OSU HEISMAN TROPHY WINNERS CASSADY, GRIFFIN, GEORGE, SMITH
TO MAKE FIRST-EVER JOINT APPEARANCE AT SPORTS COMMISSION BENEFIT

Columbus sports fans will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see The Ohio State University’s four living Heisman Trophy winners gather together when the ex-Buckeye greats headline the sixth-annual The Morning Sports Report on June 22, 2010 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Howard ‘Hopalong’ Cassady, Archie Griffin, Eddie George and Troy Smith will headline the Greater Columbus Sports Commission’s annual breakfast meeting, marking the first time they will have ever appeared together. The Morning Sports Report has previously featured national celebrities with local ties such as CBS basketball analyst Clark Kellogg and ESPN football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, both former OSU stars as well.

Linda Shetina Logan, executive director of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, and representatives of the Blue Jackets, Crew, Clippers and The Ohio State University will also be featured at 2010 The Morning Sports Report.

“The Morning Sports Report is our annual meeting, and each year we try to feature local sports celebrities that are very well known nationally,” Logan said. “Very few sports stars from Columbus have done more than our own Heisman Trophy winners to bring national attention to our community, so we are very proud to host a one-of-a-kind reunion of these four living Ohio State legends.”

The 2010 The Morning Sports Report will be held from 7:30-9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 22 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. A Fan Fair featuring a variety of the city's sports teams and organizations will be held from 7:30-8 a.m., with the program beginning at 8 a.m.

Tickets are $70 for an individual seat; $800 for a table for ten and 2 tickets to VIP reception with sports celebrities; $85 for an individual VIP seat and one ticket to the VIP reception with sports celebrities; and $1,500 for VIP table for nine with the opportunity to host a sports celebrity, nine tickets to VIP reception with sports celebrities, and other special amenities.

In addition, there will be a private autograph session with the Heisman trophy winners from 9:30-10:30 a.m. A separate $200 ticket must be purchased in advance to attend this session, which will include admission for one person and one officially licensed Ohio State University football. Each guest at the autograph session will watch as his/her football is autographed by each Heisman winner. Event and autograph tickets are available at www.ColumbusSports.org.

Attendees will also receive a ticket package to various Columbus sporting events. In addition, The Morning Sports Report will include a special video presentation to unveil the official 10th Season Logo of the Columbus Blue Jackets, marking a decade of National Hockey League play in Central Ohio during the upcoming 2010-11 season. All attendees will receive a hockey puck featuring this commemorative logo. For more information on The Morning Sports Report, visit www.ColumbusSports.org.

The Greater Columbus Sports Commission was founded in June 2002 to attract professional, amateur, collegiate and youth sporting events to Columbus. In the past five years, the Sports Commission has booked more than 100 events that have generated more than $100 million in visitor spending in Columbus.

Marquee events in which the Sports Commission played a significant role in attracting to or hosting in Columbus include:

• FIFA Women’s World Cup (September 2003)
• NCAA Men’s Basketball 1st & 2nd Rounds (2004, 2007)
• NCAA Women’s Basketball 1st & 2nd Rounds (2004, 2009)
• World Cup of Hockey Training Camp (June 2004)
• NCAA Frozen Four (April 2005)
• NSA Girls Fast Pitch World Series (2006, 2008)
• U.S. Olympic Trials – Synchronized Swimming (December 2006)
• NHL Entry Draft (June 2007)
• USA Track & Field Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships (June 2008)
• Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament (2009, 2010)
• McDonald’s All American High School Basketball Games (March 2010)
• National Association of Sports Commission’s Sports Event Symposium (April 2010)

Major upcoming events include:

• NCAA Women’s Basketball 1st & 2nd Rounds (March 2011)
• NCAA Men’s Basketball 1st & 2nd Rounds (March 2012)

MEDIA CONTACT:
Brent LaLonde
LaLonde PR
614-562-0940
lalondepr@gmail.com

Sarah Irvin
Irvin PR
614-296-4057
sarah@irvinpr.com

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