RELEASE DATE: 4/30/08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Kent Phillips Elementary School reads with Mansfield University Sprint Football

CORNING, NY – The student body at Kent Phillips Elementary School in Corning learned a little about history, geography and reading from members of the Mansfield University sprint football program Wednesday afternoon.

“The players did a great job,” said reading specialist Marion Vaughn who coordinated the event with Mansfield Director of Athletic Operations and Information Steve McCloskey. “They learned a little about the history of football, some geography about two players from Alaska who are coming to Mansfield  and most importantly that reading is import to everyone.”

Seven of the more than 40 members of the sprint football program, along with head coach Dan Davis, dawned game jerseys and autographed schedule cards before reading a story to each class grades kindergarten through six.

“It was actually a fun time,” said Tyler Rae of Athens about his afternoon with a kindergarten class. “I hope we get the chance to do it again.”

The players also autographed a special collector’s edition sprint football that will be used as an end of the year prize for students who have read 25 books during the course of the school year.

Mansfield was without a football program in 2007 for the first time since 1891 after ending the program following the 2006

season.

Football will return to campus in 2008 as a member of the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL).

Sprint football is varsity collegiate football that is the same in all aspects of regular football with the exception of a weight restriction of 172 pounds or less.

Mansfield will be the only public institution in the nation to offer the program and ends a five day spring practice schedule today.

The other members of the CSFL are Cornell University, The University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, the United States Military Academy at West Point  (Army) and the United States Naval Academy (Navy) at Annapolis .

Mansfield will host Princeton in a scrimmage on Sept. 20, 2008 before hosting Cornell University on Sept. 27.