MUSCLE TEAM GAMES SCORE $116,000;
FULL HOUSE OF SPORTS CELEBS SUPPORT MDA

OAKLAND, April 28, 2005 – The Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Muscle Team Games at McAfee Coliseum last night proved to be an evening to remember in the fight against muscular dystrophy and in honoring 10 Bay Area youths.

The MDA Muscle Team Games offered sport greats the opportunity to share an evening of interactive games and fantasy play-by-play booths while raising support for the Association. The Oakland event brought in more than $116,000 for MDA’s programs helping people with neuromuscular diseases.

Athletes presented 10 area youngsters, each affected by a neuromuscular disease, with awards for strength, perseverance and courage. They represented MDA’s Junior Muscle Team for the evening. Seventeen-year-old Brandon Johnson from Napa Valley served as the junior team’s coach. “It’s great that some of our favorite players take the time to get involved with MDA,” Johnson said. “The money raised tonight helps support my favorite MDA event – summer camp for kids just like me who are affected by these terrible diseases.”

Players who shared in the fun and philanthropy of the night included legendary Oakland Raiders defensive player and four-time pro bowler Ben Davidson and current Raiders linemen Adam Treu and Grant Irons. Oakland A’s Eric Chavez, Justin Duchscherer and Nick Swisher and San Francisco 49ers Norm Katnik and Andrew Williams were also on hand, as were members of the San Jose Stealth, Earthquakes and Sharks. Collegiate sports were represented by athletes from Stanford and Cal football.

Two area corporate executives, Donna Robbins, president of Albertsons Northern California Division and John Rogoff, vice president of Acosta Sales and Marketing, were recognized for their continued support of MDA’s fight against neuromuscular diseases.

VIP Sponsors included Albertsons, Acosta Sales and Marketing, Continental Airlines, Berkeley Farms, Kraft Foods, Pepsi, the Sacramento Bee and Anheuser-Busch.

Live and silent auction prizes included collectors’ sports memorabilia. Joe Fonzi, KTVU Fox 2 sports commentator, served as the night’s emcee.

MDA is a national voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. The Association’s programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors and local businesses.

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