Arena Football Hall Of Fame Special To Air On CBS Sports Network

CBS Sports Network will produce and broadcast an Arena Football Hall of Fame television special, the NET10 Wireless Arena Football League announced today. The 30-minute program will feature each member of the 2012 Arena Football Hall of Fame Class along with showcasing the birth and history of the Arena Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Friday, April 12 in Des Moines, IA and will play a prominent role within the television special.

The Week 4 "NET10 Wireless Arena Football Saturday" contest between the Iowa Barnstormers and Philadelphia Soul will kickoff at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 13 and will air on CBS Sports Network immediately following the Network's golf coverage. In addition, the game will be replayed several times during the following week.

"We appreciate that CBS Sports Network values our Hall of Fame at a high enough level to produce a television special around it," AFL Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz said. "While our Week 4 contest will not air live, we are excited by the additional resources that our television partner is making available to us so that we can give this hallowed event its due."

The 2012 Arena Football Hall of Fame Class includes: QB SHERDRICK BONNER, voted the Greatest Quarterback in AFL History by the Silver Anniversary Committee in 2012; HC MIKE DAILEY, a two-time ArenaBowl champion coach (XIII, XIX); QB CLINT DOLEZEL, a three-time All-Arena selection and a passing leader of the AFL for four years; WR/DB RANDY GATEWOOD, a six-time All-Arena selection and three-time All-Ironman selection; current Iowa Barnstormers HC MIKE HOHENSEE, who won ArenaBowl XX as the Chicago Rush Head Coach and owns the third spot in AFL history for most regular season wins, FOUNDING PARTNER WILLIAM NIRO, one of the original founders of the AFL.

AFL, CBS Sports Network Announce On-Air Talent Lineup for 2013

The NET10 Wireless Arena Football League and CBS Sports Network have announced the on-air talent lineup for the 2013 regular season, featuring veteran announcers Ari Wolfe and James Bates handling play-by-play duties, along with analysts Anthony Herron and Sherdrick Bonner.
"NET10 Wireless Arena Football Saturday" will debut on the CBS Sports Network on Saturday, March 23 with an ArenaBowl XXV rematch as the Philadelphia Soul head to the "Snake Pit" to take on the defending champion Arizona Rattlers. The game will showcase Wolfe as the play-by-play announcer, Herron as analyst and Bonner, a 2012 AFL Hall of Fame selection and former Arizona Rattler, as the sideline analyst.
Bates will join the lineup in Week 2 as the play-by-play announcer. He and Wolfe will rotate calling the game of the week throughout the season. In addition, Herron and Bonner will split analyst duties, while Wolfe, Herron and Bonner will all serve as sideline analysts at various games.
Bates joined CBS Sports Network in 2011 as a play-by-play announcer, calling college football and basketball. Prior to joining the Network, Bates spent five seasons in the lead play-by-play role for The MTN. He has also shot, hosted and produced "The James Bates Show", which aired nationally for two years. Bates hails from a football family - his father, Jim, spent more than 10 years as a defensive coordinator in the NFL after winning ArenaBowl II as an assistant coach with the Detroit Drive. His brother, Jeremy, was an offensive coordinator in the NFL, as well as at USC.
Wolfe has worked in some capacity at every ArenaBowl since 2002 and was the NFL Network play-by-play announcer at ArenaBowl XXV. He serves as both a news anchor for NFL Network Now updates and a reporter during weekly coverage of the National Football League. Wolfe called Albany/Indiana Firebirds games from 1998-2003 and also served as a play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia Soul from 2004-2008 along with being the NFL preseason voice of the Minnesota Vikings from 2007-2011. During the 2008 season, Wolfe had his own column on ArenaFootball.com entitled "Wolfe's Den."
Herron starred at the University of Iowa as a defensive lineman and played for five years in the NFL before playing and coaching over the course of five seasons in the AFL. He was the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator of the Tennessee Valley Vipers of af2 when they won the ArenaCup championship in 2008. Shortly after this time, Herron began more extensive work as a broadcaster. He became one of the lead game and studio analysts for the Big Ten Network and then joined NFL Network in 2010 as a football analyst for "Arena Football Friday." Herron has been on every ArenaBowl broadcast since that season and also serves as a college football analyst for NBC Sports.
Last season, Bonner was named the Greatest Quarterback in AFL History by the Silver Anniversary Committee and also appeared on a number of "NET10 Arena Football Friday" broadcasts on NFL Network. In addition, he served as the sideline analyst for the ArenaBowl XXV broadcast and works extensively as a college football analyst for Root Sports. In his 15 seasons in the AFL, Bonner was a four-time All-Arena selection and was named MVP of ArenaBowl VII. Bonner is also a 2012 AFL Hall of Fame selection.
"NET10 Wireless Arena Football Saturday" on CBS Sports Network will broadcast 19 regular-season games on Saturday nights in primetime. All AFL games on CBS Sports Network will be telecast in High Definition and feature special in-game audio techniques that capture the high-scoring action and fast paced intensity that are the hallmarks of the AFL.

