FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2005


Dodge named title sponsor of football finals
Sun Sports to televise Class 5A final live; Class 2A final moves to Thursday, Dec. 1

GAINESVILLE – Dodge, the official car and truck of the Florida High School Athletic Association, has been named title sponsor of the Dodge FHSAA Football Finals state high school championship games effective with this year's event, the FHSAA office announced today.

Dodge has been the presenting sponsor of the football finals since its corporate partnership with the FHSAA began in 1997. It's title sponsorship of the event is the first-ever title sponsorship of a state high school championship event in the 85-year history of the Association.

The FHSAA also unveiled a new official logo for the event in which the Dodge name and familiar Rams head logo figure prominently.

"I can think of no better corporation than Dodge with which to share billing in the name of an FHSAA Finals event," said Commissioner John A. Stewart. "It's the first time ever that the Association will place a corporate partner's name in the title of an event, more less ahead of the Association's own. It's a big step. Of course, Dodge was our first-ever presenting sponsor in 1997, so its only natural that we take this next step with them."

Stewart added: "We are grateful to the Florida Dodge Dealers and South Florida Dodge Dealers for their continued support of high school sports and the FHSAA."

"We have been proud to support the FHSAA and the football finals since 1997," said Chris Smith, treasurer of the Florida Dodge Dealers. "We are excited to be the first title sponsor of this prestigious event. Our commitment to high school athletics is equal to our commitment to the local communities of which our dealerships are an integral part. High school sports exemplify teamwork, sacrifice and dedication. Dodge is proud to support the athletes, parents, coaches and fans of high school sports in Florida."

The 2005 Dodge FHSAA Football Finals will be played Dec. 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10 in Miami. Games on Dec. 1, 2 and 3 will be played at Florida International University Community Stadium. Games on Dec. 9 and 10 will be played at Dolphins Stadium, the site of Super Bowl XXIII in 1989, Super Bowl XXIX in 1995 and Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999, and the future site of Super Bowl XLI in 2007 and Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. Dolphins Stadium also is the site of the FedEx Orange Bowl, which doubled as the 2000 and 2004 BCS national college championship games.


Class 5A championship game goes live

Sun Sports and FHSAA has announced that the Class 5A championship game to be played Friday, Dec. 9, will be televised live statewide with the exception of the South Florida market, which instead will see the Miami Heat host the Denver Nuggets in NBA action.

The live telecast will be the first of an FHSAA Football Finals state championship game since the 1984 Class 4A championship game between Miami Southridge and Woodham in Pensacola.


Class 2A championship game rescheduled for Thursday, Dec. 1

The Class 2A championship game originally scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at FIU Community Stadium, has been moved to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1. The switch was made at the request of FIU officials so that the Panthers can play a makeup game with Middle Tennessee State, which originally was scheduled for Oct. 29, but was postponed because of Hurricane Wilma.

"FIU has been extremely cooperative with the FHSAA," Stewart said. "They have provided their facilities for the boys volleyball finals the last two years, and now the first weekend of football finals this year. We're happy that we are able to return the favor by assisting them with their scheduling dilemma."

The FHSAA office contacted several top-ranked schools in Class 2A and Class 2B that have the potential of reaching the respective championship games and discussed a number of scenarios with them before reaching its decision.


About the FHSAA
Headquartered in Gainesville, the Florida High School Athletic Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of more than 720 middle and senior public and private high schools. More than 175,000 student-athletes annually participate in one or more of the FHSAA’s 28 championship sports programs. More information is available at www.fhsaa.org.

Contact:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org