ORLANDO, Fla. (July 15, 2013) – Golf Channel teams up with the National Football League this fall for the network’s popular
BIG BREAK reality competition series’ 20th season by featuring several of the NFL’s all-time greats playing alongside aspiring professional golfers.
BIG BREAK NFL will premiere Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 9 p.m. ET and airs weekly on Tuesdays nights.
NFL legends competing on BIG BREAK NFL include Hall-of-Famers
Jerry Rice and Chris Doleman, along with Tim Brown, Marc Bulger,
Al Del Greco and Mark Rypien. Filmed at Dorado Beach Resort in
Puerto Rico, the series will feature each of the six NFL legends – all
boasting single digit handicaps with several having competed in PGA TOUR
and Web.com Tour events – joining two BIG
BREAK competitors (one male and one female) to form three-person
teams. On the line will be $50,000 to the winning NFL legend’s
designated charity, along with 2014 PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour tournament
exemptions, cash and other prizes for the BIG BREAK competitors.
“I
have been a fan of BIG BREAK for a long time, and I wanted to
experience the pressure and excitement of competing on this series
first-hand,” said Hall-of-Famer Jerry Rice, who will
be playing this week at the American Century Championship in Lake
Tahoe, airing on NBC. “The nerves we all faced on this show – knowing
that everything potentially was on the line for your team with one golf
shot – are experiences I will never forget.”
Golf Channel’s BIG BREAK show
concept pits highly skilled golfers against each other in a variety of
challenges that test their physical skills and mental toughness. During
BIG BREAK NFL, teams will be subject to skills
challenges from tee-to-green, including two of the series’ signature
challenges, the popular “Glass Break” and “Flop Wall” challenges. The
series also will feature special guest appearances from World Golf
Hall-of-Fame member and Puerto Rico’s own Chi Chi
Rodriguez and two-time Super Bowl winner and NBC’s Football Night in America analyst Rodney Harrison.
NBC Sports’ Sunday Night Football sideline reporter and Emmy Award-winner
Michele Tafoya also joins Golf Channel’s Tom Abbott to co-host BIG BREAK NFL.
Tafoya, who has covered the NFL for more than 10 years, is entering her
third season as a sideline reporter for NBC after seven years with ABC
and ESPN
as a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football.
“I’m thrilled to host BIG BREAK
NFL and to watch these NFL legends bring their competitive team
experiences from the football field to the golf course,” said Tafoya.
“I have covered these players for many years, and
I’ve seen them deal with a lot of situations. But the pressure they
face on BIG BREAK NFL is unique and much different from anything they
have experienced before.”
“BIG BREAK is a popular staple of our original series franchises, and we are honored to partner with the NFL to commemorate the series’ 20th
season,” said Tom Knapp, Golf Channel senior vice president
of programming. “With this unique team format and the sheer
competitive nature the NFL legends will bring to the series, it will be
exciting to see how the teams handle the pressure of playing in front of
cameras and for each other.”
“When Golf Channel approached us
about this program, we were excited to work with them to bring our fans
closer to some of our greatest players in a new and unique way,” said
Tracy Perlman, NFL vice president of entertainment
marketing and promotions. “We are pleased to be working with Golf
Channel to give some of the greatest to ever play in the NFL the
opportunity to compete against one another on a different playing field
and for good causes.”
Serving as the backdrop for BIG
BREAK NFL will be the luxurious Dorado Beach Resort in Dorado Beach,
Puerto Rico. Produced in partnership with the Puerto Rico Tourism
Company, the series will unfold on the resort’s historic
East Course, a par-72 layout that features panoramic sight lines of the
Atlantic Ocean on 15 of 18 holes. Originally designed by Robert Trent
Jones, the course was recently redesigned by Robert Trent Jones II,
bringing the classic seaside course into the
21st century.
"It is an incredible
honor to be the host for BIG BREAK NFL and on behalf of all of Dorado
Beach, we welcome our viewing audience from around the world,” said
David Tyson, general manager and chief operating officer,
Dorado Beach Resort. “Not only will viewers be entertained by the
skills of the participants, but also they will enjoy learning more about
the Dorado Beach legacy and all the elements that are the cornerstones
of this unique tropical lifestyle. It is often
said that at Dorado Beach, time is not measured in hours or days, but
in sunrises and sunsets.”