AFL Announces 2013 CBS Sports Network Schedule

CBS Sports Network's first season of Arena Football League coverage includes a slate of 19 regular season games, highlighted by four contests featuring the defending ArenaBowl Champion Arizona Rattlers, the Arena Football League announced today.
The complete "NET10 Wireless Arena Football Saturday" schedule features at least one home game for every AFL team over the 19-week regular season, beginning with the Rattlers hosting the Philadelphia Soul in a rematch of ArenaBowl XXV on Saturday, March 23, 2013.
CBS Sports Network will also televise postseason matchups through the semifinal round. The CBS Television Network will air ArenaBowl XXVI on Saturday, August 17, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. ET. The 2013 season is CBS Sports Network's first as the national television partner of the AFL. CBS Sports Network is available across the country to more than 99 million households through local cable, video and telco providers, and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com .
DATE MATCHUP TIME (ET)
March 23 Philadelphia Soul at Arizona Rattlers 8:00 p.m.
March 30 Iowa Barnstormers at New Orleans VooDoo 7:00 p.m.
April 6 San Jose SaberCats at Arizona Rattlers 8:30 p.m.
April 13 Philadelphia Soul at Iowa Barnstormers 7:00 p.m.
April 20 Chicago Rush at Utah Blaze 10:00 p.m.
April 27 Tampa Bay Storm at Spokane Shock 10:00 p.m.
May 4 Philadelphia Soul at Chicago Rush 9:00 p.m.
May 11 Jacksonville Sharks at San Antonio Talons 9:30 p.m.
May 18 Orlando Predators at Philadelphia Soul 7:00 p.m.
May 25 Chicago Rush at New Orleans VooDoo 9:00 p.m.
June 1 San Jose SaberCats at Spokane Shock 10:00 p.m.
June 8 Orlando Predators at Tampa Bay Storm 7:30 p.m.
June 15 Jacksonville Sharks at Utah Blaze 9:00 p.m.
June 22 Arizona Rattlers at San Jose SaberCats 10:30 p.m.
June 29 Orlando Predators at Jacksonville Sharks 7:00 p.m.
July 6 Arizona Rattlers at Orlando Predators 7:30 p.m.
July 13 San Jose SaberCats at Pittsburgh Power 7:00 p.m.
July 20 Orlando Predators at Cleveland Gladiators 7:00 p.m.
July 27 Philadelphia Soul at San Antonio Talons 9:00 p.m.

AFL, CBS Sports Network Sign Two-Year TV Agreement

CBS Sports Network and the Arena Football League announced a two-year agreement today that makes the Network the national television partner of the AFL. CBS Sports Network will feature 19 regular-season games throughout the 2013 season, as well as two playoff games. The CBS Television Network will air ArenaBowl XXVI on Saturday, August 17, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
As part of the deal, CBS Sports Network will televise the League’s Saturday night game of the week in prime time. The national package kicks off March 23, 2013. The announcement of the complete CBS Sports Network AFL television schedule will be released at a later date.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have the CBS Sports brand associated with the AFL and to have the growing CBS Sports Network as the new television home of our League,” Arena Football League Commissioner Jerry Kurz said. “One of the many noteworthy aspects of this partnership is that we will have an increased ability to showcase our West Coast teams.  In addition, closing the season with ArenaBowl XXVI on CBS is something that our millions of fans can look forward to with great anticipation.”
“We’re excited to partner with the AFL and bring this fast-paced, high-energy style of football to viewers,” said Dan Weinberg, Senior Vice President, Programming, CBS Sports Network. “The AFL has an established fan base and adds to our already robust lineup of football programming.”
CBS Sports Network is available across the country to more than 99 million households through local cable, video and telco providers, and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to http://www.cbssportsnetwork.com/