May 1, 2002

Mike Gminski, Kim Mulkey-Robertson, John Stockton and Paul McDonald are among a group of 25 finalists for induction into the 15th annual Verizon Academic All-America Hall of Fame. Four of the finalists will be inducted at ceremonies in New York City on June 27.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Verizon Academic All-America program, which was founded by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) in 1952 to recognize collegiate student-athletes for their outstanding achievements in the classroom and on the playing field. Over the past 50 years, the Verizon Academic All-America program has grown into one of the most recognized and prestigious collegiate scholar-athlete awards nationwide, honoring student-athletes from all NCAA championship sports.

The former GTE, in cooperation with CoSIDA, established the Hall of Fame in 1988 to honor former college student-athletes who have excelled in their professions and have made substantial contributions to their communities. GTE merged with Bell Atlantic to form Verizon in 2000. To be eligible, a candidate had to be an Academic All-America team member who graduated at least 10 years ago.

The Hall of Fame finalists were chosen from a group of more than 150 nominees and were selected by a 90-member voting board representing CoSIDA's 1,800 members. CBS broadcaster Dick Enberg, the spokesman for the Verizon Academic All-America program, will serve as master of ceremonies at this year's 15th annual induction. There are currently 68 members of the Hall of Fame.

Gminksi, a 1980 graduate of Duke, was the ACC men's basketball player of the year in 1979 and is currently an analyst for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets. Mulkey-Robertson (Louisiana Tech/1984) was a star point guard for the Lady Techsters who won two national titles as a player and is now the head women's basketball coach at Baylor. Stockton (Gonzaga/1984) is a star point guard for the Utah Jazz, having just completed his 18th NBA season. He is the league's all-time leader in assists and steals. McDonald (USC/1980) quarterbacked the Trojans to two Rose Bowl wins and a national championship. He is a TV football commentator and businessman living in Southern California.

Other finalists include former Oklahoma basketball player Alvan Adams, former Texas A&M football player Kip Corrington, former Western Maryland soccer and softball player Dr. Claudie Henemyre-Harris, former Nebraska and pro football player Dave Rimington, former Seton Hall and pro baseball player Rick Cerone, former Penn State wrestler Dr. James Martin and former UMass basketball player Susan Peters.

Under an agreement with CoSIDA, GTE, now Verizon, has been the exclusive sponsor of the Academic All-America program since 1985. Verizon, America's literacy champion, strongly believes that literacy is a key ingredient to success and outstanding achievements in life. The Academic All-America program is part of Verizon Reads, the company's national campaign to promote literacy through corporate philanthropy, partner collaboration, community outreach, and customer and employee participation. See "Attachment B" for additional Verizon literacy information.

For more information on the Verizon Academic All-America program, visit www.cosida.com.

2002 VERIZON ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA HALL OF FAME FINALISTS

Name					Sport			School/Graduation Year
Alvan Adams				Basketball		Oklahoma/1998
Richard Balzhiser			Football		Michigan/1955
John Bayne				Soccer			Cornell/1988
Brian Branson				Basketball		Elon/1987
Kenneth Caldwell			Football		Citadel/1979
Susan Cassidy				Softball			Molloy/1986
Rick Cerone				Baseball		Seton Hall/1976
Sheila Cornell Douty			Softball			UCLA/1985
Kip Corrington				Football		Texas A&M/1987
Kathy Cottingham			Lacrosse		Drew/1990
Megan Donnelly			Field Hockey		Massachusetts/1986
Mike Gminski				Basketball		Duke/1980
Dr. Claudia Henemyre-Harris		Soccer/Softball		Western Maryland/1992
Chris Howard				Football		Air Force/1991
Mark Kelso				Football		William & Mary/1985
Brent Lang				Swimming		Michigan/1990
Dr. James Martin			Wrestling		Penn St./1989
Paul McDonald				Football		USC/1980
Michele Mitchell Rocha			Diving			Arizona/1983
Kim Mulkey Robertson			Basketball		Louisiana Tech/1984
Jim Paxson				Basketball		Dayton/1979
Susan Peters				Basketball		Massachusetts/1980
Dave Rimington			Football		Nebraska/1990
John Stockton				Basketball		Gonzaga/1984
Jacque Struckhoff Stedman		Cross Country		Kansas St./1988
Susan Walsh				Swimming		North Carolina/1984
Tracy Warren				Softball			College of New Jersey/1988