Oct. 1, 2007

Birmingham, Ala. - The Southeastern Conference and Learning Through Sports, Inc., have developed a series of 12 customized lesson plans featuring an SEC 75th Anniversary "Story of Character" from each of the league's member institutions.

The lesson plans, designed for 7th through 12th grade students, correlate to the standards approved by the Department of Education in each SEC state. The content also includes research links, special assignments, and a classroom discussion outline. Teachers and coaches are encouraged to download the lesson plans from www.SECsports.com.

"This is a wonderful extension of our 75th Anniversary celebration," Commissioner Mike Slive said. "We hope that these incredible Stories of Character will inspire young people to achieve both academic and athletic success. The SEC and its member institutions are committed to positively impacting the educational landscape in our region. Our partnership with Learning Through Sports has enabled the SEC to assist teachers and coaches in their important work."

The former SEC student-athletes highlighted in the lesson plans include:

Alabama - Bart Starr (Football) - NFL Hall of Famer and founder of the Rawhide Boys' Ranch.
Arkansas - Brandon Burlsworth (Football) - Family established a foundation in his memory that provides eye care, scholarships and athletic camps for low-income youth.
Auburn - Jim Voss (Wrestling) - One of NASA's most experienced astronauts.
Florida - Deb Richard (Golf) - Established the Deb Richard Foundation that provides scholarships to disabled college freshmen at University of Florida.
Georgia - Kathy McMinn (Gymnastics) - Critical care and pulmonary specialist.
Kentucky - Derrick Ramsey (Football) - Currently Kentucky's Deputy Secretary of Commerce.
LSU - Collis Temple, Jr. (Basketball) - Helped integrate LSU's athletic program and later founded the Harmony Center.
Mississippi State - Burke Masters (Baseball) - Roman Catholic priest in Chicago.
Ole Miss - Jennifer Gillom (Basketball) - Olympian and WNBA All-Star.
Peggie Gillom-Granderson (Basketball) - Rebel associate head coach and member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. The Gillom Sports Center on the Ole Miss campus now stands as a tribute to the sisters' achievements.
South Carolina - Tonique Williams-Darling (Track) - Olympic gold medalist who established a foundation to help youth in her native Bahamas.
Tennessee - Tim Townes (Football) - World renowned medical researcher and Chairman and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Vanderbilt - Lamar Alexander (Track) - Only Tennessean popularly elected both Governor and U.S. Senator.

"Teachers and coaches are constantly looking for tools to teach character," LTS Founder and CEO Brian Shulman said. "These SEC Stories of Character are relevant to young people and can now be applied directly in the classroom."

The SEC partnered with LTS to launch an Education Initiative in September 2002. Now in its sixth year, the historic program continues to utilize the platform of athletics to provide teachers and coaches with relevant resources they can use to educate and prepare school-age students for life.

For more information on the "Stories of Character" Lesson Plans or the SEC Education Initiative, visit www.SECsports.com or www.LearningThroughSports.com.

The Southeastern Conference consists of 12 member institutions: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The league currently sanctions championship play in nine men's sports and 11 women's sports. During the 2006-07 academic year conference teams captured eight national titles and five national runner-up finishes. The SEC also became the first conference ever to win national championships in football and men's and women's basketball in the same school year. Student-athletes around the league continue to excel in the classroom, as well, with over 2,000 earning recognition on the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Its headquarters has been located in Birmingham, Ala., since 1948.

Learning Through Sports, Inc.® is a leading educational publisher of digital game-based learning programs for K-12. The company publishes Kid's College, a math & literacy intervention program that has proven effective in raising test scores for underachieving students, and STAR Sportsmanship, the first interactive sports video game to teach sportsmanship.

Contact:
Mark Whitworth (mwhitworth@sec.org)
Southeastern Conference
205.458.3000

Brian Shulman (bshulman@learningthroughsports.com)
Learning Through Sports, Inc.
205.980.8970