Capital One Presents the College Football All-Star Challenge; ESPN to televise event

Jan. 24, 2006

Twelve future NFL players who represent some of the best in college football will compete in the ninth annual Capital One Presents the College Football All-Star Challenge. This year’s event will be televised by ESPN, Saturday, February 4 at 4:00 PM EST. With the move to ESPN the show now expands to an hour and a half.

Over the nine year history of the event, twenty-four competitors have been chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft and 11 have been chosen in the second round. Among last year’s competitors were NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and Chicago Bears quarterback Kyle Orton. Once again, the Challenge will be taped at Dolphins’ Stadium in Miami

“We are excited to have one of the most compelling events of football’s biggest weekend on ESPN. This season, we will have another outstanding field of competitors. If it is anything like past competitions, it will serve as an excellent precursor to the NFL Draft,” stated Jason Coyle, Intersport Senior Vice President and General Manager, Media.

Texas quarterback and Rose Bowl MVP Vince Young and UCLA quarterback Drew Olsen will lead this year’s field. Confirmed competitors also include: Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle, Maryland tight end Vernon Davis, Miami wide receiver Sinorice Moss, Minnesota running back Laurence Maroney, Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams. Moss’ brother, Redskins receiver Santana Moss, was a participant in the 2001 College Football All-Star Challenge. It is the first time a sibling of a former competitor has entered the contest.

There will be three divisions of competitors: quarterbacks, receivers/running backs and kickers. The kicking competition is new to this year’s event. Stephen Gostkowski of Memphis, Connor Hughes of Virginia, Josh Huston of Ohio State and David Pino of Texas are the inaugural field. Additional competitors will be announced soon.