Press Pass 2003 Football Features the First Autographs and Jersey
Cards of Rookies Carson Palmer & Byron Leftwich
Charlotte, NC. (March 4, 2003) -The 2003 draft may produce
one of the deepest quarterback classes in several years, with two
standout stars at the head of the class; Carson Palmer, the 2002
Heisman Trophy winner from USC, and Byron Leftwich, the powerful
quarterback from Marshall. Press Pass is excited to kick off the
2003 football season with the first rookie cards of the 2003 draft
class and an exclusive look at these two phenomenal quarterbacks
in Press Pass 2003 Football.
Press Pass 2003 Football is the place to find the first autographs
and game-used jersey cards of Carson Palmer and Byron Leftwich,
and may be the only opportunity for collectors to obtain game-used
jersey cards featuring these players in their collegiate uniforms.
There are some exciting changes to the product line-up in 2003.
For the first time, there will be three distinctive levels of autographs
in Press Pass 2003 Football. The base level features the player's
collegiate logo in bronze, the silver level is numbered to 200 and
features the player's uniform number, and the gold level is numbered
to 100 and features a secondary image of the player highlighted
in metallic gold. There will also be two levels of game-used jersey
cards in Press Pass 2003 Football, including a rare holofoil stamped
version numbered to 50. Hobby boxes will contain an average of six
autograph cards per box.
"Press Pass Football and Press Pass Jersey Edition are the
only 'draft pick' products that will include cards of Carson Palmer
and Byron Leftwich, the top two QBs in the draft," said Tom
Farrell, director of marketing for Press Pass, a division of Racing
Champions (NASDAQ: RACN). "We are excited to offer collectors
the first autographs and game-used jersey cards of these talented
players. "
As a bonus, an autographed football of Palmer, Leftwich or another
top QB will be sealed in each 20-box hobby case of Press Pass 2003
Football. Product release is slated for mid-April.
Racing Champions Ertl (www.rcertl.com) is a leading producer and
marketer of innovative collectibles and toys targeted at males of
all ages. The Company's diverse product offerings include scaled
die-cast replicas of John Deere agricultural equipment and NASCAR
stock cars, other licensed vehicle replicas, pre-teen toys, sports
trading cards, racing apparel and souvenirs, and collectible figures.
These products are sold under the Company's market-focused brand
names, including Racing Champions®, Ertl®, Ertl Collectibles®,
American Muscle™, AMT®, W. Britain®, Press Pass®,
and JoyRide Studios™. The Company reinforces its brands and
enhances the authenticity of its products by linking them with highly
recognized licensed properties including NASCAR, NHRA, John Deere,
Harley-Davidson, Case, Polaris, Honda, Caterpillar, Ford, GM, Chrysler,
Texaco, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Hit Entertainment, Nintendo,
Sega, and Electronic Arts. The Company's products are marketed through
multiple channels of distribution, including mass retailers and
specialty and hobby wholesalers and retailers, OEM dealers, and
to corporate accounts for promotional purposes. The Company sells
through more than 20,000 retail outlets located in North America,
Europe, and Asia Pacific.
