BENGALS AND NFL CONTINUE SUPPORT OF GREATER CINCINNATI SCHOOLS WITH PRESENTATION AT HOLY CROSS

The National Football Foundation and the Bengals today presented a check for $7500 to the athletic department of Holy Cross High School in Covington, Ky.

The grant is the latest in an ongoing program in which the NFL and the Bengals have coordinated to distribute $836,000 in grants over the last three years. Grants have gone to 18 different schools in Greater Cincinnati, as well as to numerous other institutions, including the American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Clubs, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Salvation Army. Grants currently pending for approval could soon raise the Greater Cincinnati total to more than $1 million for the three-year period.

The grant to Holy Cross will be used to purchase new home and away football jerseys for some 60 players. It was presented at a school assembly today by Katie Blackburn, Bengals executive vice-president.

Former Bengals offensive lineman Bruce Kozerski, who is a teacher of mathematics and head football coach at Holy Cross, spearheaded the grant application and accepted today on behalf of the school. In Bengals history, only seven players have exceeded Kozerski's tenure of 12 seasons (1984-95) with the team. He has been a math teacher at Holy Cross since 1999, and after serving as an assistant football coach, he took over as head coach in 2004.

"Bruce contributed to our 1988 Super Bowl run as our starting center, and he has since contributed greatly to the Holy Cross community," Blackburn said. "He has helped shape the lives of students in the classroom and in athletics. We are proud to have him continue to represent the Bengals in our community. His involvement has been a model for others to follow, and we are greatly pleased to be a part of assisting his efforts."

Kozerski said:

"This is not the first grant we have gotten from the Bengals and the NFL, and I want to thank Katie and the team for all the great help they have given to our children at Holy Cross High School and the neighborhood in Covington."