FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:       

Rebecca Kleeman                                Victoria Oldak

Qwest Center Omaha                           Lagardere Unlimited

Tel: (402) 599-6916                            Tel: (202) 721-9527

rkleeman@qwestcenter.com                voldak@lagardere-unlimited.com

ANDY RODDICK RETURNS TO OMAHA WITH PETE SAMPRAS

AND 2010 U.S. OPEN DOUBLES CHAMPIONS, BRYAN BROTHERS

Nebraska Native Andy Roddick takes on tennis legend Pete Sampras in

ConAgra Foods Rock-n-Racquets presented by CoSentry

Benefiting Shine the Light on Hunger

Omaha, Neb., September 13, 2010 - Former world #1 and top-ranked American Andy Roddick and 14-time Grand Slam Champion and Hall of Famer Pete Sampras face off for charity when they participate in ConAgra Foods Rock-n-Racquets presented by CoSentry at Qwest Center Omaha, Friday, Dec. 3 at 7p.m.  They will be joined by the most successful doubles team ever, Bob and Mike Bryan, who just captured the 2010 U.S. Open Doubles Championship.

Rock-n-Racquets is an annual tennis exhibition like no other. The event features the world’s most exciting tennis players with a musical component woven throughout the evening’s line-up. The synergy of athleticism and music capitalizes on providing fans with the ultimate sports/entertainment experience.

For each ticket sold, $2.00 will be donated to ConAgra Foods’ “Shine the Light on Hunger” program. ConAgra Foods created the campaign to draw attention to the issue of hunger, which affects more than 71,000 children throughout Nebraska and 120,000 children in Iowa.

Tickets go on sale Monday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. CST and will be priced from $28.00 - $88.00.  Student, group, military and family package discounts will be available.

“Playing in Omaha for the first time as a professional tennis player in 2007 with Serena Williams was so much fun,” Roddick said. “Thanks to ConAgra Foods,I’m excited about returning with Pete, Bob and Mike and I know tennis fans in Nebraska and surrounding states will pack the Qwest Center once again.”

“ConAgra Foods is thrilled to help bring Andy back to his hometown in an event that not only promotes a healthy lifestyle to our area kids but also gives back to the community through our annual Shine the Light on Hunger campaign,” said Andre Hawaux, President, Consumer Foods, ConAgra Foods.

Rock-n-Racquets successfully debuted in 2002 in Miami and was followed by great exhibitions in Little Rock, Ark., Mobile, Ala., Boise, Idaho., Wichita, Kan., a three-city tour in Louisville, Ky., Columbia, S.C., Knoxville, Tenn., and most recently Athens, Ga.  Now for the first time, the event returns to a previously-visited market thanks to the support of the Omaha business community. ConAgra Foods serves as the event’s title sponsor and CoSentry as the presenting sponsor. Other contributing partners include WaittCorp Investments, SilverStone Group, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, Cox Communications, Hilton Omaha, KETV, Omaha World Herald, USTA Missouri-Valley and the Omaha Tennis Association.   

“Rock-n-Racquets is an incredibly unique event and I am really excited to be a part of it,” said Sampras. “Andy and I have only played a handful of times and it's always competitive and fun. We look forward to giving the fans in Omaha an evening of great entertainment.”

“CoSentry is pleased to help bring this elite group of athletes to Omaha.  As one of the headlining sponsors of the 2007 event, we saw the value of bringing this innovative event back to our community,” said Dan Cullen, Vice President and General Manager, CoSentry.

“Andy is a tremendous representative and ambassador of our state,” said John Schuele, President, WaittCorp Investments. “He goes above and beyond to let people know he is from Nebraska and is deserving of another great homecoming.”

Showcasing the best in American tennis in America’s heartland, the format for the evening is scheduled to consist of three components:

• Mixed Doubles – Roddick, Sampras and the Bryan Brothers join local celebrities, athletes and/or prominent members of the community in a fan-friendly doubles competition.
• Doubles – Sampras and Roddick pair up to take on the world’s #1 doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan for the first time ever. 
• Singles – Roddick vs. Sampras, showcasing two of the game’s greatest players of all-time.  Official ATP World Tour head-to-head statistics: Sampras def. Roddick – 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 (2002), Roddick def. Sampras – 7-6(9), 6-3 (2002), Roddick def Sampras – 7-6(2), 6-3 (2001).
• The evening will be complemented with a musical performance by The Bryan Bros Band featuring Bob and Mike Bryan with David Baron and songs from their debut album “Let It Rip.” The event is emceed by Wayne Bryan, father of the Bryan Brothers.

Gates will open at 6 p.m. at Qwest Center Omaha with play scheduled to start at 7 p.m. (Format and order of play subject to change).

Tickets will be available at the Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or by phone (800) 745-3000. 

For additional information, please visit www.rocknracquets.com

# # #

ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America's households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack and many other ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. For more information, please visit www.conagrafoods.com.