Now you can have Owens for breakfast after Bills receiver unveils T.O.’s cereal
By John Wawrow, APThursday, July 30, 2009
Now you can have T.O. for breakfast
FAIRPORT, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills fans who can’t get enough of Terrell Owens can have him for breakfast.
With a throng of about 400 “T.O.! T.O.!” chanting fans crowded into one corner of a suburban Rochester supermarket on Thursday, Owens officially unveiled the breakfast cereal that bears his name, ‘T.O.’s Honey Toasted Oats.’
Noting he’s never had a food named after him, Owens said having “this beautiful handsome face” on the cover is better than making it on a box of Wheaties.
“I’m very honored and humbled,” Owens added. “I feel more pressure selling these boxes of T.O.’s than I do scoring touchdowns.”
The crowd ate it up. Aside from those that yelled out, “I love you, T.O.!” one person even offered up a proposal of marriage. Owens smiled, but declined.
And there were even a few football questions, including someone who asked Owens whether the Bills were going to beat AFC East division rival New England to open the season on Sept. 14.
“Trust me when I say this: It’s not going to be an easy game for New England,” Owens said, to a roaring cheer.
Owens’ has been a huge local celebrity since signing with the Bills in March, shortly after being released by Dallas. He’s drawn plenty of attention while filming his reality show around the city. And his arrival has paid off for the Bills, who have sold more than 53,000 season tickets.
Owens has particularly been the center of attention at training camp in Pittsford. About 5,000 total fans showed up for the team’s first two practices on Saturday, and the attendance has been steady all week. Numerous fans are wearing Owens’ No. 81 jerseys, and some have brought T.O.’s cereal boxes, which went on sale last week.
The cereal is produced by Pittsburgh-based PLB Sports, which previously produced “Flutie Flakes,” when Doug Flutie was a Bills quarterback.
The cereal is sold at Tops Friendly Market locations in western New York, and also available online (www.plbsports.com).
Tops CEO Frank Curci said his stores have already sold more than 11,000 boxes of T.O.’s.
Tags: Bills, Buffalo bills, Fairport, N.y., New York, North America, Professional Football, Sports, United States