Fort Worth, Texas, July 23, 2009 - ESPN Regional Television (ERT) has announced that Brant B. Ringler as been named the Executive Director for the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl after serving the past five years as its chief marketing director.
The 39-year-old Ringler replaces Tom Starr, who resigned May 29 to enter private business. Starr was named in June 2003 as the first Executive Director for the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, which is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television of Charlotte, N. C.
"We are excited for this opportunity for Brant as well as our Bowl," said Clint Overby, senior director of events, ESPN Regional Television. "The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl has established a strong presence in the Fort Worth sports landscape and we feel that Brant will continue building the event."
A veteran sports marketer, Ringler was named in November 2004 as the Manager of Sales and Marketing for the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. While serving in his present capacity, Ringler has set records for soliciting the number of corporate partners involved with the bowl, and was a key element in securing the Bell Helicopter title sponsorship of the game.
“Through the benefit of already working with one of the best staffs in the bowl business, I look forward to continuing the growth of the event within our great community,” said Ringler. “I have enjoyed working the past five years with Tom Starr, so I feel the transition will be smooth.”
Featured in the Fort Worth Business Press’ “40 under 40,” which spotlights 40 of the area’s best and brightest under the age of 40, Ringler joined the Fort Worth-based bowl after four seasons as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Fort Worth Cats professional baseball team. That team was named the 2002 and 2003 Central Baseball League’s Organization of the Year.
He started his sports marketing career with the San Diego Padres minor league affiliate, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, as Sales Manager (1994-1998). Following that position, he worked as a corporate sales executive for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ringler is a 1993 graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington with a bachelor’s degree in Communications.
The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be televised live on ESPN from Amon G. Carter Stadium on Thursday, Dec. 31, at 11 a.m. (CT). The seventh edition of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will feature schools from Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference.
With Patriotic overtones featuring all five branches of the military, the 2008 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl included a fanfest area showcasing military hardware; a flyover; a demonstration by two of the top military skydiving teams; induction ceremonies on the field; a military band and joint color guard; plus the presentation of the “Great American Patriot Award,” all presented by Armed Forces Insurance. The 2008 GAPA award winner was Army General David H. Petraeus.
A Textron Inc. Company, Bell Helicopter agreed August 23, 2006, to the title sponsorship for the postseason college football game formerly known as the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl (2003, 2004) and the Fort Worth Bowl (2005), which is now the Armed Forces Bowl. With those changes, the official name became the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. On December 6, 2007, Bell Helicopter exercised its option for title sponsorship of the game for 2008 and 2009.
Ticket prices for the 2009 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl are $50 for sideline seats, $40 for upper deck seats and $20 for end-zone tickets. Military veterans receive half off any $40 and $50 seat, and active-duty personnel get in free via the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl corporate military ticket-underwriting program. A portion of local ticket sales will go to designated military charities. Tickets for this year’s game can be obtained by calling the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl office at (817) 810-0012 or by visiting the bowl’s official Web site: http://armedforcesbowl.com.
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