Pilgrim's Pride to Sponsor Junior College Bowl Classic

Game to be held December 4 at Mt. Pleasant's Sam Parker Field

PITTSBURG, Texas - October 6, 2004 - Pilgrim's Pride is not just talking chicken; it's talking pigskin.

The nation's second largest poultry company will sponsor the inaugural Pilgrim's Pride Bowl Classic football game, matching one of the top teams from the Southwest Junior College Football Conference and a team from another league to be determined.

Kickoff will be 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004, at Mt. Pleasant's Sam Parker Field.

Bo Pilgrim, Chairman of Pilgrim's Pride, will toss the game coin and then you can expect the feathers to fly. "We are proud to be a part of college football tradition," said Bo Pilgrim. "Our goal is to bring this rich tradition to East Texas."

Pilgrim's Pride has officially unveiled the logo for the event: a red, white and blue company logo framed by two football helmets.

"The bowl logo embodies what college football is all about," said Dan Emery, Pilgrim's Pride Vice President of Sales & Marketing. "The red, white and blue represents the patriotic spirit of the Pilgrim's Pride community and the event is one we expect to become an annual clash of Junior College titans. Our goal is to make this the premier bowl game in the junior college circuit, which will include a blockbuster, chicken barbecue tailgate event sure to please the fans in attendance."

The Pilgrim's Pride Bowl Classic is officially sanctioned by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and is one of eight junior college bowl games in the nation scheduled for 2004. The Pilgrim's Pride Bowl Classic will be the second tie-in for the Southwest Junior Football Conference and one of three new bowl games added this year by the NJCAA.

"We are pleased to be able to work with Pilgrim's Pride to bring this event to Mt. Pleasant," said Dr. Ken English, Superintendent of Mt. Pleasant Independent School District. "We are excited about the opportunity to showcase this community so people can see what we have to offer here."

Game tickets will go on sale in mid-November.

"We are looking forward to hosting one of the best Junior College bowl games in the nation," said Marc McDaniel, MPISD's director of athletic facilities and operations. "We are thankful for having Pilgrim's Pride as a very gracious sponsor."