EA's NCAA press conference in NYC

Electronic Arts announces Desmond Howard as the cover athlete for NCAA Football 06.

NEW YORK--EA Sports' NCAA Football series will have a new look this year: one that will benefit from some old-school talent. At a press event in New York City today, the company announced 1991 Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard as the cover athlete for its upcoming college football game, NCAA Football 06. The announcement is a departure for the series, which has traditionally featured NFL rookies just out of college on its covers.

Howard played wide receiver for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1988 to 1991 and won the Heisman during his junior year. However, he is perhaps best remembered as a dangerous kick-return specialist who could break a game open at any moment with his impressive speed and agility. The moment that defined his college career has to be his memorable touchdown-scoring 93-yard punt return against archrival Ohio State in 1991. Once he reached the end zone, Howard struck the infamous "Heisman" pose, thus causing ABC play-by-play commentator Keith Jackson to utter the line, "Hello, Heisman!" A photograph of Howard’s famous celebratory pose will be highlighted on the cover of NCAA Football 06.

Howard, also named AP Offensive Player of the Year and All-America in 1991, went on to find some success in the NFL, including being named MVP of Super Bowl XXXI while playing with the Green Bay Packers. Howard was the first special teams player to earn a Super Bowl MVP award, and he was just the fourth player in history to win both the Heisman Trophy and a Super Bowl MVP.

"It's a great opportunity for us to put [Howard] on the cover," said Kendall Boyd, product manager for NCAA Football 2006. "This is a little bit of a departure from previous years, but it's exciting to switch things up."

Joining Howard during today's press event were two other Heisman winners from years past--University of Southern California running back Marcus Allen (1981) and University of Georgia running back Herschel Walker (1982)--as well as ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who, along with Lee Corso and Brad Nessler, provides voice-over duties for the game.

The motivation behind this Heisman-heavy push by EA Sports is the inclusion of a new game mode in NCAA Football 06 dubbed "race for the Heisman." In the mode, players control an up-and-coming freshman football player as he progresses through his career at a college program, with the goal of becoming an impact player on that team so he can, ultimately, become a Heisman Trophy winner. Players will be able to choose from multiple positions on the field, as well as keep track of their progress toward the trophy through a "Heisman Hype" meter and fan mail from fictional college football nuts.

NCAA Football 06 is scheduled for release later this year. For more on the game, see our most recent hands-on preview.

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