Contact:
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Rick
Pike |
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Rob
Brough |
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Snow
College |
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Zions
Bank |
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(435)
283-7062 |
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(801)
594-8268 |
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Fax:
(435) 283-7051 |
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EPHRAIM, Utah—April 30, 2003—Snow College president, Michael T. Benson, today announced the Zions Bank Top of the Mountains Bowl Classic – a new National Junior College Athletic Association-sanctioned bowl game to be held in Rice-Eccles Stadium Saturday, December 4 at 1:00 p.m.
Zions Bank has entered into a three-year agreement with Snow College as the game’s title sponsor. Snow College has successfully secured additional contributions from other entities to stage what organizers hope to be the premier junior college bowl game in America. The Snow Badgers will be the host team provided they win more than 50 percent of their games in each regular season. Proceeds from the game will be given to the general scholarship fund at Snow College.
“Our objective is to make this the best bowl game in junior college football. We want teams clamoring to come,” said Benson. “The teams who participate will play in one of the finest facilities in all of college football and stadium of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. They’ll also spend two days getting a taste of the Wasatch Front including a visit to the Utah Winter Sports Park and a chance to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir live on Temple Square.”
“Zions Bank is pleased to partner with Snow College in the creation of this exciting new bowl game,” said Scott Anderson, president and CEO of Zions Bank. “We strongly support all of Utah’s institutions of higher education. We are particularly pleased that the game’s proceeds will help provide scholarships to Snow College students, while at the same time showcasing some of the region’s top football talent.”
The Zions Bank Top of the Mountains Bowl Classic will be one of three games being introduced for NJCAA football teams in 2004. Last season there were six bowl games sanctioned by the NJCAA, providing 12 of the 73 NJCAA football teams the opportunity for post-season play.
“I hope football fans up and down the Wasatch Front will come to this game and learn what I already know – there is a lot of talent at the junior college level,” said Urban Meyer, head football coach at the University of Utah. “There’s no better example of this than Snow College who sends several players every season on to four-year colleges. We have eight former players at Snow College on our team or trying to make our team right now.”
Last December, Snow College traveled to Brunswick, Ga. and defeated Georgia Military in the Golden Isles Bowl 27-21 en route to a 9-1 season and a number four ranking in the final NJCAA poll. In 2002, Snow finished 8-2 and nineteenth in a final poll, but did not receive a bowl invitation.
Snow College
Snow
College, founded in 1888, serves approximately 3,000 students at its Ephraim
campus. The college provides general education and applied technology programs
leading to Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied
Science and Associate of Pre-Engineering degrees, and certificates of
completion in a number of occupational areas.
Once owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Snow
College became a state college in 1932.
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