American Honda Motor Company, Inc. Hosts 9th Annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge at Walt Disney World
25 February 1998
American Honda Motor Company, Inc. Hosts 9th Annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge at Walt Disney WorldORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 25 -- American Honda Motor Co., Inc. will host the Ninth Annual, Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) National Championship Tournament in Orlando, Florida, March 12 - 16, 1998. Entering it's ninth year, the HCASC event has touched the lives of more than 15,000 students, volunteers and college presidents. HCASC will host 64 teams from America's top Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to compete and ultimately be crowned National Champion on Sunday, March 15. At stake are monetary grants for the competing institutions. Last year, Alabama State University was crowned the National Champion with North Carolina's Elizabeth City State University finishing second. North Carolina Central University and Howard University were defeated in the semi- final round. All sixty-four institution receive a monetary grant depending on their finishing position, with Alabama State receiving $50,000 as National Champion. In addition, eight players are named to the HCASC All-Star Team, play an All-Star game and receive additional grants for their schools. Originally, developed by College Bowl Company, Inc., HCASC offers HBCU students an opportunity to showcase their academic abilities. Questions range from a wide array of topics including: history, science, the arts, popular culture, as well as African-American history, culture and achievement. "In supporting HBCUs, American Honda's goal is to create educational opportunities that help further the dreams and ambitions of our young future leaders," says Eric Conn, Senior Manager of Automobile Advertising at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Over the past nine years, Honda has donated over $2 million in grants to more than 80 participating institutions. The theme of this year's tournament, "On the Move," serves as the coming out celebration for these young gifted leaders. They have grown up in a different time and way which reflects the dawn of a new era. The 1998 HCASC Top 64 are as follows: Alabama A&M University Morgan State University Alabama State University Morris Brown College Albany State College Norfolk State University Alcorn State University North Carolina A&T State University Benedict College North Carolina Central University Bennett College Oakwood College Bethune-Cookman College Philander Smith College Central State University Prairie View A&M University Claflin College Saint Paul's College Clark Atlanta University Savannah State College Dillard University Shaw University Elizabeth City State University Sojourner-Douglass College Fayetteville State University South Carolina State University Fisk University Southern University-Baton Rouge Florida A&M University Southern University-New Orleans Fort Valley State University Stillman College Grambling State University Talladega College Hampton University Tennessee State University Harris-Stowe State College Texas College Howard University Texas Southern University Huston-Tillotson College Tougaloo College Jackson State University Tuskegee University Jarvis Christian College University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff Johnson C. Smith University University of Maryland-Eastern Shore Lane College University - District of Columbia Langston University Virginia State University LeMoyne-Owen College Virginia Union University Lincoln University - Missouri Voorhees College Livingstone College West Virginia State College Miles College Wilberforce University Mississippi Valley State University Winston-Salem State University Morehouse College Xavier University HONDA CAMPUS ALL-STAR CHALLENGE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT - WALT DISNEY WORLD, ORLANDO FLORIDA MARCH 12 -- 16, 1998 FACT SHEET What: The 9th Annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) National Championship Tournament is a questions and answers game for America's top Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The game, modeled after the award-winning College Bowl television program, challenges students on a wide variety of topics including: history, science, religion, the arts, popular culture, as well as African-American history, culture and achievement. Sixty-four teams will compete in a "round-robin" competition culminating in a single elimination tournament, for which a national champion will be crowned At stake is more than $300,000 in monetary grants for the competing institutions. Sponsor: American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is the exclusive sponsor of the HCASC program. Honda has contributed over $2 million in grants to the HBCUs since the inception of the competition in 1989. The National Championship Tournament is open to all four-year, undergraduate HBCUs, all of which are members of the National Association For Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO). Background: For the 9th consecutive year, HCASC begins on the HBCU campuses where students compete for one of four "varsity" spots and an alternate position on the national championship qualifying team. In 1997, more than 75 schools enrolled in the HCASC program vying to qualify for one of the 64 tournament slots. The first 64 teams to complete their campus tournament, advance to the National Championship Tournament. The National Championship: Sixty-four teams will meet at the Hilton at Walt Disney World Village in Orlando, Florida from March 12 - 16, 1998. The 64 team field will be competing for more than $300,000 in monetary grants for their institutions. Close to 500 students and volunteers attend the National Championship Tournament. During the National Championship Week, attendees are also treated to visits to Walt Disney World, and participate in student development forums. So the HCASC National Championship provides not only intense competition, but assists students by providing a networking forum Contacts: Christopher Dwight Muse Cordero Chen & Partners, Inc. 6100 Wilshire Boulevard, 16th Floor Los Angeles, California 90048 (213) 954-1655 (213) 954-9171 Fax Lillian E. Parker College Bowl Company, Inc. 14900 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 220 Sherman Oaks, California 91403 (800) 388-2272, Ext. 104 (818) 788-6627 Fax 1998 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge NCT Key Events Thursday, March 12 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm Opening Dinner (Grand Ballroom) Friday, March 13 8:45 am - 6:30 pm Round Robin Games (Mezzanine) Saturday, March 14 8:45 am - 5:30 pm Round Robin Games & Playoffs (Mezzanine) 6:30 pm - 2:00 am Move & Groove! Dinner (Pavilion) 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm Volunteer Recognition Dinner (Church Street Station) Sunday, March 15 8:30 am - 11:00 am Championship Games (International Ballroom) All-Star Game (International Ballroom) 7:30 pm - 11:00 pm Awards Banquet (International Ballroom) Monday, March 16 5:00 am - End of Day Departures (Hotel Lobby) Key Events for Press use only, do not print SOURCE American Honda Motor Company, Inc.