MOBILE, AL – Former All-Pro Quarterback and current NFL broadcaster Norman “Boomer” Esiason will be the featured speaker for the GMAC Financial Services Mayor’s Banquet on Friday, January 5, 2007, at the Mobile Convention Center at 6:30 p.m.

The banquet is one of many events that take place during GMAC Bowl week. Previous Mayor’s Banquet speakers have included Terry Bradshaw, Lee Corso, Mike Ditka, Jeff Gordon, Pete Rose and Steve Spurrier.

Esiason, a native of West Islip, New York, was a star quarterback at the University of Maryland, where he garnered All-American honors and set 17 school records. He also guided the Terrapins to an Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a Citrus Bowl appearance in 1983.

Chosen with the 37th overall selection in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, Esiason went on to have a stellar career. He ranks among the top ten in completions, attempts and passing yards. Esiason was also named to three Pro Bowls as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals and led the team to Super Bowl XXIII vs. the San Francisco 49ers in his MVP season of 1988. With 37,920 career passing yards and 247 touchdowns, he is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.

Esiason played for two other franchises during his 14-year career. In 1993, he was traded to the New York Jets, where he ranks fourth on their all-time passing list, and returned to the Pro Bowl for a fourth time. In 1996, he signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals before returning to the Cincinnati Bengals for his final season in 1997. Esiason ended his career on a high note, as his last career pass was a 77-yard touchdown to receiver Darnay Scott in a 16-14 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

Esiason is currently an NFL analyst for Sunday’s The NFL Today on CBS, as well as a color commentator on Westwood One’s Monday Night Football radio broadcast. In addition, Esiason hosts The Boomer Esiason Show on the Madison Square Garden Network where he conducts candid one-on-one interviews with NFL players and coaches as well other athletes and celebrities.

Boomer and his wife Cheryl established the Boomer Esiason Foundation to lead the fight against cystic fibrosis. The foundation has raised over $40M for cystic fibrosis research. Mr. and Mrs. Esiason have been named honorary chairs of Building Bridges to a Cure, the national Cystic Fibrosis Foundation major gift campaign. The Esiasons have also worked with the March of Dimes, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Foundation and United Way. Esiason was awarded the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 1995 in recognition of his charitable efforts.

Casey Mears, driver of the NASCAR Nextel Series #25 GMAC Financial Services National Guard car, will also be at the banquet. Mears is the nephew of four-time Indianaplis 500 winner Rick Mears and the son of Indy and off-road veteran Roger Mears. He claimed his first NASCAR victory on July 8 of this year in a Busch Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. Mears also holds the distinction of being the first full-time NASCAR driver to win the Rolex 24, a 24-hour endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway.

Tickets for the GMAC Bowl’s Mayor’s Banquet are $30 per guest and can be purchased at the GMAC Bowl office at 1000 Hillcrest Road, Suite 115, or by calling 251-635-0011.

The 2007 GMAC Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 7, 2007, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama the night before the BCS Championship Game. The Bowl will feature Ohio University (9-3) from the Mid-American Conference and the University of Southern Mississippi (8-5) from Conference USA. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST. For more information about the GMAC and/or surrounding events, please contact the GMAC Bowl office at 251-635-0011 or visit www.gmacbowl.com.