DeBartolo Becomes Outback Bowl Official Game Sponsor

Tampa, FL – Outback Bowl officials announced today that DeBartolo has agreed to become an “Official Game Sponsor” of the New Year’s Day college football bowl game for the next two years. DeBartolo has sponsored the bowls annual Team Luncheon during the week of the game for the past four years. Their name will remain on the luncheon, but as part of their increased involvement they will also be added as the title sponsor of the DeBartolo Pregame Show in Raymond James Stadium on game day.

DeBartolo joins the U.S. Marines, Tampa Bay Convention & Visitor Bureau, St Petersburg/Clearwater Area CVB and Anheuser Busch in the bowls second highest category of sponsorship following title sponsor Outback Steakhouse.

“The DeBartolo name is synonymous with success and sports so it is with pride that we welcome Eddie DeBartolo Jr., his family and the DeBartolo affiliates as an Official Game Sponsor of the Outback Bowl, sponsor of our Participating Team Luncheon and spectacular Pregame Show,” stated Outback Bowl President/CEO Jim McVay. “Mr DeBartolo and his company have been tremendous supporters of the Outback Bowl for years and we are thrilled that they have decided to expand their participation with our New Year’s Day game.”

“On behalf of the entire DeBartolo family as well as the staff and employees of the DeBartolo affiliate companies nationwide we are proud to increase our support and sponsorship in this outstanding college bowl game. The rich tradition that the Outback Bowl represents mirrors our company philosophy of building strong business partnerships within our community. We are proud to be a part of such a wonderful event”, said Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., Chairman of the Board of DeBartolo.

DeBartolo in Brief: The entrepreneurial spirit of DeBartolo never stops evolving. Seeing the potential in others has always been a recognized strength of the company. Thus DeBartolo Holdings, LLC was formed to optimize the portfolio of DeBartolo affiliate companies, property development and equity interests. The activities consist of investments in equity securities as well as short and medium term loans for expansion financing, acquisitions, leveraged or management buyouts and recapitalization of promising North American companies.

The DeBartolo portfolio of affiliate companies today includes: DeBartolo Development, LLC, a nationwide commercial real estate and residential development company, Hytec Automotive, one of the world’s foremost suppliers of new water pumps for automobiles and trucks, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio; Famous Famiglia an award winning, national retail pizza company, founded and based in New York City, Ed & Eddie’s Ice Cream a walk-up sundry store in south Tampa, Florida and the most recent affiliate DeBartolo Sports and Entertainment, LLC, a leading sports and entertainment travel company which provides its’ customers with the ultimate travel experience at the world’s leading sporting events.

The DeBartolo family also has a strong philanthropic commitment to the Tampa Bay community as well. The DeBartolo Family Foundation is a non-profit organization created by the members of the Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. family to benefit local communities. The Foundation annually awards scholarships to deserving students, provides grants to individuals and organizations with special needs, and presents the Spirit of Humanity Award, honoring non-profit organizations that provide extraordinary assistance to Tampa Bay residents with special needs.

The Outback Bowl will celebrate its 21st year on January 1, 2007 in Raymond James Stadium. The game matches teams from the SEC and Big Ten conference and will be televised internationally on ESPN at 11:00 A.M. ET. Last year’s game brought in 42,000 out of market visitors from 43 states.

Membership ticket packages for the bowl are available through the bowl office at 813-874-BOWL. Individual tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster beginning October 1. For more information on the Outback Bowl go to www.OutbackBowl.com. For more information on the DeBartolo portfolio of companies please visit www.thedebartologroup.com or call the Tampa corporate headquarters at 813.908.8400.