Super Bowl XL Gets a Super Kickoff - 'A Detroit Salute' Features Super Bowl Team Coaches, Sports Heroes, The Four Tops and Motown Greats

Super Bowl XL Gets a Super Kickoff - 'A Detroit Salute' Features Super Bowl Team Coaches, Sports Heroes, The Four Tops and Motown Greats

Motown Stars The Four Tops, KEM and Techno Creator Kevin Saunderson to Perform at a Detroit Salute

DETROIT, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Super Bowl XL is getting a super kickoff with A Detroit Salute, the star-studded opening ceremonies for Super Bowl XL. The Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee announced today more star power for the event including The Four Tops, Techno creator Kevin Saunderson, 32 sports legends and expected special appearances by the Super Bowl team coaches Bill Cowher and Mike Holmgren. A Detroit Salute is on Monday, January 30 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. Tickets are available at www.sbxl.org and 313-262-2006. The event is presented by General Motors, Ford Motor Company and DaimlerChrysler Corporation.

In Super Bowl style, the evening, emceed by ABC Sports/ESPN broadcaster Mike Tirico, will celebrate the wheels, the legends and the sounds that swept the world with live performances by The Four Tops, KEM, Kevin Saunderson, members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Mosaic Youth Theatre; appearances by 32 Detroit sports legends, Super Bowl team coaches and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue; and a tribute to the 40 moments that define Detroit sports. WXYZ-TV will do an academy award style live special from 7:30 - 8:00 p.m.

"This is an evening not to be missed," said Susan Sherer, Executive Director of the Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee. "This is a celebration of Detroit's best and an incredible way to kickoff Super Bowl XL week."

In addition to the Motown star power of The Four Tops, KEM and Kevin Saunderson, there is an impressive list of sports greats scheduled to attend A Detroit Salute, including: Lem Barney, Dave Bergman, Scotty Bowman, Doug Brown, Lomas Brown, Lloyd Carr, Swin Cash, Chuck Daly, Sonny Eliot, Mark Fidrych, Wayne Fontes, Thomas Hearns, Willie Horton, Vinnie Johnson, Al Kaline, Jimmy King, Bill Laimbeer, Igor Larionov, Ted Lindsay, Denny McLain, Herman Moore, Jim Northrup, Dave Rozema, John Salley, Barry Sanders, Bo Schembechler, Joe Schmidt, Billy Sims, Emanuel Steward, Larry Tharpe, Lou Whitaker and Charles Woodson.

A tribute to Detroit's domestic auto manufacturers will feature special appearances by Rick Wagoner, Chairman and CEO of General Motors; Bill Ford, Chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Company; and Tom LaSorda, President and CEO of DaimlerChrysler Corp.

Tickets for the black tie event are on sale and range from $125 - $1,500. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Greater Detroit Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of the Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee. A Detroit Salute serves as the primary fundraiser for the Foundation's core initiatives, including the NFL Youth Education Town - Boys and Girls Club.

A Detroit Salute is co-sponsored by Charter One Bank, Sprint and Ilitch Holdings, Inc. Additional support provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network, Soave Enterprises, WXYZ-TV Channel 7, Crain's Detroit Business, and Whiteside Communication Management.

The Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee (www.sbxl.org) is a private, self-funded, non-profit organization serving as the official liaison between the National Football League and the metro Detroit community to prepare for Super Bowl XL, February 5, 2006. Coordinating efforts with hospitality, government and corporate officials, the host committee was formed as part of the bid process specified by the NFL and crafted to suit metro Detroit's needs.

Source: Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee

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Web site: http://www.sbxl.org/

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