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Miracle League of Visalia to host Joe Montana

October 21, 2004 - California League (CalL1)
Visalia Rawhide News Release


VISALIA – Over the past three years, the Miracle League of Visalia has been able to raise over a half million dollars by bringing some of the biggest names in professional sports and entertainment to Tulare County. Professional Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana will continue that tradition as the featured speaker at the third annual Miracle League fundraiser on Friday, January 21.

Montana will be joined by two-time Olympic Gold Medal softball player and Visalian, Stacey Nuveman.

For the first time, the event will be held at Visalia First Assembly of God Church, which is adjacent to the Miracle League facility. In 2001, First Assembly donated the land on which the field now stands. Contributions from the Central Valley and beyond, including Major League Baseball, have made the field a reality along with a building that houses restrooms, a snack bar and storage.

Over the course of his 14-year National Football League career, Montana became the only player ever to be named Super Bowl MVP three times. He was a part of four Super Bowl championship teams with the San Francisco 49ers and the one time he was not named the MVP, he led a game winning, 92-yard touchdown drive against Cincinnati in 1989. It was one of his 31-fourth quarter comeback victories as an NFL quarterback.

In league history, Montana is among the top-eight quarterbacks in passing yards (40,551), completions (3,409) and touchdowns (273). After playing 12 seasons with the 49ers, Montana joined the Kansas City Chiefs. He played college football at Notre Dame.

Nuveman was a member of the 2000 and 2004 United States Olympic softball teams, which both won Gold Medals. She holds the NCAA college softball record for most career home runs with 90. Nuveman was a three time All-American and four-time First Team All-Pac 10 at UCLA. She also earned gold medals as part of the USA teams at the 2003 Pan American Games and the 2002 ISF World Championships. She was also part of the NCAA Women's College World Series Championship team as a Bruin in 1999.

Several sports and leisure fantasy auction items will be up for grabs at the event. Over the past two years, such items have yielded more than $200,000 for the Miracle League and have included contributions from speakers Pete Rose, Erin Brockovich, Sam Schmidt, Dusty Baker, Jim Abbott and Rex Huddler.

New for this year will be a silent auction, featuring sports memorabilia items from Dreams, Inc., the proprietors of Field of Dreams Stores.

A list of auction items for the next event will be announced soon.

Tickets for the event will be $100. Tables of ten can be purchased for $1,500 and include two VIP passes and logo recognition in the event program. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis, beginning with the order in which sponsored tables are reserved.

Doors will open at 6:00 p.m., which is also when the VIP session will begin with Montana and Nuveman. Dinner will be served at 7:00 p.m. with the program to follow.

Individual tickets are available at the Visalia Oaks office, 440 North Giddings Street the Press Boxx collectables shop at Caldwell and Demaree in Visalia, or by phone at 559-625-0480. Table sponsorships or individual tickets can be obtained by contacting Gary Geiger at 559-635-1478. VISA, Mastercard, Discover and American Express are accepted.

THE MIRACLE LEAGUE of Visalia allows disabled people of all ages to be a part of baseball in a way that would otherwise not be possible. Miracle League participants are paired with "buddies" who are able to compete in sports of all kinds and in other areas of life. These buddies assist participants on the totally handicapped-accessible Miracle League playing surface in games that allow everyone to get a hit and score a run in each inning.

The current Miracle League season will conclude Saturday, October 30 with games at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Schedules are played on Saturdays each spring and fall.

Visalia's Miracle League field itself is the first of its kind west of the Mississippi and is one of the first four in the United States. It is located on Caldwell Avenue near Akers Street.

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