MCLEAN, Va., Aug 29, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Sixteen spirited but unsung heroes of college football are basking in the limelight as Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) announced the members of the 10^th annual Capital One All-America Mascot Team. The 16 mascots, representing nine conferences and including several natural gridiron rivalries, will go head-to-head throughout the college football season in a battle royale determined exclusively by fan voting. When the dust - and fur - settles, one lucky creature will be named the Capital One National Mascot of the Year at the 2012 Capital One Bowl.

This year's field is comprised of a talented variety of species, including an eclectic mix of mammals and reptiles. As in years past, the only things that eclipse the gargantuan size of the mascots' heads is their boundless energy and relentless commitment to claiming the title by any means necessary.

"All mascots look forward to this day with anticipation, as we seek the recognition we deserve for our tireless efforts and unwavering loyalty to our schools," defending champion, Big Blue of Old Dominion University, said through a mascot interpreter. "It's a true measure of our self worth. I know what it takes to be named Capital One Mascot of the Year and I am not going to let any muscle-bound Spartan, buck-toothed Beaver or freaky-looking Frog derail my quest for a second straight title."

Members of the 2011 Capital One All-America Mascot Team, as nominated by their schools and selected by a panel of judges from Capital One and the mascot community, are detailed below.

New this year, fans will be able to view never told before stories for each mascot to learn more about their journey to become National Mascot of the Year. The videos will be available on www.CapitalOneBowl.com and www.Facebook.com/MascotChallenge all season long.

"The Capital One Mascot Challenge is a long-standing tradition for our organization during the college football season," said Marc Mentry, Senior Vice President of Advertising and Sponsorships at Capital One. "We are proud to honor these unheralded mascots who tirelessly roam the sidelines cheering on their schools. The fan support and growth of this program has been outstanding over the past 10 years, as evidenced by the millions of fan votes cast each year. We are anxious to see how this year's competition plays out."

The 16 mascots will go head-to-furry-head for 12 weeks during the college football regular season in a voting contest to determine the Capital One National Mascot of the Year. Fans will be able to vote at www.CapitalOneBowl.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MascotChallenge and via text voting. Regular season voting officially opens at 12 p.m. ET on August 29, 2011, and continues weekly through November 21, 2011. The top eight mascots with the best head-to-head records will then compete in a bracket-style, single-elimination competition to determine the overall winner.

The Capital One National Mascot of the Year will be announced at the Capital One Bowl on January 2, 2012 and will be awarded a $20,000 scholarship to help fund its school's mascot program. Each of the 2011 Capital One All-America team members receives $5,000 for their university mascot program.

A "write-in" campaign is available for mascots who did not make this year's selection. Fans are encouraged to log on to CapitalOneBowl.com and, after voting on this year's match-ups, nominate their school's mascot for a chance to be a part of the 2012 Capital One Mascot Challenge and earn $1,000 toward their school's mascot program.

For digital assets including videos, photos and the program logo, please visit: http://social.taylorstrategy.com/smpr/smr/CapitalOne/mascotchallenge.html

About Capital One:

Capital One Financial Corporation (http://www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $117.3 billion in deposits and $197.5 billion in total assets outstanding as of June 30, 2010. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Capital One, an NCAA corporate champion, began its affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN's Capital One Bowl Week. In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America Mascot Team, all 88 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate athletics programs.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6842668&lang=en

SOURCE: Capital One Financial Corporation

Capital One Financial Corporation
Chris O'Neill, 804-284-5443
Chris.ONeill@capitalone.com