U.S. ARMY ALL-AMERICAN BOWL SELECTS
BRIGHTON HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT
Ricky Heimuli Earns Elite Status for 10th Anniversary Game

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Cottonwood Heights – Ricky Heimuli of Brighton High School has been selected to play in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl joining an elite group of student-athletes. Those selected will play in the 10th anniversary game on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The annual classic East vs. West match-up will be televised live on NBC at 11 a.m. and will feature the nation’s top 90 high school football players.

“Ricky is a talented athlete whose exemplary displays of leadership and teamwork have made him a standout at Brighton High School,” said Col. Derik Crotts, Deputy Chief of Staff, G7, U.S. Army Accessions Command. “The qualities necessary to succeed on the football field, strength, dedication, leadership and teamwork, are the same qualities mirrored in Army Strong Soldiers. We are proud to honor all of our U.S. Army All-American Bowl players and congratulate them on their selection.”

Heimuli was selected by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee, which consists of SportsLink’s network of regional directors throughout the country, Rivals.com and Tom Lemming. U.S. Army All-American players are eligible for the U.S. Army Player of the Year Award, the Pete Dawkins MVP Award, the Walter Payton Trophy, honoring the student-athlete that best represents Payton’s athleticism, hard work and ideals; and the Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard U.S. Army Awards which recognize the two players who best epitomize the Army’s high standard of excellence in community service, education and athletic distinction.

As a result of Ricky Heimuli being selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, his head coach Ryan Bullett is invited to travel to San Antonio and attend the U.S. Army Coaches Academy, an elite two-day learning experience featuring NFL and NCAA coaches, as well as participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game-week activities.

For 10 years, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl has been the nation’s premier high school football game, serving as the preeminent launching pad for America’s future college and NFL stars. Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, and Terrelle Pryor all made their national debuts as U.S. Army All-Americans. Last year the U.S. Army All-American Bowl drew more than 32,000 fans to the game at the Alamodome along with being the most watched sporting event on television over the weekend, besides the NFL Playoffs. Last spring, eight alumni of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

The U.S. Army Accessions Command, headquartered at Ft. Monroe, Va., is charged with providing integrated command and control of the recruiting and initial military training for the Army’s officer, warrant officer, and enlisted forces. Designed to meet the human resource needs of the Army from first handshake to first unit of assignment, the command transforms volunteers into Soldiers and leaders for the Army.

For more information on the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and its related events visit www.usarmyallamericanbowl.com & www.goarmy.com/events/aab. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is owned by SportsLink, a New Jersey-based sport marketing and event management company. Other national sponsors of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl are Football University, Degree Deodorant, Athletic Republic, Rivals.com, Russell Athletic, Spalding, Schutt Sports, EAS, San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Maxwell Football Club, beRecruited.com, Choice Hotels, Deloitte, NCSA, and Gatorade.