AFL Ready to Begin TNN Schedule
Published on June 4, 2002 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release
NEW YORK (June 4, 2002) - The Arena Football League and The New TNN: The National Network, the primary television home of Arena Football during the 2002 season, kick off a seven-game schedule this Sunday, June 9 at 4:30 PM ET/PT, when the Tampa Bay Storm (2-5) travel Central Florida's Interstate-4 to battle the Orlando Predators (3-4) at TD Waterhouse Centre.
Each Sunday afternoon at 4:30 PM ET/PT (unless otherwise noted) from June 9 through July 21, The New TNN will telecast a live, action-packed, hard-hitting Arena Football game from venues all across the country.
Veteran announcers ELI GOLD and CHARLES DAVIS return to the broadcast booth for the network's third season of Arena Football coverage. This marks Davis' first year as full-time color analyst for The New TNN, while Gold returns for his third straight year announcing Arena Football on The New TNN.
Current CBS NFL and NCAA college football sideline reporter JILL ARRINGTON returns for her third season as halftime host and sideline reporter for the AFL on The New TNN.
Gold is well known nationally for his years of announcing NASCAR on TNN, CBS and MRN Radio. In his home state of Alabama, he is best known as the 14-year "radio voice" of the Alabama Crimson Tide football and basketball teams. A four-time Alabama Sportscaster Of The Year as voted by his peers in the National Sportscaster's And Sportswriter's Association, Gold has also been named Sportscaster Of The Year in Alabama by both the Associated Press and United Press International.
Davis is not a newcomer to the world of Arena Football as he served as color analyst for local coverage of the Nashville Kats for Fox Sports South in 2000. He also hosts Sunshine Network's weekly series, "Sunshine Network Live Presents The Tampa Bay Storm Report." Last year, Davis made his broadcast network debut as sideline reporter for CBS Sports' NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament coverage.
Arrington, who joined CBS Sports in September 2000 as a reporter for the CBS Television Network's coverage of college football, has also contributed reports for THE NFL TODAY on CBS and feature reports during the network's late night coverage of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Arrington previously worked with FOX Sports, where she served as host/anchor of "NFL Under the Helmet" (1999-2000) and as a reporter for its coverage of the NFL and women's tennis.
The following is The New TNN's seven-game regular season AFL schedule*:
Week 8 -- Sunday, June 9, 4:30 PM ET/PT -- Tampa Bay @ Orlando
Week 9 -- Sunday, June 16, 4:30 PM ET/PT -- Dallas @ Arizona
Week 10 -- Sunday, June 23, 2:00 PM ET/PT -- Georgia @ Grand Rapids
Week 11 -- Sunday, June 30, 4:30 PM ET/PT -- New York @ Chicago
Week 12 -- Sunday, July 7, 2:00 PM ET/PT -- Orlando @ Tampa Bay
Week 13 -- Sunday, July 14, 4:30 PM ET/PT -- Los Angeles @ Indiana
Week 14 -- Sunday, July 21, 2:00 PM ET/PT -- San Jose @ Carolina
Along with its regular season package, The New TNN will telecast four AFL playoff games. The New TNN playoff schedule is below:
FIRST ROUND
Saturday, July 27, 2:00 PM ET/PT
Saturday, July 27, 4:30 PM ET/PT
QUARTERFINAL ROUND
Saturday, August 3, 12:30 PM ET/PT
Sunday, August 4, 3:00 PM ET/PT
The New TNN also plans to televise the championship game of arenafootball2, ArenaCup 2002, which marks the network's third consecutive season covering af2's ArenaCup contest. The AFL's grassroots, developmental league, arenafootball2 has teams in 34 secondary markets.
About Arena Football League
The Arena Football League consists of 23 teams (16 active for 2002 season), including eight in the 10 largest U.S. media markets. An additional seven expansion teams have already been approved to begin to play over the next three years. The AFL and NBC Sports have reached a network broadcast agreement to begin February 2, 2003.
Current AFL ownership includes: Jerry Jones, Jerry Jones Jr., and Stephen Jones, Dallas Desperados (NFL's Dallas Cowboys ownership); William Ford Jr., Detroit Fury (NFL's Detroit Lions); K.S. "Bud" Adams, Jr., Nashville Kats (NFL's Tennessee Titans); Tom Benson New Orleans Voodoo (NFL's New Orleans Saints); Jerry Colangelo, Arizona Rattlers, (NBA's Phoenix Suns and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks); Dan DeVos, Grand Rapids Rampage (NBA's Orlando Magic); Charles Wang, New York Dragons (NHL's New York Islanders); Rogers Communications, Toronto Phantoms (ownership, MLB's Toronto Blue Jays).
Additionally, four other NFL owners have applied or been approved for ownership of future AFL expansion teams, including Denver Broncos' Pat Bowlen, Washington Redskins' Daniel Snyder, Jacksonville Jaguars' Wayne Weaver, and San Francisco 49ers' Denise DeBartolo York.
About The New TNN
The National Network - The New TNN - is America's fastest-growing, young adult entertainment network among all basic cable. Since joining the MTV Networks family in September 2000, The New TNN has set ratings records each and every month and has brought a whole new audience to its schedule. Anchored by some of the most popular series around the world, including STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, MAD TV, and basic cable's number-one program, WWE RAW - as well as original series and top-rated theatrical movies - The New TNN is a top ten network for Adults 18-49 and is currently seen in more than 85 million U.S. homes. The New TNN and all related title, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International.
*All games are subject to change
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 4, 2002
- AFL Ready to Begin TNN Schedule - AFL I
- Arena Football League Transactions - AFL I
- Shamsid-Deen Named AFL Defensive Player of the Week - Dallas Desperados
- Dolezel Headlines Weekly Winners - AFL I
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
