BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Dec. 5, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- ESPN Regional
Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, today announced that
the University of Kentucky will
represent the Southeastern Conference in the fifth annual BBVA
Compass Bowl.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101104/DA95221LOGO)
The Wildcats (6-6, 2-6 SEC) will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers
of the BIG EAST Conference in the BBVA Compass Bowl, an ERT owned
and operated event, on Saturday, Jan. 8,
2011 at Birmingham's
historic Legion Field. The game will be televised by ESPN at
11 a.m. CT.
"We look forward to hosting the University
of Kentucky in Birmingham
for their fifth consecutive bowl game and their first-ever matchup
with the Pitt Panthers," said Mark
Meadows, Executive Director of the BBVA Compass Bowl. "We
know the players and fans from both teams will enjoy the great
hospitality and all of the bowl week events and activities our bowl
committee has planned."
The Wildcats have played in bowls in Birmingham twice before, participating in the
1983 and 1984 Hall of Fame Bowls at Legion Field. Current
Wildcats' head coach Joker Phillips was a player on the '83 and '84
Kentucky teams that played against
West Virginia and Wisconsin, respectively, in the Hall of Fame
Bowls.
In addition to playing in its fifth consecutive bowl game,
Kentucky will be making its 15th
bowl appearance overall.
"As we continue to grow our football program at Kentucky, it is our privilege to be invited to
the BBVA Compass Bowl," said Mitch
Barnhart, Kentucky Director
of Athletics. "We are excited to play in Birmingham, the home of the Southeastern
Conference office and a historic stadium at Legion Field, and have
the opportunity for our players, coaches, families and fans to
enjoy a city that has a great football tradition and a place in our
nation's history. We look forward to this event and the
challenge of playing an outstanding team from the University of Pittsburgh."
Tickets to the 2010 BBVA Compass Bowl will be available at 56
BBVA Compass branch locations throughout North and Central Alabama including those in
Birmingham, Huntsville and Montgomery starting Monday, December 6th. Tickets are also available
online at www.bbvacompassbowl.com or by calling 800-590-3981.
Tickets are priced at $50 each for
sideline seating and $30 each for
corner seats.
''At BBVA Compass, we want to provide fans an opportunity to
participate in what they love,'' said Chris
Ward, BBVA Compass east region retail executive. ''We also
know from listening to our customers that convenience is one of the
most important aspects they want in their banking relationship. So,
we are very pleased that for the first time in the history of this
bowl fans will have the added convenience of purchasing tickets at
BBVA Compass branch locations throughout North and Central Alabama.''
ABOUT BBVA COMPASS
BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that
operates more than 717 branches including 382 in Texas, 92 in Alabama, 65 in California, 77 in Arizona, 45 in Florida, 36 in Colorado and 20 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass is the 15th largest
U.S. commercial bank based on deposit market share and ranks among
the largest banks in Texas (4th),
Alabama (3rd) and Arizona (5th). For the second consecutive
year, BBVA Compass was named as a "Lender of the Year" by the Small
Business Administration (SBA). Additional information concerning
BBVA Compass can be found on our website www.bbvacompass.com.
BBVA Compass is a subsidiary of Compass Bancshares, Inc., a
wholly owned subsidiary of BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) (MAD: BBVA). BBVA is a
financial services group with approximately $755 billion in total assets, 48 million clients,
7,400 branches and approximately 104,000 employees in more than 30
countries. BBVA ranks among the top 20 largest financial
institutions in the world based on market capitalization and 21st
in Global Finance magazine's list of the "World's 50 Safest
Banks" for 2010. BBVA provides its customers around the world with
a full range of financial services, including commercial and
wholesale banking, retail banking services, consumer loans,
mortgages, credit cards, securities brokerage, wealth management,
pension plan management and insurance. The BBVA Group maintains a
leadership position in Spain,
Mexico, Latin America and the Sunbelt Region of
the United States as well as
operations in China, France, Germany, Hong
Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Additional information about
the BBVA Group can be found at www.bbva.com.
Editor's Note:
BBVA Compass is a trade name of Compass Bank. Compass Bank,
member FDIC.
ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation's largest syndicator of collegiate sports
programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more
than 1,000 telecasts of sporting events. Programming includes
football, basketball, NCAA events, golf and NHRA events accounting
for more than 2,200 live and/or original hours of programming. In
addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for
ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network; syndication
rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows
for college conferences (e.g. – SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12,
Mid-American, WAC).
ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting
events, including collegiate football events: the Beef 'O' Brady's
Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
(Fort Worth, Texas); BBVA Compass
Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); MAACO
Bowl Las Vegas; New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl
(Honolulu); Texas Bowl
(Houston); the MEAC/SWAC Challenge
presented by Disney (Orlando,
Fla.); and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football
Awards; collegiate basketball events: the 76 Classic
(Anaheim, Calif.); Cancun
Governor's Cup; Charleston Classic (S.C.); DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST
Invitational; Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney
World Resort near Orlando, Fla.);
Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San
Juan); Lane Furniture All-College Basketball Classic
(Oklahoma City) and
BracketBusters; as well as the ESPNU Warrior Classic (Lacrosse) and
the ESPN National Golf Challenge presented by Callaway. For more
information, visit ESPNPlus.com.
SOURCE BBVA Compass; ESPN