CAROLINA PANTHERS AND FORMER QUARTERBACK STEVE BEUERLEIN INITIATE POP WARNER’S NATIONWIDE SIMULTANEOUS KICKOFF
Carolina Panthers to Serve as 2007 NFL Host Team as Charlotte-Area Pop Warner Players Participate in Ceremonial Kick at Bank of America Stadium before Tonight’s Nationally Televised Preseason Game; Event Celebrates Start of NFL, NFLPA and USA Football’s Play Football Initiative
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Friday, August 24, 2007) – Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc., the largest national youth football and cheerleading organization in the United States with more than 400,000 participants and the only youth sports organization with an academic requirement, will celebrate the start of the NFL, NFLPA and USA Football’s Play Football initiative by conducting the third annual Pop Warner Simultaneous Kickoff. The event will include a ceremonial kick by Charlotte-area Pop Warner participants at Bank of America Stadium before CBS’ nationally televised preseason game tonight between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers, the 2007 Pop Warner NFL Host Team.
The Pop Warner Simultaneous Kickoff will involve more than 20,000 children (ages 5-15) taking part in a nationwide kick at 6 PM (EST). This ceremonial kick coincides with the start of the Pop Warner season and road to the Pop Warner 51st Super Bowl and 20th National Cheer & Dance Championships at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
CBS analyst, former Carolina Quarterback and Pop Warner alumnus Steve Beuerlein will deliver a “pre-kick’’ pep talk to Pop Warner players and participate in their ceremonial kick at Bank of America Stadium. Joining Beuerlein will be Carolina Panthers mascot Sir Purr, who will deliver the commemorative “Simultaneous Kickoff” Spalding football that will also be used by select Pop Warner programs across the country. CBS Sports plans to air portions of the ceremonial kick in tonight’s nationally televised preseason game.
While Beuerlein takes the field one last time, another former Pop Warner player, current Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, will lead the Panthers against the Patriots tonight. Delhomme offered these words of inspiration for the Pop Warner participants taking part in the Simultaneous Kickoff.
While Beuerlein takes the field one last time, another former Pop Warner player, current Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, will lead the Panthers against the Patriots tonight. Delhomme offered these words of inspiration for the Pop Warner participants taking part in the Simultaneous Kickoff. “Pop Warner is football for fun. It is football in its purest form so go out there and have fun, play the game and listen to your coaches.”
"Our local Pop Warner programs are very excited to take part in the third annual Pop Warner Simultaneous Kickoff, as the event celebrates our nationwide participation and support of the NFL, NFLPA and USA Football's "Play Football" initiative," said Mary FitzGerald, Chief Operating Officer of Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. "We are also very fortunate to have the support of our volunteers who help co-coordinate efforts across the country as well as NFL Teams like the Carolina Panthers, and business partners like Spalding, who created a commemorative Simultaneous Kickoff football for this event.”
About Pop Warner:
Founded in 1929 and headquartered in Langhorne, PA. Pop Warner Little Scholars is the largest national youth football and cheerleading organization in the United States and the only youth sports organization that emphasizes academics as an equivalent to athletics. Currently there are over 400,000 children in Pop Warner organizations in 43 states, Guam, Scotland, Germany, Russia, Japan and Mexico. The NFLPA estimates that 70% of all current NFL Players got their starts in Pop Warner programs. For more information on Pop Warner and its programs visit www.popwarner.com.
