of Michigan State
University
Aubie of Auburn
University
Mike the Tiger of Louisiana
State University
Testudo of the University of
Maryland
Wolfie Jr. of the University of
Nevada
Hairy Dawg of the University of
Georgia
Boomer of the University of
Oklahoma
Brutus Buckeye of The Ohio State
University
Big Blue of Old Dominion
University
Duck of the University of
Oregon
Benny Beaver of Oregon State
University
Buzz of Georgia Tech
SuperFrog of TCU
Cy of Iowa State
Big Red of Western Kentucky
University
New this year, fans will be able to view never told before
stories for each mascot to learn more about their journey to become
National Mascot of the Year. The videos will be available on
www.CapitalOneBowl.com and www.Facebook.com/MascotChallenge all
season long.
“The Capital One Mascot Challenge is a long-standing tradition
for our organization during the college football season,” said Marc
Mentry, Senior Vice President of Advertising and Sponsorships at
Capital One. “We are proud to honor these unheralded mascots who
tirelessly roam the sidelines cheering on their schools. The fan
support and growth of this program has been outstanding over the
past 10 years, as evidenced by the millions of fan votes cast each
year. We are anxious to see how this year’s competition plays
out.”
The 16 mascots will go head-to-furry-head for 12 weeks during
the college football regular season in a voting contest to
determine the Capital One National Mascot of the Year. Fans will be
able to vote at www.CapitalOneBowl.com, on Facebook at
www.Facebook.com/MascotChallenge and via text voting. Regular
season voting officially opens at 12 p.m. ET on August 29, 2011,
and continues weekly through November 21, 2011. The top eight
mascots with the best head-to-head records will then compete in a
bracket-style, single-elimination competition to determine the
overall winner.
The Capital One National Mascot of the Year will be announced at
the Capital One Bowl on January 2, 2012 and will be awarded a
$20,000 scholarship to help fund its school’s mascot program. Each
of the 2011 Capital One All-America team members receives $5,000
for their university mascot program.
A “write-in” campaign is available for mascots who did not make
this year’s selection. Fans are encouraged to log on to
CapitalOneBowl.com and, after voting on this year’s match-ups,
nominate their school’s mascot for a chance to be a part of the
2012 Capital One Mascot Challenge and earn $1,000 toward their
school’s mascot program.
For digital assets including videos, photos and the program
logo, please visit:
http://social.taylorstrategy.com/smpr/smr/CapitalOne/mascotchallenge.html
About Capital One:
Capital One Financial Corporation (http://www.capitalone.com) is
a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include
Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $117.3
billion in deposits and $197.5 billion in total assets outstanding
as of June 30, 2010. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One
offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to
consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One,
N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New
York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia, and the
District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on
the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included
in the S&P 100 index.
Capital One, an NCAA corporate champion, began its
affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001
Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and
ESPN’s Capital One Bowl Week. In addition, Capital One sponsors the
ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America
Mascot Team, all 88 NCAA Championships including the Division I
Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, and numerous other
collegiate athletics programs.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6842668&lang=en
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