Florida Players Network Presents 3rd Annual Spring Spectacular During the Orange and Blue Debut Game Weekend

GAINESVILLE, FL--(Marketwired - Mar 18, 2014) - Florida Players Network (FPN) will present its third annual Spring Spectacular events during the University of Florida's Orange and Blue Debut game weekend April 11-12.

FPN is comprised of University of Florida football alumni including Percy Harvin, Fred Taylor, Ahmad Black, Lito Sheppard, Reidel Anthony, Errict Rhett and more than 100 other former players who will reunite during the weekend in an effort to raise money to help Gator football alumni in need. The nonprofit is lead by former UF wide receiver and Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Chris Doering who says the overarching goal of the foundation is to strengthen former players as individuals and as a collective group through networking and service.

"We have more than 2,500 Gator football players in our network," says Doering, FPN president. "The Gainesville community has played a critical role in our lives so it is important for us to not only give back to the players who have fallen on hard times but also to the community that has been central to our success."

FPN's Spring Spectacular events are open to the public and kick off on Fri., April 11, with The Gator Greats Golf Tournament at the Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida. Breakfast will be served by the Waffle House before a shotgun start at 8 a.m. A post-tournament lunch and awards ceremony will be hosted by former Gator football players. Individual golfers or foursomes can register for $100 per person (http://www.eventbrite.com/e/fpn-2014-spring-spectacular-and-gator-greats-golf-tourney-tickets-10786760491).

The Blue Carpet Extravaganza will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, April 11 at the Champions Club at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The master of ceremonies for this formal fundraising event will be Gator Great, Errict Rhett. Musician and Gainesville native, Chris McCarty will headline the event (www.chrismccarty.com). McCarty's music is a wide variety of rock with acoustic-funk-soul-reggae and whatever-else-gets-mixed-in blend. His music's high-energy and eclectic vibe, combined with his rejection of the idea to only focus on one particular musical style, contribute to his huge following across the nation and abroad. In addition to performing solo, McCarty has shared the stage with the legendary James Brown, Dave Matthews, Blues Traveler, G-Love & Special Sauce, Jake Owen, Sister Hazel, Sugar Ray and the Wailers. Tickets are $35 in advance, $45 at the door and $20 for FPN members. Dinner will be served by Blue Water Bay (http://www.eventbrite.com/e/fpn-2014-spring-spectacular-and-gator-greats-golf-tourney-tickets-10786760491).

Prior to the Orange and Blue Debut game on Sat., April 12, there will be a FPN tailgate party and flag football game prior to kickoff.

For more details on FPN's Spring Spectacular events or to become a sponsor, visit: www.floridaplayersnetwork.org. FPN's Spring Spectacular sponsors include: Boston Asset Management, Bubbaque's, Gatorade, Jason Myers Photography, Lustries Cupcakes and Bakery, Ocala Poker, OMBI Group, LLC, Pitch Publicity, Premier Choice Capital, Inc., Southern Wine, Waffle House and WingHouse.