ACC Gridiron Live Presented by McAlister's Deli Debuts Aug. 27 on FOX Sports South
ACC Gridiron Live presented by McAlister's Deli, a new ACC-focused football show, will debut Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports South. For 16 consecutive weeks during the 2014 season, ACC Gridiron Live will deliver stories, highlights and interviews from around the Atlantic Coast Conference The fast-paced interactive show will be hosted by Emmy Award-winning host James Bates, former NFLers Alge Crumpler and Coy Wire, and college football coach Jim Grobe. Current NFLer Greg Olsen will join the show each week as a contributor.
ACC Commissioner John Swofford will officially introduce ACC Gridiron Live at ACC Media Days* on Sunday, July 20 during his Football Forum in Greensboro, N.C.
Bates (@jb8sy) was the captain of the 1996 Florida Gators National Championship team and brings his extensive knowledge of the game to the ACC Gridiron Live desk. Bates will also be seen weekly on The New College Football Show and will also join Wes Durham as an analyst for ACC Football games, all on FOX Sports South and SportSouth, throughout the 2014 season.
"I am thrilled to be able to spend every Wednesday night helping shine the spotlight on such a great conference," said Bates. "The ACC has some of the country's best players returning including Jameis Winston, Vic Beasley, Duke Johnson and Jamison Crowder. It also has extremely passionate and educated fans. I can't wait to buckle up the chinstrap and give them my best effort each Wednesday night this fall."
Crumpler (@Alge_Crumpler) played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots, earning four Pro Bowl selections. He was a three-time First Team All-ACC performer at the University of North Carolina before being drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Falcons.
A 19-year head coach at the Division-I level, Grobe most recently led Wake Forest to a school-record 77 wins in 13 seasons. He led the Demon Deacons to more bowl games, more eight-win seasons, and more bowl victories than any coach in school history. Grobe was named the 2006 AP Coach of the Year, Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year and ACC Coach of the Year after leading his team to the ACC title and earning a berth in the FedEx Orange Bowl.
"I am very excited to be working with Fox Sports South on ACC Gridiron Live," said Grobe. "Having played in the ACC at Virginia and coached for 13 years at Wake Forest, I am hoping to bring some insight to the show with my experience. The league has truly developed into one of the top conferences in the country and I am looking forward to following another great season of ACC football."
Wire (@CoyWire), a college football analyst on FOX Sports 1, played nine years in the NFL. He served as a team captain for the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills. A graduate of Stanford University, Wire was drafted in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Bills.
Each week, current Carolina Panthers and former University of Miami tight end Greg Olsen (@gregolsen82) will join the show as a contributor.
FOX Sports South will produce 17 ACC football games during the 2014 season. Coverage kicks off Saturday, August 30 with Georgia Tech hosting Wofford at 12:30 p.m. ET, and all 17 games will be made available to approximately 71.6 million cable and satellite households across 22 regional sports networks.
*Media Availability: Bates, Crumpler, Grobe, Wire and Executive Producer Randy Stephens will be available Sunday and Monday at ACC Media Days. Please contact Rolanda Gaines (404) 698-0741 to schedule an interview.
The FOX Sports regional networks serving the Southeast â FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Tennessee, FOX Sports Carolinas and SportSouth â collectively reach more than 13 million cable and satellite households in seven states across the Southeast. They are the television home of the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Dream, Atlanta Hawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte Hounds, Memphis Grizzlies, Nashville Predators, Cincinnati Reds, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, and St. Louis Cardinals, as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference, Conference USA, Southeastern Conference, and Big 12 Conference. Combined, the four networks produce more than 750 live local events and televise more than 1400 live local events each year. For more information, please visit FOXSportsSouth.com, FOXSportsTennessee.com, and FOXSportsCarolinas.com.
