Georgia Teen to Meet Falcons Warrick Dunn at Local Athlete's Foot Store

Market Wire, October, 2007

Lovell Jordan III, a 17-year-old Stone Mountain High School student, has been working to win the 4A Georgia Football Championship since his freshman year. Lovell is the captain of his high school football team, a starting running back and has set the bar higher this year -- his senior year. He realizes that to win the championship he needs to "stay coachable, have fun and stay focused." With the help of The Athlete's Foot (TAF), Lovell will meet another athlete who shares his drive to succeed and his same position on the field. On Tuesday, November 6, Lovell will be awarded the regional prize of The Athlete's Foot In My Shoes contest and will spend quality time with Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn at the TAF store at 875 Lawrenceville Suwanee Road in Lawrenceville, GA

"The In My Shoes campaign encouraged students nationwide to share their performance goals for this school year, so TAF stores in their communities could encourage them in their efforts to achieve their personal best," commented Robert W. D'Loren, President and CEO of NexCen Brands, Inc., parent company of TAF. "We are extremely impressed with participants like Lovell, who have set aspirational goals for themselves and their teams and have expressed their commitment through our contest. We are excited to introduce Lovell to a professional athlete to whom he looks for inspiration."

Lovell, a 2007 All American, has very high hopes for his high school football team this year and plans on motivating his team to work hard to win the 4A Georgia Football Championship -- a goal he expressed in his In My Shoes contest submission. When he's not playing football, Lovell is a dedicated track and wrestling athlete. His perseverance has led him to lettering in all three sports.

"I'm really looking forward to meeting Warrick Dunn," commented Lovell when notified he had been named a regional In My Shoes winner. "Warrick is my favorite player. We share the same position on the field, so I want to pick his brain about how I can be a better running back. He also went to my favorite college, Florida State, so I'd like to learn more about his college games."

A running back for the Atlanta Falcons, Warrick Dunn can claim success on and off the field. He's a three-time Pro Bowler, was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1997 and was honored with the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2004. Off the field, Dunn is active in his foundation (the Warrick Dunn Foundation) and the Homes for the Holidays program, which helps struggling single mothers purchase homes.

Lovell Jordan III and Warrick Dunn will meet on Tuesday, November 6, at The Athlete's Foot store located at 875 Lawrenceville Suwanee Road in Lawrenceville, GA. There, Dunn will make a public appearance and sign autographs from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and will meet Lovell to learn more about his goals and present him with a gift card prize from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. There is a cost of $60 per autograph for members of the public.

The TAF In My Shoes campaign, which the retailer launched in late July, invited students ages 13 to 18 nationwide to submit written or video (YouTube) entries stating their performance goals for the new school year. Local winners, selected from participating TAF stores, will receive a $75 TAF gift card.

In addition the Lawrenceville, GA event with Warrick Dunn, nine other regional winners have won the opportunity to meet pro athletes from their communities, including:

-- Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis

-- Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward

-- New York Knicks forward David Lee

-- Detroit Lions quarterback Jon Kitna

-- Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley

-- Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle

-- Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Reggie Brown

-- Houston Texans running back Ahman Green

-- New Orleans Saints receiver Marques Colston

One national winner will have a one-on-one coaching session with one of the top professional athletes in the country. The winner and athlete will be announced by late October.

The Athlete's Foot is thrilled to contribute 10% of the proceeds from the memorabilia sales at each regional meet-and-greet to The Achilles Track Club's (ATC) Achilles Kids program ( www.achillestrackclub.org ), which enables young people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics, to promote personal achievement, enhanced self esteem and the lowering of barriers between people.

About The Athlete's Foot ( www.theathletesfoot.com )

The Athlete's Foot® (TAF) is the world's first franchisor of athletic footwear stores and is recognized today as the world leader in athletic footwear franchising. Robert and David Lando opened the first The Athlete's Foot store in 1971 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first athletic footwear specialty store of its kind in the United States. Soon thereafter, TAF began franchising domestically, with the first franchise store opening in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The first international franchise store opened in 1978 in Adelaide, Australia, the beginning of TAF's expansion into over 45 countries. In June 2007, NexCen Brands launched a global re-branding effort for TAF. Plans for reinvigorating the 36 year-old brand to include an innovative new modular merchandising system, new in-store design, a modernized company logo, and a line of TAF branded apparel.