Top Charlotte Athletes, MDA Flex Muscle for Charity Event

Charlotte, NC—Charlotte athletes will be flexing their muscles for a good cause as Muscle Team® 2005 races, slams and blitzes into the Charlotte Coliseum on Wednesday, May 18, 2005 from 6p.m. to 10p.m. The action-packed fundraiser will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

Muscle Team® 2005, presented by CITGO Petroleum Corporation, pairs top Charlotte athletes with a MDA buddy (a local child living with a neuromuscular disease) and allows participants to mingle with the coaches, athletes, MDA buddies, celebrities and top business executives. The evening consists of interactive games, live and silent auctions featuring unique sports memorabilia and a variety of food and beverage stations.

This year’s Muscle Team® Honorary Coaches are Alan Simonini, Owner, President, COO of Simonini Builders and Bob Beggs, Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager of Commercial Banking, Wachovia.

Joe Martin, former Bank of America Executive, will be Honored with the “Champion of Spirit” Award at Muscle Team® 2005, 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 18, at the Charlotte Coliseum.

“This is an award initiated this year to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of Joe Martin, an individual in the Carolinas who has made an astounding difference in the Charlotte community while spreading awareness of neuromuscular disorders,” says Muscle Team® 2005 Event Chairperson Alan Simonini. “This will be an annual award, The Joe Martin Champion of Spirit Award, and future recipients will be high achieving individuals who have helped further MDA’s mission”.

Muscle Team® 2005 will raise money for local families living with neuromuscular disease to aid in the cost of wheelchairs, leg braces, communication devices, clinic visits and summer camp. Proceeds will also benefit research for treatments and cures for a variety of neuromuscular diseases, including ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Muscle Team® 2005 celebrities/athletes confirmed to attend include:

• Mike Rucker, NFL Carolina Panthers, Defensive End # 93
• John Fox, NFL Carolina Panthers Head Coach
• Mike Minter, NFL Carolina Panthers, Defensive Back #30
• Jake Delhomme, NFL Carolina Panthers, Quarterback #17
• Jeff Burton, NASCAR Driver # 31
• John Andretti, NASCAR Driver, #14
• Kerry Earnhardt, NASCAR Driver, #33
• Ric Flair, WWE Wrestler
•  Maeghan Major, World Champion Professional Wake-boarder
• Chris Parrish, Professional Water-skier
• Matt Carroll, NBA Charlotte Bobcats, Guard #13
• Tammy Sutton Brown, WNBA Charlotte Sting, Center #55
• Kelly Mazzante, WNBA Charlotte Sting
• Helen Darling, WNBA Charlotte Sting
• Eugene Robinson, Panther Ambassador, Retired NFL player and commentator – WRFX
• Leonard Wheeler, Retired NFL Carolina Panthers, Defensive Back
• Bobby Lutz, Charlotte 49ers Head Coach
• Dwight Clark, Retired NFL San Francisco 49er, Pro Bowl Wide Receiver #87
• Ernie Irvan, Retired NASCAR Driver
• Dwight Stone, Panther Ambassador, Retired NFL player
• Anthony Pleasant, Retired NFL Player, New England Patriots
• Adrian Murrell, Retired NFL Player, Dallas Cowboys
• Stan Barrett, Former NASCAR Driver and Hollywood Stuntman

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.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. To receive more information about participating in Muscle Team® 2005 please call Theresa Miller (MDA) at 704-567-2912 or log on to www.charlottemuscleteam.com.