June 18, 2015

Football

2015 ADVOCARE TEXAS KICKOFF SET FOR PRIMETIME TELECAST ON ESPN

Game will kick off at NRG Stadium at 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 5

The AdvoCare Texas Kickoff will mark the first match-up in the schools’ histories, continuing the tradition of championship caliber opponents facing off at NRG Stadium. This will be Texas A&M’s third time appearing in an opening weekend event (1988 and 1998), and the contest will mark Arizona State’s first time playing in such a game.

The 2015 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff is one of four neutral-site kickoff games in the country. The 2014 installment of the game featured LSU and Wisconsin in front of a record crowd of 71,599 at NRG Stadium.

Close to 60,000 tickets have already been sold for the 2015 matchup, remaining seats range from $65-$260 and may be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 832-667-2390. A limited number of luxury suites are still available, to purchase call 832-667-2160. Tickets are also available at the NRG Stadium box office. For more information, please visit www.AdvoCareTexasKickoff.com.

ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a subsidiary of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; 13 college bowl games, nine college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Boca Raton, Boise, Birmingham, Dallas-Fort Worth, Albuquerque, St. Petersburg and Las Vegas, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

Collegiate Football

AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (Houston); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); Orlando Kickoff (Florida); Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); St. Petersburg Bowl (Florida); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta) and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Collegiate Basketball

Armed Forces Classic (Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan); DIRECTV Wooden Legacy (Orange County, Calif.); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s Classic Presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic Presented by Corona (Hartford/Storrs, Conn.); Orlando Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan) and State Farm Champions Classic (Chicago)

For more information, visit www.espnevents.com or follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Lone Star Sports & Entertainment

Lone Star Sports & Entertainment is an event management company founded in 2003.  Since its founding, LSSE has established itself as the leading sports event promoter in Houston. The sold out AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl and the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff provide an annual economic impact to the city of Houston of $100 million. LSSE has also emerged as a premier promoter for international soccer matches, including the 2010 MLS All-Star Game featuring Manchester United, the 2006 FC Barcelona U.S. tour, 2003 and 2008 matches between the United States and Mexico, and the 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cups. Additionally, LSSE has reinvigorated the “Battle of the Piney Woods” rivalry between Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State and has promoted a pair of major concerts featuring country superstars George Strait and Kenny Chesney.

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Media Contacts: Rachel Margolis Siegal, ESPN PR – 860-766-2798; Rachel.m.siegal@espn.com

Amy Palcic, LSSE – 832-667-2220; amy.palcic@houstontexans.com