May 8, 2003

Duke's Mike Gminski, Julie Foudy, Joe Girardi, Tim Green and Steve Young are among a group of 25 finalists for induction into the 16th annual Verizon Academic All-America Hall of Fame.Ò Four of the finalists will be inducted at ceremonies in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 28.

The former GTE, in cooperation with the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), established the Hall of Fame in 1988 to honor former college student-athletes who have excelled in their professions and made substantial contributions to their communities. 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 16th annual induction. There are currently 73 members of the Hall of Fame.

Gminski, one of only 10 players at Duke to have his jersey retired, was a two-time All-America selection, three-time All-ACC honoree and a three-time Academica All-America. He ended his career as the school's all-time scoring, rebounding and blocked shots leader. Along with Jim Spanarkel and Gene Banks, he led Duke to the 1978 NCAA Championship Game vs. Kentucky. Names as one of the 50 greatest players in ACC history, Gminski averaged 19.0 points and 10.2 rebounds as a collegian. He went on to play 14 seasons in the NBA and is now a successful broadcaster.

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 Southern California volleyball player Katie Haller, 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.)

A Fortune 10 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 136.6 million access line equivalents and 33.3 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is the third-largest long-distance carrier for U.S. consumers, with 13.2 million long-distance lines, and the company is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. With approximately $67 billion in annual revenues and 227,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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

2003 VERIZON ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA HALL OF FAME FINALISTS

Name, Sport, School/Graduation Year
Alvan Adams, Basketball, Oklahoma/1998
Karen Blem Killen, Cross Country, Virginia Commonwealth/1990
Brian Branson, Basketball, Elon/1987
Kenneth Caldwell, Football, Citadel/1979
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
Julie Foudy, Soccer, Stanford/1993
Joe Girardi, Baseball, Northwestern/1986
Mike Gminski, Basketball, Duke/1980
Tim Green, Football, Syracuse/1986
Katie Haller, Volleyball, USC/1993
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
Kim Mulkey Robertson, Basketball, Louisiana Tech/1984
Jim Paxson, Basketball, Dayton/1979
Dave Rimington, Football, Nebraska/1990
Jacque Struckhoff Stedman, Cross Country, Kansas St./1988
Tracy Warren, Softball, College of New Jersey/1988
Steve Young, Football, Brigham Young/1984