Posts tagged Capital One

Football Guru Phil Steele Talks College Football, Mascot Challenge & More

The Capital One Mascot Challenge continues to celebrate the unsung heroes of college football—the mascots! Each mascot to make the Capital One All-America Mascot team receives $5,000 for its school’s mascot program, and the Capital One National Mascot of the year receives an additional $15,000. The rules are simple; the mascot with the most fan votes wins!

To help sort this all out and talk about college football I had the pleasure of talking with Phil Steele. Phil is a fantastic and detailed sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. Steele is also been called a highly respected prognosticator within the sports media.

His company, Phil Steele Publications, produces the annual preseason magazine Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, which he personally writes in almost its entirety. The first edition was published in 1995.

CLICK HERE to listen to my interview with Phil. You will find not only does he take college football seriously, but also the Capital One Mascot Challenge.

To vote for your favorite mascot CLICK HERE for the Capital One Mascot Challenge website.

Also follow Phil Steele on Twitter and check out his website HERE.

Oct 15th

Posted by Art Eddy III in Sports

Jennie Finch Talks College World Series, Capital One Cup, and More!

If you going to want to learn about softball then listening to Jennie Finch is probably a smart move. Finch is a winner on every level. She was the 2001 Women’s College World Series Champion, an Arizona 3-time All-American Player, an NCAA Record Holder 60 Consecutive Victories, and is a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist and 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist.

She is now working with Capital One to find out who will win the Capital One Cup. The Capital One Cup honors NCAA Division I athletics. This promotions rewards the top men’s and women’s college athletics program in the country. These colleges compete all year round to gain points to win the Capital One Cup. The scoring is based on their Top 10 finishes in fall, winter and spring sports. Whoever wins on the men’s and women’s side will win the Capital One Cup trophy and a $400,000 scholarship at the end of the spring athletics season.

I was able to chat with Jennie about this year’s Women’s College World Series, her time in college and the Olympics, the Capital One Cup, and more.

Art Eddy: The Women’s College World Series is underway. Who are some of the favorites for this year’s World Series?

Jennie Finch: Florida looks really good. Offensively they are on fire. Kentucky has been on a roll. Alabama has been on a roll too. This World Series is going to be tough.

AE: Are there any underdog teams we should look out for?

JF: At this point if they are here they are not too much of an underdog. Yet in the parody of this game it is anyone’s chance to win it all. It is definitely up for grabs for all the teams that are here.

AE: From your time playing in college to now, has the game evolved or has it stayed the same?

JF: No, it has absolutely evolved. It is incredible to see how much it has grown and continues to grow. There are more TV games than ever. Each year it continues to increase because more people are tuning in. It is very exciting. It is fun on all the different levels and aspects to see the game evolve and grow.

AE: You played in the College World Series with Arizona. What was your preparation like going into that game?

JF: It was more just trusting everything you have been doing the entire year. You also are trying not to make the game bigger than it is even though this is what you have dreamed about your entire career. The minute you step on campus that is immediately what you are thinking about. So you just have to stay within yourself, trusting your teammates, and playing your game.

AE: You are working with Capital One to promote the Capital One Cup to help provide scholarship money to the winning universities. Tell me about your work with this promotion.

JF: I am excited to be on the athlete advisory board for the Capital One Cup as the spring season championships begin to play out. One reason is that one of the sports is softball. There are many schools that are close in the standings for the Capital One Cup.

This program honors the best Division I program that has the most cumulative wins in on the field performance across 39 total men and women’s sports. The winning school gets over $400,000 in total scholarships for student athletes. Not only is it fun for the school, but for the fans to see how their school is doing.

AE: Right now who is in the lead for the men and women’s brackets for the Capital One Cup?

JF: UCLA is in the lead for the women and Notre Dame is in the lead for the men.

AE: Is there a college out there in the World Series that if they win they will help move their college up in the Capital One Cup standings?

