Charles Harris Will Participate In 2017 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge
1/23/2017 8:48:00 AM | Football
Skills Competition Returns for 19th Edition with Reimagined Format Featuring 24 of College Football’s Best Players and Six NFL Stars
DALLAS – Mizzou Football standout DE Charles Harris (Kansas City, Mo.) has been selected to participate in the 2017 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge, announced Tuesday (Jan. 24). Harris was one of 24 players selected nationally for the event, which puts players through a skills competition.
Harris is coming off a banner year in 2016, earning preseason All-SEC honors while being named to five award watch lists. His play on the field did not disappoint as he finished 2016 with 9.0 sacks (26th nationally), 12.0 tackles for loss, 10 QB hurries and was second on the team with 61 tackles. He finished his Mizzou career ranked seventh in program history with 18.0 sacks and 12th in school history with his 34.5 tackles for loss. Harris declared for the NFL Draft on Dec. 1, 2016, following the season.
The 2017 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge has been reimagined for its 19th edition at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. For the first time, the skills competition will feature 24 of college football's brightest stars divided into six teams based on their college conference. Each team will consist of four players from the same conference that will compete for conference supremacy in a series of skills competitions. The conferences represented are the ACC, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac-12, the SEC, and four of the best players outside of the Power Five that will be called the "Wild Card" team. Each team will also be designated a current NFL player that was a prolific college star in that team's conference to serve as a coach and mentor throughout the competition.
"We are extremely excited to introduce the revamped format for this year's All-Star Football Challenge," said Intersport Vice President of Sports Properties Drew Russell. "We believe that this format will add competitive spirit between the athletes and create an emotional connection for fans of every conference viewing the event at home."
Each player will individually participate in a timed event, and then finish with a full team event. Events will all be timed and have individual winners that will compile into a cumulative score to determine the winning team. For example, the quarterbacks from each team will all compete against each other to win their competition. But ultimately, their time will be added to the times of the other competitors on their conference designated team to determine a final team score.
Individual events in the 2017 Quicken Loans All-Star Football Challenge include: the State Farm QB Accuracy Competition, the PlayStation Hands Competition, the Be The Match Lineman Strength Challenge and the Mercedes-Benz Obstacle Course. To conclude the program, the players will compete as teams in the State Farm Team Competition.
A complete roster will be announced at a later date.
Alumni of the All-Star Football Challenge include three Heisman Trophy winners (Ron Dayne, Troy Smith and Jason White), 65 first-round NFL Draft picks and 32 Pro Bowlers, such as: Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Jamaal Charles, Greg Olsen, Dez Bryant, Von Miller, Vernon Davis, Joe Flacco, Donovan McNabb and Edgerrin James.
The annual program is scheduled to air Friday, Feb. 3, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The event will have encore airings on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET on April 8 and on ESPN2 at noon ET on April 23. For more information on the 2017 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge, like our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AllStarFootball) and follow us on Twitter (@AllStarFBall) and Instagram (@AllStarFball).
About Intersport
Since 1985, Intersport has been an award-winning innovator and leader in the creation of sports, lifestyle and entertainment-based marketing platforms. With expertise in Sponsorship Consulting, Experiential Marketing, Hospitality, Customer Engagement, Content Marketing, Productions and Sports Properties, this Chicago-based Marketing & Media Solutions Company helps their clients to create ideas, content and experiences that attract and engage passionate audiences. To learn more about Intersport, visit www.intersportnet.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (@IntersportBuzz).
