sign in sign up
<<
Home , Pete Carroll

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NFL 1/8/16

ALL FIVE “TOGETHER WE MAKE FOOTBALL” FINALISTS ANNOUNCED AS WINNERS OF GOLDEN TICKET TO 50

NFL Films One-Hour Special “Football America: Our Families” to Air Saturday, Jan. 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC

All five finalists of “Together We Make Football” were announced as winners this morning live on TODAY. All five campaign finalists were hosted on the TODAY Show Plaza at New York City’s Rockefeller Center to find out who won the trip of a lifetime to Super Bowl 50, when host Willie Geist informed them that a decision could not be made and all the finalists would be going to the game.

View the segment announcing the winners here: http://www.today.com/video/deserving- nfl-fans-win-a-trip-to-the-super-bowl-598346307860

Selected from more than 3,500 entries by a joint NFL and NBC panel, the five eventual winners were initially told they had been named finalists with surprise visits from the Washington Redskins’ Ryan Kerrigan, Cincinnati Bengal Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt, Coach Pete Carroll and legend Brett Favre. Their stories were turned into short features by NFL Films and featured over the last five weeks on TODAY.

The NFL Films’ one-hour special “Football America: Our Families,” inspired by the season-long “Together We Make Football” campaign, will air on NBC Saturday, Jan. 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The film will feature the winners of the “Together We Make Football” contest, through which thousands of fans shared their stories about how football inspires them.

“Football America: Our Families” will show the role football plays in communities, for families, and in lives across the country through the award-winning NFL Films’ storytelling and cinematography.

Below is information on the five winners with links to their stories:

Shariff and Malachi Williams, 9-year-old twin brothers and youth football players from Martinsburg, W.Va. The twins were born three months premature, with Shariff weighing only one pound. Shariff, who was diagnosed with autism and Tourette’s syndrome, plays on the same team as his brother Malachi. The twins share a bond that extends from the football field to their community, inspiring everyone around them. View Shariff and Malachi’s story here: http://bit.ly/1OQjNOv.

Felix Agosto, a U.S. Air Force Veteran from Riverside, N.J. Agosto created a sports- driven, non-profit organization called MVP360 to help children grow and develop their motives, values, and personalities. View Felix’s story here: http://bit.ly/1Z2l4Sf.

Peyton Watson, a 10-year-old youth tackle football player from Katy, Texas. Watson, the only girl in her league, combined entrepreneurship and her love of football to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness by selling t-shirts emblazoned with the term “Tuff Girl.” View Peyton’s story here: http://bit.ly/1Pfga3f.

Duke Sheow, a Seattle Seahawks fan who came to America from Vietnam in 1979. Sheow bonded with the Hancock family, which sponsored him and his relatives when they arrived in Seattle. Sheow, who has since moved to Los Angeles, and the Hancocks are still in touch and often talk about their shared affinity for the Seahawks. View Duke’s story here: http://bit.ly/1PhWgQO.

Margaret Anderson, the mother of a fallen Soldier, and Brad Lutz, the coach of the team her son played on in Harrisonburg, Va. Lutz, who coaches at Broadway High School outside of Harrisonburg, began the tradition of honoring at every game a U.S. service member who died serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The final home game of the year, “Broadway’s Fallen Soldier Tribute Game,” is always dedicated to Margaret’s son, hometown hero Spc. Brian “Bucky” Anderson who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. View Margaret and Brad’s story here: http://bit.ly/1SD6AbC.

ABOUT “TOGETHER WE MAKE FOOTBALL”

The and NBC presented weekly segments this season on TODAY for “Together We Make Football,” an invitation to anyone inspired by the game of football – whether as a player at any level, coach or a fan – to share their story for a chance to win a trip to Super Bowl 50.

The campaign unfolded weekly throughout the NFL season with segments airing every Friday on TODAY.

This is the latest iteration of the “Together We Make Football” campaign that launched in 2013. Over the past two years, thousands of fans shared their stories of what football means to them. A select few had their stories told on TODAY and some even won trips to Super Bowl.

Stories that air on TODAY also will be posted on Togetherwemakefootball.com throughout the season.

# # #

Contact:

NFL: Dan Bailey, [email protected]

NBC: Leah Luchetti, [email protected]