Circle City Classic: FAMU vs. WSSU on NFL Network

by USA Today

On tap: NFL Network spokesman Dan Masonson says the channel will announce Monday (October 1, 2007) that it will air its first-ever regular-season college game Saturday: Winston-Salem State-Florida A&M, with announcers Spero Dedes and Sterling Sharpe.

by Winston Salem Sports Information

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The 2007 Circle City Classic that pits the Winston-Salem State University Rams versus the Florida A&M University Rattlers at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana on October 6, 2007 at 4:00 pm will air live on the NFL Network.

The Coca-Cola Circle City Classic enters its third decade as one of America's top football classics and favorite weekend celebrations. While the name and the quality of the game remains the same, the weekend has gained a name of its own, the American Family Insurance Classic Weekend featuring the Coca-Cola Circle City Classic.

The football game is the showcase event as it features some of the best rivalries in black college football. The weekend is a celebration of cultural excellence and educational achievement while showcasing the spirit, energy and tradition of America's historically black colleges and universities.

The 2007 Classic features the Rams of Winston-Salem State University and the Rattlers of Florida A&M University taking to the gridiron at 4:00 pm on October 6, 2007.

The game will air live on the NFL Network with Spero Dedes calling the play-by-play and seven-year NFL veteran Sterling Sharpe providing the analysis.

Play-by-play announcer Spero Dedes joined the NFL Network in 2006 as a host and as a play-by-play announcer.

Dedes serves as the play-by-play voice for NFL Network's NFL preseason games, college bowl games and other selected events.

The only year-round show dedicated to the NFL, NFL Total Access provides daily news, interviews and analysis from around the league. NFL Total Access airs six days a week, Monday at 6:00 PM ET and Tuesday through Saturday at 7:00 PM ET.

Dedes also currently serves as the play-by-play radio voice of the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Mychal Thompson on XTRA Sports 570. Prior to working with the Lakers, he was the host of NBA TV's Hardwood Classics and the NBA "Insiders."

Dedes has extensive play-by-play experience including NFL on Fox games, YES Network's coverage of college football and basketball and first-round playoff games for NBA TV. He began his broadcasting career at WFAN Radio in New York where he handled updates and served as the Jets' beat reporter. Dedes also worked as the radio voice of the Arena Football League's New Jersey Gladiators.

Dedes, a 2001 Fordham graduate from Paramus, N.J. was the inaugural recipient of the Marty Glickman Award, given to the Fordham announcer who best exemplifies the standards set by the late sports broadcasting icon. He continues a long line of sports excellence produced by Fordham University's WFUV Radio that began with the legendary voice of the Dodgers' Vin Scully in the late 1940's.

Providing game analysis for the Rams vs. Rattlers will be former NFL wide receiver Sterling Sharpe who begins his fifth season with NFL Network after joining at the network's kickoff in November 2003.

Sharpe serves as a co-host with Brian Baldinger on Playbook, the ultimate NFL chalkboard program utilizing the same "all 22" game film that coaches and players use to preview all of the upcoming games. Airing each Thursday and Friday at 8:00 PM ET, Playbook gives fans an insider's look at who could win each game as well as coach and player interviews conducted by Solomon Wilcots on-location at team headquarters. Playbook re-airs every Sunday morning at 11 AM ET with the latest pregame updates from around the league.

Previously, Sharpe spent seven years as an NFL analyst for ESPN and one season with NBC.

Sharpe never missed a game in seven stellar NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers. His 595 career receptions are tops in Packers history. Sharpe led the NFL in catches three times, touchdown catches twice and receiving yards once.

A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Sharpe had five 1,000-yard seasons. From 1992-94, Sharpe joined with Brett Favre to form one of the most prolific tandems in NFL history. The duo combined for 300 receptions, 3,696 yards and 41 touchdowns. Sharpe was the first receiver in NFL history to post at least 300 receptions in a three-season span and was the first player in NFL history with consecutive 100-catch seasons (1992-93).

Sharpe was the Packers' first-round draft choice in 1988 from the University of South Carolina.

NFL Network is the year-round programming network fully-owned and operated by the NFL.

It is every football fan's dream. Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, a network solely devoted to the most popular sport in America, football. NFL Network is a destination for all that happens around the league, on and off the field - during the season and throughout the non-playing season.

Each year, NFL Network televises nearly 200 NFL games, including 52 preseason games, eight regular season primetime games, 98 game replays, the Senior Bowl, Insight Bowl and Texas Bowl, plus past Super Bowl and NFL Classic games.

With a camera at each of the 32 NFL team facilities, plus tremendous cooperation from the NFL players, coaches, owners, officials and executives, the unique access allows viewers to get closer to the NFL experience than ever before.

NFL Films, created by the NFL more than 40 years ago, is a key supplier of NFL Network's programming. With more than 100 million feet of film in its library, NFL Films is the backbone of NFL Network.

NFL Network is the gathering place of the NFL, using the latest digital media applications to bring a new dimension to the NFL experience. The passion, the excitement, the highs and the lows are covered by NFL Network from an insider's perspective.

Locally the NFL Network is available on DirecTV channel 212 and the Dish Network channel 154. The broadcast begins at 4:00 pm as the 2007 Circle City Classic airs live.