CF Championship Challenge

The CF Championship Challenge is a new, annual fundraising program designed to leverage university rivalries in a donation competition to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis research. Each year’s winner will have its school’s name engraved on the prestigious CF Championship Challenge Cup – an actual trophy of significant size, substance and actual value. With the past 3 BCS Champions in the state of Alabama, this is the time to build on that tradition with a very special event.

Our inaugural event, on August 24, 2012, will feature noted sports writer and host of the Finebaum Radio Network, Paul Finebaum. Paul Finebaum has been the leading authority in Southern sports for over 20 years, writing and commentating on regional and national sports issues. His syndicated radio show is heard throughout the Southeast and his column in the Mobile Register appears in countless newspapers around Alabama. A weekly contributor for Fox 6 Sports (WBRC-TV) in Birmingham, he’s also seen regularly on national networks like ESPN, CNN, MSNBC, FOX NEWS, HBO and Court TV.

In 2002, Paul was named by The Tennessean in Nashville as “One of the Southeastern Conference’s Top Power Brokers.” The New York Times in 2003 described Finebaum as “the state’s most influential sports columnist and talk show host.” In 2004, Sports Illustrated named The Finebaum Network as “one of the nation’s top 12 sports radio shows.” In July of 2009, The Orlando Sentinel named Finebaum as one of the SEC’s 10 most powerful people. As ringmaster of the free-wheeling Finebaum Show, Paul knows his stuff, and will bring his own special take on the upcoming football season to the CF Championship Challenge.

Presented in a festive gala setting, alumni and supporters will compete by challenging fans of their respective sports programs to offer donations for CF research. Team spirit, competition, team rivalry will all be encouraged to motivate team members and the public to maximize donations among all participants. Funds will be raised through sponsorships, and by selling gala tickets, team-sponsored tables, and general donations to the cause, plus a silent auction.

The gala theme will be football oriented, and although not necessarily limited to University of Alabama and Auburn University, will lean heavily on that rivalry. Donations will be maximized through the “Iron Bowl” spirit of competition, with the winner being determined by which “team” raises the most money for Cystic Fibrosis.