The Buffalo Bills announced that the third annual M&T Bank Draft Day Challenge, where fans predict the Bills first selection of the NFL Draft, will run from Saturday, April 4th through Saturday, April 25th, 2009.
In the M&T Bank Draft Day Challenge, fans who correctly guess which player the Bills select first in the NFL College Draft will be entered to win a special prize package that includes the following:
• An autographed jersey signed by the first draft pick
• A chance to meet and be photographed with the first pick
• Two tickets to a 2009 Bills home game with a pre-game sideline pass
• A private tour of the Bills training facility
From April 4th to April 25th, fans can visit buffalobills.com/draftdaychallenge to make their prediction. The contest is open to legal residents, 13 and older, of the following states: Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Last year's winner was Thomas Velletri of Brockport, NY, who correctly picked cornerback Leodis McKelvin as the Bills first draft pick of 2008. Velletri was randomly chosen from a pool of contestants who correctly predicted the selection. Over 5,500 people participated in the M&T Bank Draft Day Challenge last year.
"Many Bills fans have started participating in this free contest as a great way to look forward and predict which player the Bills will select. We think the Draft Day Challenge contest gives something extra to an important segment of our customers that avidly support the Bills. It clearly adds another dimension to M&T Bank's year-round partnership with the Buffalo Bills," said M&T Bank Chief Marketing Officer Peter J. Eliopoulos.
M&T Bank is the official bank of the Buffalo Bills and the contest is a popular fan promotion of the partnership between M&T Bank and the Bills. The partnership also includes naming rights to the M&T Bank Club at Ralph Wilson Stadium and exclusive rights to offer specially designed Bills checks and debit cards.
M&T Bank, founded in 1856, is one of the top 20 largest U.S. commercial bank holding companies, with approximately $65.8 billion in assets. M&T Bank operates more than 680 branches and 1,700 ATM's in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. For more information visit www.mtb.com.
