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Company Responsible For Bible Jersey Media Frenzy Coming To Louisville

May 2, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Louisville Fire News Release


LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Third Coast Sports, the company that helped the Birmingham Steeldogs grab the nation's headlines with Biblical-themed jerseys is also coming to Louisville. The Louisville Fire af2 team will host three Faith Nights this summer.

"We are excited to begin a partnership with Third Coast Sports," said Adam Luken, Ticket Manager for the Louisville Fire. "The message they are bringing to our fans is right in line with the Fire's brand of family entertainment."

On Saturday, May 20, up-and-coming recording artist Warren Barfield will be giving a pre-game concert before the game outside of Freedom Hall. Mainstay, a Christian band who recently released their debut album "Well Meaning Fiction," will appear pre-game before the Saturday, June 10 Fire game. On that date, Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber from the hit animation series VeggieTales will be in attendance. Finally, singer and songwriter Matthew West will perform before the Saturday, July 15 game. In addition to the concert, a Louisville community figure will give their personal faith testimony before the game.

"When it came time to expand our efforts, the Louisville Fire were one of the very first teams we contacted," said Brent High, president of Third Coast Sports. "Louisville is an ideal place to hold Faith Nights. Family, outreach, fellowship and fun all play into the events. We look forward to being here for many years to come."

In recent days Third Coast Sports has received extensive national press coverage for its Bible-themed jerseys promotion with the Steeldogs. On Friday, May 5th, the Birmingham Steeldogs arena football team will don jerseys during pre and post-game festivities with the name of Bible hero "SAMSON" embroidered on the front when they host the Louisville Fire. Specific Bible chapter and verse references will be created by combining the names and numerals on the backs of each player.

The jerseys have been produced to replicate the Steeldogs regular game jerseys. "Samson" replaces "Steeldogs" across the chest, in reference to the Old Testament hero renowned for his incredible strength. On the back of the jerseys, instead of having the player's last name, it will be replaced by a book of the Bible. The number on the jersey will correspond to a chapter and verse of that particular book.

For example, Steeldogs quarterback Ryan Hawk wears jersey number 12. On May 5, he'll still wear number 12, but the name on his back will change from "HAWK" to "JAMES", referencing the book of James, Chapter 1 Verse 2. The Bible-themed Steeldogs jerseys are the latest creations of Christian Throwback Jersey Company (www.christianthrowback.com) of Birmingham.

Last year, Third Coast Sports grabbed the front page of the USA Today, a feature on ABC World News Tonight and countless features in local papers. Prior to last season, Third Coast gained national attention with the Nashville Sounds' "Faith Night" series.

In 2004 the Sounds gave away bobble head dolls of Biblical figures Moses, Samson and Noah and gave away 4,000 copies of the New Testament. In 2005 Third Coast teamed with Big Idea, Inc. to provide the first 2,000 fans at each event with a baseball honoring Bob the Tomato from VeggieTales.

Before Third Coast went national, Faith Nights were featured by ESPN's Outside the Lines, The 700 Club, ESPN2's Cold Pizza, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, The New York Times, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Dallas Morning News, Baseball America and dozens of other media outlets.

Third Coast Sports has partnered with Big Idea, Inc. and World Vision International, a Christian world-relief agency. For the Louisville event, Campbellsville University, Louisville Bible College, 88.5 WJIE, Gumby's Garden Room Café, and Café Kilimanjaro have teamed up with Third Coast to provide the Faith Nights for the Louisville community.

Tickets for any Faith Night event can be purchased from Third Coast Sports by calling 1-888-456-0451. For more information, visit www.thirdcoastsports.com.

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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.

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