ELI MANNING TO HEADLINE
2012 DAY OF CHAMPIONS DINNER

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, will headline the 63rd annual Rochester Press-Radio Club Day of Champions Children's Charity Dinner on Wednesday, May 23, at the Riverside Convention Center.

Manning will receive the Coca-Cola Sports Personality of the Year Award, and will be joined at the head table by other sports figures and local award winners to be announced in the coming weeks.

A native of New Orleans and a graduate of the University of Mississippi, Manning was drafted first overall by San Diego Chargers in 2004 and immediately traded to the Giants. On Feb. 5, he guided New York to its second Super Bowl championship in four years against the New England Patriots. In 2011, he passed for 4,933 yards and 29 touchdowns and established an NFL record for most fourth-quarter touchdowns (14) in a season.

The son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the younger brother of Indianapolis Colts superstar Peyton Manning, Eli is heavily involved in charitable causes. He has raised $2.5 million to establish the Eli Manning Children's Clinic at the University of Mississippi's children's hospital and stages an annual golf tournament in Westchester County to raise funds for an organization that trains guide dogs for the blind.

"We are thrilled to have for the third consecutive year a star player from a Super Bowl championship team as our keynote speaker,"’ said Mike Kauffman, Press-Radio Club vice president and dinner co-chair. "Eli's appearance continues our tradition of prominent sports headliners that in recent years have included the likes of Drew Brees, Joe Torre, Cal Ripken Jr., and Eli's older brother, Peyton."

Tickets for the dinner are $130, with a table of 10 available for a discounted price of $1,250. A limited number of private "Meet and Greet Eli Manning" packages are available for $800. The package includes two dinner tickets, an 8x10 photograph with the headliner and a football signed by Manning. A limited number of VIP reception tickets (includes a Manning autographed photo and a dinner ticket) are being offered at $230 per person.

To reserve tickets or packages, call 585-340-1460. Credit cards or money orders are accepted as payment. Seating is limited.

Since the Press-Radio Club's inception in 1949, it has donated more than a million dollars to Rochester charities.

The Press-Radio Club gratefully acknowledges its corporate sponsors: Rochester Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Dinner Co-chair John Kelly), the Democrat and Chronicle Media Group; ESL Federal Credit Union, Paychex Corporation, the Rochester Red Wings, the Rochester RazorSharks, the Rochester Americans and the Rochester Knighthawks.