Athletes to be Honored

Portland, Ore. (February 9, 2007) - More than 70 athletes, coaches, teams and sports personalities will be honored Sunday at the 55th annual Oregon Sports Awards.

The show starts at 7 p.m. in the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike World Campus.

Ahmad Rashad, former University of Oregon football All-American and four-time NFL Pro Bowl player, will host this year’s show.

Rashad, an Emmy-award winning broadcaster, will be joined by numerous celebrity presenters, including pro football players Joey Harrington, Josh Bidwell and Keith Ellison; Seattle Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson; Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky; soccer star Christine Sinclair; X Games silver medalist Sammy Carlson; former U.S. decathlon champion Tom Pappas; Warner Pacific College women’s basketball coach Katy Steding; former Portland Trail Blazers coach Rick Adelman; and the Murrayhill Little League baseball team that played in the Little League World Series last year.

Comcast 14 will televise the show live, and 1080 AM the Fan will provide simulcast coverage. Pre-show coverage starts at 5:00 p.m. on 1080 AM the Fan.

Awards will be announced in 14 categories during the show. The top professionals, amateurs, high school and small college athletes will be among those honored. The awards are based on performances during 2006. A statewide panel of sports media and other experts voted on the awards.

The Oregon Sports Awards are sponsored by Nike, the Portland Tribune, Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors, Les Schwab Tire Centers, Standard TV & Appliance and SportsOne Inc.

Comcast will replay the show on Feb. 14 (8 p.m.), Feb. 16 (8 p.m.), March 4 (11 a.m.) and March 25 (5 p.m.). The show also will be available to Comcast customers via On Demand, beginning Feb. 12.

The show also will run Feb. 18 on several Chambers Communications Corp. TV stations. It will air at 10 a.m. on KEZI in Eugene, 10 a.m. on KOHD in Bend, 11 a.m. on KDRV in Medford and 11 a.m. on KDKF in Klamath Falls.

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased for $50 by calling 503-721-7477, ext. 12.