Aug. 20, 2008

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Spider Sportsline, Richmond's weekly coach's radio show, is making a unique move from night-time to lunch-time at its new home, Outback Steakhouse, 7917 W. Broad St. The program will air live on the Spiders' flagship station, ESPN Radio 950, Tuesdays from noon - 1 p.m. beginning Sept. 2.

During football season, first-year head coach Mike London will join veteran host Bob Black, while head hoops coach Chris Mooney will be featured during basketball season.

Fans, alumni and corporate partners are encouraged to enjoy lunch at Outback and be a part of the show, which will include special player guests, members of the University of Richmond community, phone calls, questions from the audience and emails, plus gift certificates giveaways to Outback and Spider home games.

"This is a significant departure from the traditional night-time coach's radio show," said Black, UR's Assistant Athletic Director for Communications. "It's a great way for fans to take a break from work, talk Spider sports, meet our coaches and student-athletes, and enjoy Outback's lunch menu. We believe we'll have more of a listening audience, whether they're tuned in at the office or driving to and from appointments and meetings."

In addition to hosting The Spider Sportsline, Outback Steakhouse is sponsoring the Spiders' Kids Club program and will have a presence as a major corporate partner at home football and men's and women's basketball games.

"This is both a fun and important community relationship for us," said Chris Curtin, proprietor of Outback Steakhouse on W. Broad Street. "We like the interactive partnership with the radio show, and are excited to have Spider fans enjoying themselves at the restaurant."

The Spider Sportsline will also be streamed live on RichmondSpiders.com and ESPN950.com. An archive of each show will be available for on-demand replay on RichmondSpiders.com.