Oklahoma State Mascot Takes $5,000 Scholarship Prize In First-Ever Fox Sports College Hoops '99 ``Battle of the Mascots'' Video Game Tournament

Business Wire, Dec 11, 1998

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Dec. 11, 1998--Ten mascots representing some of the country's top collegiate basketball programs took center court at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion Thursday to compete in the Fox Sports College Hoops '99 "Battle of the Mascots" video game tournament.

Wrapping their big mascot paws around little Nintendo 64 controllers, the mascots did battle on the virtual hardwood of the new Fox Sports College Hoops '99 video game.

Pistol Pete, mascot for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, overcame his 50 lb. head to win the tournament final over Maryland's Testudo Terrapin, 40-25. Pete, who had his six guns confiscated at an Oklahoma airport, won in part because he has actual hands instead of paws.

Big Jay of the Kansas Jayhawks and The Cincinnati Bearcat rounded out the tournament's "Final Four." Other mascot match ups included a battle of the Wildcats from the Universities of Arizona and Kentucky and a battle between two of the NCAA's stranger looking mascots, the Stanford Tree and Otto the Orangeman of Syracuse University.

Other participants included Sparty the Michigan State Spartan and Josie Bruin of UCLA.

Pistol Pete received a commemorative trophy and a $5,000 scholarship donated in his name to Oklahoma State's general scholarship fund from Fox Sports Interactive.

Available at most major retailers nationwide, Fox Sports College Hoops '99 is the first college sports title for the Nintendo 64 console and the only college basketball video game to be released during the 1998 holiday season.

With a complete NCAA college basketball license, Fox Sports College Hoops '99 has an authentic look and feel -- including 120 real colleges, real logos, real home and away uniforms, and real team styles of play.

Fox Sports College Hoops '99 features regular season and tournament play modes -- including conference tournaments, the NCAA Tournament and NCAA Final Four -- as well as all-conference and all-decade teams and a team rivalry mode. Rhode Island University Head Basketball Coach Jim Harrick, who led the UCLA Bruins to the 1995 NCAA Championship, provided team analyses for the game.

Fox Sports College Hoops '99, Fox Interactive's first title for the Nintendo 64 game system has fully rendered polygonal players, advanced texture mapping, in-depth player attributes and skill ratings, easy-to-learn controls and college basketball TV graphics from Fox Sports Net.

Fox Sports College Hoops '99 achieves a true balance of gameplay and realism with the fastest, most fluid gameplay and most realistic basketball AI available. The title features dynamic dunks, swats, steals and other exciting player moves including first steps, fake moves, and call-your-own dunks. The game includes a true arena atmosphere with crowd sounds, chants and fan participation.

Fox Sports College Hoops '99 is available for a suggested retail price of $64.98.

About Fox Sports Interactive

Fox Sports Interactive is a joint venture between Fox Sports and Fox Interactive formed to create a multi-platform line of compelling interactive sports games that combine great gameplay and technology with rich production values. Fox Sports Interactive products are distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. For more information on Fox Sports Interactive, log on to www.foxsportsgames.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Event photos downloadable from http://www.longphoto.com/foxsports