CFL Football Action Carried by KWVT

Coverage includes 4 American Players from Local Area Colleges,

Salem-News.com

SALEM - Canadian Football League action carried by KWVT during the 2006 season will feature four players from local area schools, providing viewers with non-stop excitement from the men of summer.

The final team rosters announced last weekend includes the following local players from Oregon area: Bobby Singh, from Portland State playing on the B.C. Lions; Andrae Thurman, from Southern Oregon, playing on the Winnepeg Blue Bombers, Jason Maas, from the Oregon, playing on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats; and Kenny Wheaton, from Oregon, playing on the Toronto Argonauts.

Canadian football has a long relationship with top U.S. collegiate athletes, as hundreds of U.S. players are included on the Canadian teams` rosters each year. For the 2006 season, a total of 266 U.S. players, representing 73% of all active roster members, made the final cuts announced on June 11th.

In the past, such top U.S. football athletes as Joe Theismann, Doug Flutie, Warren Moon, Jeff Garcia and others played in the CFL before joining NFL franchises. Marv Levy and Bud Grant coached in seven NFL Super Bowls (Levy three and Grant four) after starting their careers in the CFL.

This season former Heisman Award Winner and NFL star Ricky Williams will be playing for the Toronto Argonauts. CFL regular season began Friday, June 16th, and continues through the 94th Grey Cup Championship game on November 19th.

“We are very pleased to be working again with KWVT to bring CFL to football fans," it was said by Commissioner Tom Wright. This season the local coverage will be supported with CFL Wireless carried on Verizon Wireless, Cingular and Sprint. SIRIUS Satellite Radio will also be offering fans live game coverage every Friday.

KWVT`s General Manager Ken Lewetag added: “Football is the number one sport for our fans, and we are please to deliver CFL`s fast paced action to them all summer and into the fall. And having players with a local connection to our market just makes it all the better. We are really excited about having CFL Football in our professional sports line-up.“

Coverage of CFL football in the U.S. was arranged by Trajectory Sports & Media Group LLC, which has the international marketing responsibility for Canadian Football. The New York-based company has steadily broadened the distribution of CFL games since partnering with the league in 2004.

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