Oct. 30, 2003

Philadelphia, Pa. - At the Philadelphia 76ers season opener against the Miami Heat on Tuesday, Oct. 28, the 76ers honored six local college head men's basketball coaches as "76ers Hometown Heroes" - Jay Wright (Villanova), John Chaney (Temple), Fran Dunphy (Pennsylvania), Bruiser Flint (Drexel), Billy Hahn (LaSalle), and Phil Martelli (Saint Joseph's) - for their participation with the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer.

The "Philly Six" is the only Coaches vs. Cancer program comprised of a coalition of teams. The Philadelphia area coaches, along with their teams and supporters, coordinate several programs throughout the year that balance fundraising with educational outreach. The programs include The 8th Annual Golf Classic, The 6th Annual March Madness Tip-Off Breakfast, and The Inaugural BasketBall Black Tie Gala. The group also coordinates community and educational outreach programs such as a high school basketball classic, the Tobacco Leadership Institute and the annual open practice, which is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 1, at The Palestra (University of Pennsylvania). The coaches' dedication on the court parallels their commitment to winning the battle against cancer.

The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) formed its partnership with the American Cancer Society on October 18, 1993, when the NABC Executive Committee unanimously approved a program to work with the American Cancer Society in the fight against cancer. This alliance was inspired by the untimely death of Jim Valvano, an NABC member and former North Carolina State Head Basketball Coach, who courageously fought cancer before passing away in early 1993. Currently, more than 400 colleges and universities nationwide participate in Coaches vs. Cancer. Philadelphia is a national leader with all "Big Five" schools and Drexel University supporting the program, including University of Pennsylvania head coach Fran Dunphy, who has served as the National Chairman of the Coaches vs. Cancer Board and received the 2002 Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award.

"The '76ers Hometown Hero' program gives the Sixers organization an opportunity to recognize the efforts of people and groups at our home games. We wanted to continue to honor the people in our community who are considered 'heroes' and who might not receive the recognition they deserve," Lara Price, senior vice president of business operations, said. "We look for this program to shine a spotlight on the true heroes in our community and thank them in front of our home crowd."

The "76ers Hometown Hero" program recognizes "an everyday hero in the community" and awards two tickets to a Sixers game. To nominate a Hometown Hero or for more detailed information on the selection process, please visit the 76er's website at www.sixers.com .

Comcast-Spectacor (comcast-spectacor.com) is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm which owns the Philadelphia Flyers, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Wachovia Center, the Wachovia Spectrum, Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and ice hockey facilities, Comcast SportsNet, and three minor league affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles - the Bowie Baysox, the Delmarva Shorebirds and the Frederick Keys. Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the public assembly facilities management firm with more than 35 facilities throughout the United State and Canada, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, and Patron Solutions, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities.