Vote for Sebastian as Capital One Mascot of the Year

Vote for Sebastian as Capital One Mascot of the Year

Sept. 6, 2005

Coral Gables, Fla. (www. hurricanesports.com) – – The University of Miami’s Sebastian the Ibis is among the members of the fourth annual Capital One All-America Mascot Team, made up of 12 lovable, hard-workingand oddly-proportioned characters deemed the best of the beasts. And the fuzz and fur areflying as the 12 vie for the most coveted title in the land — “Capital One Mascot of the Year.”

Starting September 1st, fans can vote for Sebastian online at www.capitalonebowl.com, for theirfavorite All-American, who will be announced during the Capital One Bowl on January 2.This year’s contest features a weekly head-to-furry-head face-off among this year’s All-Americans:

“We created this contest to celebrate the unsung heroes of college football,” said PamGirardo at Capital One. “These lovable characters have been cheering on their teamsrelentlessly, and now they need the favor returned.”The fan vote is the sole determinant of the winner; the people choose.

Voting consists of11 weekly match ups between the All-Americans. The mascots with the best win/lossrecords face off in online playoffs in December.

The winner will be pronounced Capital OneNational Mascot of the Year on January 2, 2006 during the Capital One Bowl.

“Mascots work as hard as anyone on the field, but are lost in the shadows of the flashy allstarquarterbacks and running backs,” said David Raymond, mascot expert and original PhilliePhanatic. “This is a great tribute to them, and fans should show their support. Bragging rightsare on the line.”

This year’s fuzzy crew was chosen from Division IA and IAA athletic programs with collegefootball teams. They made the squad after being ranked on mascot musts such as interactionwith fans, originality and pedigree. The panel of judges included mascot guru and historian, Dr.Roy Yarbrough, and representatives from ESPN and Capital One.

Over the past three years, Capital One has helped thrust the spotlight on these unsung heroesof the gridiron. Team members star in a national advertising campaign, which this year featuresthe mascots participating in the M Games, a series of unusual (and fictitious) competitions. Inaddition to the hoopla, each mascot receives $5,000 for its school’s mascot program. Mascot ofthe Year receives an additional $5,000 scholarship to help fund its school’s mascot program.

MASCOT MOBILE TOURGet ready for mascot mayhem. Capital One’s Mobile Mascot Tour will be traveling acrossthe country throughout the Fall, stopping at each All-American’s campus to offer fans theultimate mascot experience, including photo opportunities, mascot facts and statistics, votingstations, interactive games and more.

“The mascot tour is a celebration of mascots, and shouldinspire more fans to support their mascot and vote,” said Girardo. The tour kicks off atWashington State University on September 1.

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a holding company whoseprincipal subsidiaries, Capital One Bank and Capital One FSB, offer consumer lending products.Capital One, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in McLean, Va., is one of the largestproviders of MasterCard and Visa credit cards in the world. Capital One trades on the New YorkStock Exchange under the symbol “COF” and is included in the S&P 500 index. Capital One’saffiliation with college football began with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One FloridaCitrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN’s Bowl Week. In addition, Capital Onesponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report and numerous other college footballprograms.# # #