XFL names Steve Griffith to head league Public Relations office

STAMFORD, CT, May 24, 2000 - The XFL, a new professional football league jointly owned and run by World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc and NBC, announced today that veteran sports public relations specialist Steve Griffith has been named the league's Vice President of Corporate Communications.

Griffith will oversee the XFL's external communications and build the Stamford-based media relations office for the league, which continues to surge toward a February, 2001 kickoff.

"This is a key role and Steve Griffith is a perfect fit,'' said Basil DeVito, President of the XFL. "He's got the major league experience and diverse background that we need. More importantly, his pro-active style dovetails with the XFL's philosophical approach.''

"The XFL is going to have an impact across the full media spectrum,'' said Griffith, who has spent the last five years as Director of Communications for the Worldwide Senior Tennis Circuit and Director of Marketing and Public Relations for RHB Ventures. "It's going to be fun. I expect to be on the phone a fair amount.''

Originally a sportswriter with the (Bridgeport) Connecticut Post, Griffith moved into the public relations field as Sports Information Director at Manhattan College in 1980. From there, he went to NBC Sports as a Sports Media Representative. While at NBC, Griffith worked on all of the major events, including Super Bowls XVII and XX, the 1982 and '84 World Series, Wimbledon and the French Open, the Rose, Orange and Fiesta Bowls, the Breeders Cup, the Skins Game, CART auto racing and world championship boxing.

In 1986, Griffith went to Madison Square Garden as Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the re-launch of Madison Square Garden Boxing under Bob Gutkowski, then President of Madison Square Garden Network, and Vice President/Matchmaker Bob Goodman. The unit immediately established a program of twice-monthly shows and brought the sport back to the Garden's main arena with a series of major and world championship bouts involving Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Riddick Bowe, Buddy McGirt, Pernell Whitaker and Hector Camacho, among others. At the Garden, Griffith was the only staff member to sit on both of the company-wide marketing and public relations committees.

Later, he became Vice President, Public Relations for Garden State Boxing, a joint venture between Bob Goodman Productions and the renowned promotional firm, Main Events. There, Griffith handled a host of projects, including serving as Evander Holyfield's publicist through his first two fights against Riddick Bowe and his fight against Michael Moorer. During that time, he also worked several major boxing events as a senior account executive with MediaWorks of Linwood, N.J.

In 1995, Griffith joined another start-up endeavor, the Champions Tour, as Director of Communications for the fledgling senior tennis tour featuring Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and Guillermo Vilas. The tour had launched with three events in 1993 and eight in '94 before expanding to 19 events around the world in 1997 and now 21 in 14 countries on four continents. The circuit, now known as the Success Magazine Tour in the U.S., is co-owned by RHB Ventures, a sports and entertainment management and marketing firm located in Berwyn (suburban Philadelphia), Pa. In addition to his duties with the senior tennis tour, Griffith has headed up the Public Relations department at RHB, acquiring and servicing a host of sports and entertainment accounts.

Married and the father of two, Griffith has a B.A. in Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.

The XFL's inaugural season will start on February 3, 2001 with a 10-game schedule to be played at major stadiums in eight cities, culminating with two semi-final playoff games and a championship, which is scheduled for April 21. Through subtle rule changes designed to enhance the action and speed of the game, along with technical innovations that will bring fans inside the huddles on to the sidelines, the XFL is designed to accentuate the action that football fans crave.