Contact:
Chris Widmaier
National Football League
212-450-2000
DRAFT FOR APPROVAL
TOP NFL QUARTERBACKS
SQUARE OFF IN THE
FOOTACTION USA NFL QUARTERBACK CHALLENGE
NEW YORK, March 19, 1997 - - Drew Bledsoe of the New England Patriots will get another chance at beating Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers when 12 of the NFL’s top quarterbacks gather at Disney World’s new sports complex to compete in the eighth annual FootAction NFL Quarterback Challenge. Each element of the skills challenge is designed to test specific dimensions of the position including long-distance throwing, accuracy, speed and mobility, and reading defenses.
The competition will be taped by NBC-TV and aired as a SportsWorld special on Saturday July 26 from 2 to 3 pm ET and Sunday July 27 from 4 to 5pm et. The program is traditionally the highest-rated SportsWorld special for NBC each summer. Phil Simms will have the chance to critique his one-time rivals when he serves as NBC’s guest analyst. Simms will join Dan Hicks and Paul Maguire in calling the FootAction USA NFL Quarterback Challenge.
In addition to the two quarterbacks who competed in Super Bowl XXXI, other repeat performers include defending champ Neil O’Donnell of the New York Jets, Jim Harbaugh of the Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys QB Troy Aikman, and Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers. Jeff Blake of the Cincinnati Bengals and Kerry Collins of the Carolina Panthers both will make their second appearance and making their first Challenge appearance will be Mark Brunell of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Jeff George of the Oakland Raiders. Two more quarterbacks will be added to the line-up closer to the event.
This year’s event will feature the national finals of the first annual FOOTACTION High School Quarterback Challenge. This new grassroots extension of the QB Challenge has taken place in 15 NFL cities this winter, where 25 top high school seniors have competed for the right to move on to the national finals at World Disney World. The 15 finalists will compete on the same field and same day as the pros, and NBC will incorporate highlights of the competition in the SportsWorld special.
In addition to FootAction USA, major sponsors of the event include Sprint, Visa, True Value Hardware Stores, Nike and Pinnacle Trading Cards.