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C Spire Wireless is Using CIRCLE To Discuss Mississippi’s Best College Football Stars and the Top C Spire Conerly Trophy Prospects With Rick Cleveland and Football Fans Throughout the State

Ridgeland, Miss. (November 5, 2012) – C Spire Wireless, the only wireless provider in the U.S. that offers consumers and businesses a suite of personalized wireless services, is hosting its first live online forum, in partnership with the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, to officially announce the C Spire Wireless Conerly Trophy “watch list” and to discuss with fans which Mississippi collegiate football star is most likely to win the coveted award.

Rick Cleveland, the legendary Clarion-Ledger sports columnist and executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, will lead the discussion and answer fan questions about who may have the “inside track” to win the C Spire Conerly Trophy, given annually to Mississippi’s best college football player.

The live discussion will take place on CIRCLE, C Spire’s online community forum, on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. Anyone can join the online forum by visiting www.cspire.com/circle and registering for the discussion. Fans will have the unique opportunity to ask questions, offer opinions and fully participate in the forum. Just by registering and posting a question, participants will be entered into a drawing for prizes ranging from game tickets to smartphone devices.

“The C Spire Wireless Conerly Trophy has become an annual tradition for both Mississippi college football fans and players. This year, the race to win the award is a close one with so many talented athletes in the running,” said Jim Richmond, vice president of Corporate Communications for C Spire Wireless. “This year is particularly special with our new online, live forum on CIRCLE, engaging football fans throughout the state and giving them the opportunity to interact with Rick Cleveland and discuss who they think should be the rightful owner of the C Spire Conerly Trophy this year. This forum is just another way C Spire is enhancing our customers’ overall wireless experience with personalized, exclusive opportunities just for them.”

Rick Cleveland, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, echoed Richmond’s excitement for the upcoming forum, which he will lead. “I’ve had a passion for Mississippi football my entire life and I’ve been lucky enough to write about it and be a part of all of its thrills,” Cleveland said. “C Spire’s live forum on CIRCLE to discuss this year’s Conerly Trophy watch list is an entirely new way to engage fans who are passionate about Mississippi college football. I’m looking forward to discussing these talented young athletes and interacting with all of the forum participants.”

The 2012 C Spire Conerly Trophy watch list, in alphabetical order:

• Mississippi College wide receiver Alex Archer: Added three catches for 38 yards on Senior Day in MC’s 70-28 loss to Louisiana College. Now has 37 catches for 712, ranking him second in the American Southwest Conference.
• Mississippi State cornerback Johnthan Banks: The senior All America candidate was in on eight tackles against Texas A&M. He is a semifinalist for both the Jim Thorpe and Chuck Bednarik national awards.
• Southern Miss defensive end Jamie Collins: A bright spot in a dismal season, Collins had nine tackles (four for losses) and three sacks. He also forced two fumbles and broke up a pass in USM’s loss to UAB. He leads USM with 73 tackles, 16 tackles for losses and nine sacks.
• Jackson State defensive end Joseph LeBeau: A senior from New Orleans, LeBeau had six tackles and one sack in a victory over Grambling. Now has 15.5 tackles for loss.
• Alcorn kick returner Terrance Lewis: Caught five passes for 35 yards in loss to Mississippi Valley State. Now has 27 catches on the season. The senior all-SWAC returner ranks second in the league in kickoff returns and fourth in all-purpose yardage.
• Belhaven cornerback Justin Mims: Had five tackles and broke up three passes in a victory over Pikeville. The junior ranks fourth in NAIA with four interceptions, including two he has returned for touchdowns.
• Ole Miss linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche: Had eight tackles and forced two fumbles in loss to Georgia. He leads Ole Miss with 60 tackles, including nine for losses and two sacks. He also has two pass interceptions.
• Mississippi State running back LaDarius Perkins: Carried the ball 13 times for 42 yards against Texas A&M. He ranked second in the SEC in rushing and first in all-purpose yardage entering the weekend.
• Millsaps quarterback Garrett Pinciotti: Completed 27 of 41 passes for 310 yards in a victory over Austin. The senior has thrown for 24 touchdowns and only three interceptions and has won conference player of the week twice.
• Jackson State wide receiver Rico Richardson: Had five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown in JSU’s victory over Grambling. This senior from Natchez has caught 50 passes for 927 yards and eight touchdowns.
• Mississippi State quarterback Tyler Russell: Completed 19 of 30 passes for 212 yards against Texas A&M. The junior has thrown for 16 touchdowns, compared to just three interceptions. He has thrown for 1,944 yards.
• Ole Miss running back Jeff Scott: Ran 13 times for 21 yards and caught three passes for 24 yards against Georgia. The junior has run for 633 yards on 126 carries. He has six touchdowns rushing and another on a pass reception.
• Mississippi Valley State defensive tackle Robert Simpson: Recorded three tackles, one and half for loss and a sack in a victory over Alcorn. Leads the NCAA championship division with 17.5 tackles for loss.
• Delta State linebacker Ixavier Triplett: Did not play Saturday. The junior from Scott Central has amassed 29.5 tackles for loss and nine forced fumbles in his career at DSU.
• Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace: Completed 16 of 25 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown against Georgia. He has thrown for 1,836 yards and 11 touchdowns. Has also scored five touchdowns running and one receiving.
• Southern Miss cornerback Deron Wilson: Wilson had eight tackles and a pass interception, which returned for 20 yards against UAB. He ranks second on USM’s all-time passes defended list with 33 passes broken up.
• Mississippi Valley linebacker Keven Woods: The senior has recorded 71 tackles, seven for a loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

CIRCLE

C Spire’s CIRCLE engages consumers in a two-way conversation and offers them a unique platform to communicate and share their thoughts, opinions, likes and dislikes with other CIRCLE members – creating a true wireless community. CIRCLE also allows C Spire to listen to what their customers have to say – giving the company the ability to create unique experiences based on direct customer feedback.

“Personalizing the wireless experience isn’t just about products and services, it’s also about creating a community where sharing and engaging with others is encouraged and rewarded,” Richmond said. “CIRCLE gives us the opportunity to get to know our customers better and provide them with a unique, personalized wireless experience that is tailored just for them – something that just can’t be found at any other wireless provider.”

Personalized Wireless

Personalized wireless at C Spire is a compilation of a number of different wireless services and programs that combine to reflect and serve each customer’s unique needs. Customers will see this unique personalization in apps and content that fit who they are, services that anticipate their needs, and rewards they’ll get just for using their phone in new ways.

For more information on C Spire’s Conerly Trophy CIRCLE Forum, or C Spire’s Personalized Wireless services, visit www.cspire.com.

About C Spire Wireless

C Spire Wireless is a diversified wireless communications company passionately committed to helping customers by personalizing wireless services designed just for them. The company is the first wireless provider in the U.S. to personalize customers’ experience by offering apps that fit who they are, services that anticipate their needs, and rewards for using their phone in new ways – all with seamless ease and at amazingly fast speeds. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire Wireless and its products and services, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire or Google + or www.pinterest.com/cspirewireless