JF: Yes. If Florida win it they will be in the lead for the women’s side. So it is pretty exciting to see if they not only win the World Series, but move their college into the lead.

AE: You pitched in the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics where you and Team USA won gold in 2004. I am guessing in your great career that winning gold is the top moment.

JF: By far. Being up there with women that I looked up too and being able to represent your country and having the name U.S.A. across your chest, there is nothing greater than that. All of those moments were great, but it is also the journey. When you are done and look back you are able to appreciate all of your accomplishments by thinking of how you got there.

AE: You have been a strong voice in trying to get baseball and softball back into the Olympics. Do you think baseball and softball will be back in the Olympics?

JF: It is going well. We are still trying to fight and get it back in. We are building a campaign. Our hope right now is for the Olympics in 2020 in Japan. Luckily baseball and softball are the two most popular sports in Japan. The campaigning they did to become the hosts in 2020 we hope will help them be able to reinstate softball and baseball for 2020. Hopefully it will be a success and we will be then locked in for the future.

AE: Lastly, you have some fantastic softball camps. Looks like you are setting those back up for this year.

JF: Yes. Go to my website, jenniefinch.com. We are going to places like Dallas and Chicago. We will be all over the country going from coast to coast.

Jun 2nd

Posted by Art Eddy III in Sports

USF’s Rocky the Bull Crowned 2013 Capital One Mascot

The stampede of support from Rocky the Bull’s rabid fans trampled Raider Red’s “Wreck ‘em” crew in the championship finale of the Capital One National Mascot of the Year competition. The newcomer claimed an improbable title in the 12th year of the storied program.

Rocky was projected to finish last in the competition in college football and mascot prognosticator Phil Steele’s Mascot Meter rankings, but the famed University of South Florida mascot lowered his head and plowed through the 15 other Mascot Challenge competitors to finish with a perfect record and forever claim his place in mascot lore. “The entire University of South Florida community is thrilled for Rocky,” President Genshaft said. “All of the mascots competing in this year’s challenge were a wonderful reflection of the pride and passion of their respective universities. Rocky has always been first in our hearts, and now the rest of the nation can see how wonderfully he represents our exuberant and unstoppable USF students and alumni.” With the win, Rocky received $20,000 from Capital One for his collegiate mascot program, and was honored at the Capital One Bowl game on January 1, 2014 in Orlando, Fla.

“The enthusiasm and dedication USF fans have sustained during this 16-week competition has been inspiring,” said Doug Woolard, University of South Florida Director of Athletics. “Rocky the Bull is truly loved, and we are thrilled with the fan support he received during this challenge that helped him be crowned the champion.”

This year, Capital One introduced a new element of voting in the competition that took fans to a whole new level of mascot fandom. The addition of 25 and 100-point social media challenges allowed fans to show their creative side and go all-out for their mascots. Fans were asked to upload unique content to their social media channels using a special hashtag for their mascot to earn additional points. The unique weekly challenges – from creating a cheerleader-style cheer to snapping a picture while eating their mascot’s favorite tailgate dish – showcased how far fans would go for their mascot.

“The outpouring support for Rocky the Bull in the Mascot Challenge was astonishing,” said Marc Mentry, Senior Vice President at Capital One. “Rocky’s fans bulled over the entire competition giving this rookie competitor an undefeated record in the challenge! We’re excited to add his name to the famed Capital One Mascot Challenge Winners list.”

The complete 2013 All-America Capital One Mascot Team included:

Rocky the Bull of The University of South Florida – 2013 Winner

Raider Red of Texas Tech University – 2012 Winner

Baldwin the Eagle of Boston College

Big Jay of The University of Kansas

Big Red of Western Kentucky University – Hall of Fame Inductee

Pee Dee the Pirate of East Carolina University

Rocky the Rocket of The University of Toledo – 2012 Write-In Winner

Bucky Badger of The University of Wisconsin–Madison

Cam the Ram of Colorado State University

HokieBird of Virginia Tech

Mike the Tiger of Louisiana State University