“We are very excited about our partnership with
Golf Channel‘s BIG BREAK NFL and looking forward to letting viewers know
what Puerto Rico offers to those looking for the perfect Caribbean golf
vacation,” said Ingrid Rivera Rocafort, Executive
Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. “We are certain our
Island, with its lush mountains, world class golf courses, luxurious
resorts, and endless activities, will provide a vibrant and
sophisticated backdrop to the competition.”
NFL Legends Competing on BIG BREAK NFL:
Tim Brown (46, Dallas, Texas, 3 handicap)
– The first wide receiver in history to win the Heisman Trophy award in
1987, Brown is one of the most prolific wide receivers in NFL history.
He played in the NFL for 17 years, including 16 seasons with the Los
Angeles/Oakland Raiders. Brown carries a 3 handicap and will compete on
behalf of the Tim Brown Foundation, which supports programs and
initiatives nationwide for mentoring and education
programs for teens, including the Athletes & Entertainers for Kids
and 911 for Kids.
“Jerry Rice and I are not only
long-time friends and teammates, but also we are fierce competitors on
the golf course,” said Brown. “On BIG BREAK NFL, we renew our rivalry.”
Marc Bulger (36, Sarasota, Fla., 4 handicap)
– A 10-year NFL veteran quarterback, Bulger competed with the St. Louis
Rams for nine years, highlighted by two Pro Bowl appearances (2004,
2007) and the 2004 Pro Bowl MVP. Bulger holds a 4 handicap and will be
competing on behalf of the Marc Bulger Foundation, which provides
funding to a diverse range of programs benefiting men and women in the
armed services, as well as police and fire personnel.
Potential winnings will support the Marine Corps Scholarships
Foundation, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year honoring Marines by educating children.
“Since I have only been retired
from the NFL for two years, BIG BREAK was a great opportunity to feel
the competitive ‘rush’ that all of us NFL players miss once our playing
days are over,” said Bulger. “It was an amazing
experience getting to compete against true NFL legends in another sport
we all have a passion for, while at the same time fulfilling a second
passion of mine, helping our men and women in uniform. BIG BREAK
exceeded all of my expectations.”
Al Del Greco (51, Birmingham, Ala., +1 handicap)
– A great placekicker in NFL history, Del Greco’s 17-year NFL career
included stints with the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and
the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, finishing his career 17th
on the NFL’s all-time scoring list with 1,584 points. Del Greco
carries a +1 handicap, has competed in two Web.com Tour events and is a
past champion of the American Century Championship.
He will compete on behalf of The Bright House Foundation, a non-profit
organization that serves Alabama communities by creating, supporting and
enhancing the services provided for children and adults with special
needs.
“I am a huge fan of BIG BREAK,
and I’ve seen almost every season,” said Del Greco. “The pressure of
BIG BREAK was a humbling experience. A simple golf shot on the series
becomes almost unplayable.”
Chris Doleman (51, Atlanta, Ga., 3 handicap)
– With a career spanning 15 years which included eight Pro Bowl
selections, Doleman was inducted in 2012 into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame
and is recognized as one of the top defensive players in NFL history.
Doleman carries a 3 handicap and will be competing on behalf of the
Chris Singleton Foundation, which provides financial support to
non-profit organizations that are making impact in three
social justice initiatives: helping in the fight against human slavery,
providing solutions for “At Risk Youth” and making safe drinking water
to those in need.
“The pressure on this series is
totally different from competing on the football field,” said Doleman.
“It was one of the harder things I have ever done, and was a
once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Jerry Rice (50, Atherton, Calif., 1 handicap) –
Hall-of-Fame wide receiver and three-time
Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl XXIII MVP Jerry Rice is widely regarded
as the best wide receiver ever to play in the National Football League.
Rice carries a 1 handicap and has competed
in four Web.com Tour events. He will compete on behalf of the Jerry
Rice 127 Foundation, which provides financial support to agencies and
organizations in the San Francisco Bay area and beyond dedicated to
helping children and their families.
