SPRING PRO FOOTBALL LEAGUE BORN FROM ROOTS OF COLLEGE TRADITION

NEW YORK (JULY 26, 2006)—A Spring-season professional football League featuring the best of the college game and demanding high academic and athletic standards for its players is being developed under the direction of some of the leading men of collegiate athletics and university governance.

The formation of the All American Football League™ was announced today by Cedric Dempsey, immediate past president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and board chairman of the All American Football League.

Major universities and athletic associations including members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, The Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference are negotiating with the League to host the spring games through stadium usage agreements. The League intends to field additional teams in leading college bowl series cities.

Team franchise opportunities will likely open by Labor Day and the League intends to schedule games as early as next spring.

Players will be recruited from the ranks of graduates of universities who are hosting the games through their stadium usage agreements, from the athletic conferences of the host universities and, finally, from the larger pool of graduated college athletes.

All players must have completed their college athletic eligibility and graduated from college in order to qualify to play in the League, Dempsey said.

“We believe the League will encourage college players to stay in school and graduate even after their eligibility has expired,” he said.

“Research conducted by the League,” Mr. Dempsey said, “has found a high interest among college football fans for more football featuring the college atmosphere and tradition.”

League board member Martin Massengale, former University of Nebraska Chancellor and President, added that he and his colleagues were drawn to serve on the League board because it was creating an opportunity for college athletes to transition from school to their chosen lifetime careers.

In addition to his duties as Board Chairman, Dempsey has been serving as Acting Commissioner of the League. Doug Dickey, former head football coach of the University of Tennessee and the University of Florida and Tennessee Athletic Director, is serving on the board as Acting Associate Commissioner for Team Development. James N. Bailey, formerly Executive Vice President of the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, is the League’s Chief Operating Officer and a board member.

Other board members are:

Gene Corrigan, Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner 1987-1997;
Pete Dalis, retired UCLA Athletic Director from 1983 to 2002;
Charles Davis, broadcaster and former Stanford University Assistant Athletic Director
Marcus Katz, retired business executive;
Jack Lengyel, former Athletic Director of the U.S. Naval Academy (1988-2001) and President of the National Association of College Athletic Directors;
Gary Roberts, Deputy Dean and Director of Sports Law at Tulane University
Charles Wethington Jr., former President of the University of Kentucky and former Chairman of the NCAA Executive Committee;
Charles Young, former Chancellor of UCLA and President of the University of Florida and past Chairman of the Association of American Universities; and,
James Bailey, Chief Operation Officer, former Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens executive vice president.

* The All American Football League is a trademark of AAFL Enterprises, LLC.