“I
have been a fan of BIG BREAK for a long time, and I wanted to
experience the pressure and excitement of competing on this series
first-hand,” said Rice. “The nerves we all faced on
this show – knowing that everything potentially was on the line for
your team with one golf shot – are experiences I will never forget.”
Mark Rypien (50, Spokane, Wash., 1 handicap)
– The first Canadian-born quarterback to start in the NFL, Rypien’s
12-year NFL career – the majority with the Washington Redskins –
included
two Super Bowl championships, Super Bowl XXVI MVP and two-time Pro Bowl
selection (1989 and 1991). On the golf course, Rypien carries a 1
handicap and was the first professional athlete from another sport to
compete in a PGA TOUR event (1992 Kemper Open).
He will compete on behalf of the Mark Rypien Foundation, built after
Rypien lost his three-year-old son, Andrew, to cancer in 1998. The
foundation raises and provides funding to support unique programs and
projects that help address the needs of children
with cancer and foster a healing environment for child cancer patients.
“As a fan and observer of BIG BREAK, you do not get
an appreciation or truly get a feel for the challenges the contestants
face,” said Rypien. “As a contestant, it was the most challenging
sports endeavor that I have faced. Great fun,
great memories and an incredible, yet challenging, bucket list
experience.”
Past BIG BREAK champions have
won tournament exemptions to compete on some of the world’s top
professional circuits, including the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, European
Tour, LPGA Tour, Web.com Tour and Canadian Tour.
Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey, BIG
BREAK VII: REUNION champion and PGA TOUR professional, captured his
first PGA TOUR victory in 2012 at The McGladrey Classic and is playing
full-time on the PGA TOUR. 2011 Solheim Cup team
member Ryann O’Toole (BIG BREAK SANDALS RESORTS competitor) and 2009
U.S. Solheim Cup Team member Kristy McPherson (BIG BREAK VI: TRUMP
NATIONAL competitor) are currently playing full-time on the LPGA
Tour. Several other past BIG BREAK competitors
are currently competing on the world’s top tours, including Matt Every
(PGA TOUR), James Nitties and Mark Silvers (Web.com Tour) and Kim Welch,
Nicole Smith, Gerina Piller, Kelly Jacques (LPGA Tour).
Follow BIG BREAK on Twitter @BigBreak
About Golf Channel
As the fastest-growing network on television, Golf
Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based
in Orlando, Fla. The Golf Channel cable network, co-founded by Arnold
Palmer in 1995 and part of the NBC Sports Group,
is available in more than 120 million homes worldwide through cable,
satellite and wireless companies. As part of the NBC Sports Group,
professional golf coverage on NBC is branded “Golf Channel on NBC,”
further extending the Golf Channel brand to NBC’s broadcast
audiences. Exclusive partnerships with the world’s top tours allow Golf
Channel to feature more live golf coverage than all other networks
combined, added to a programming schedule distinguished by golf’s best
news, instruction and original programming. Golf
Channel’s digital platform of businesses is led by
www.GolfChannel.com, a leading golf destination on the Internet,
delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf, as well as services
that help the recreational player with how to play, what to play and
where to play golf.
About Dorado Beach Resort
Dorado Beach Resort is a resort community in Puerto
Rico inspired by the vision of its original developer, Laurance S.
Rockefeller. Nestled on 1,400 acres of lush tropical forest overlooking
golden sand beaches, Dorado Beach is home to the
only Ritz Carlton Reserve and Residences in the western hemisphere.
Secluded and private, Dorado Beach was recently selected as one of the
top 100 resort destinations in the world and features 54 holes of golf
designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. along with
The Watermill, a private waterpark that can be enjoyed by every member
of the family. Offering a full array of sports, activities, and culinary
experiences, Dorado Beach has re-emerged as one of the world's finest
luxury resort destinations.
About Puerto Rico Tourism Company
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), founded in
1970, is a public corporation responsible for stimulating, promoting and
regulating the development of the tourism industry. It markets Puerto
Rico as a tourism destination through advertising,
public relations and promotional activities; promotes tourism among
local residents; provides visitor orientation and technical assistance
to investors; evaluates tourism facilities and establishes standards of
quality; and regulates and oversees gaming operations.
PRTC has offices and representatives in the U.S. mainland, Canada,
Europe and Latin America.
-NBC Sports Group-
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