San Diego, California and Madison, Georgia
January 14, 2003

Grass Varieties Selected for the NFL by Field Director Ed Mangan and Head Turf Consultant George
Toma to Play a Critical Role in the Big Game

The finishing touches on a field of dreams like no other in sports will be made during the next week at Qualcomm Stadium. That's where the two best teams in professional football will battle it out for a Super Bowl championship on a turf as tough as four quarters of grinding, twisting runs and turf pounding tackles. Pennington Seed, based in Madison, Georgia, announced today that Super Bowl XXXVII field director Ed Mangan and head turf consultant George Toma have completed the initial installation of the field, which features Pennington's Jet Perennial Ryegrass and Mallard Kentucky Bluegrass seed varieties.

The Pennington grass seed varieties, designed to stand up to the world class contest in front of a worldwide audience of millions on January 26, 2003, have been used to overseed 100,000 square feet of hybrid bermuda sod grown and delivered by West Coast Turf. The critical overseeding process continues on site in San Diego, where Mangan, Toma, and an experienced grounds crew are beginning to make final field preparations. 

"The NFL playoffs this season have already shown very clearly the very important role that good turf plays in big time football and outdoor sports at every level. When you bring the two best teams together for the biggest single sporting event in the world, the quality of the turf on the field is absolutely critical," said George Toma, Super Bowl XXXVII turf consultant, inducted into the professional football Hall of Fame for his uncanny field preparations. "The players and the turf they will be playing on will both be top notch in Super Bowl XXXVII."

The semi-retired George Toma, dubbed the 'Sultan of Sod' by sportswriters, Major League Baseball and the National Football League, has been tending to fields of dreams for 60 years and has served as the turf consultant for every Super Bowl and Pro Bowl ever played.

"Our game plan for nearly 60 years at Pennington Seed is to develop and deliver the world's best seed products that will help a wide range of consumers grow their own field of dreams," said Sonny Pennington, president and CEO of Pennington Seed. "Homeowners can grow and care for a beautiful lawn and generate pride and curb appeal, farmers can now grow pastures that will help keep their livestock healthier and their businesses more profitable, and athletes can play on a level playing field designed to handle even the toughest of sports. Pennington Seed is very proud to be playing such an important part in the biggest game of them all, Super Bowl XXXVII."

Pennington Seed's Tournament Quality Professional Turfgrass seeds are featured in sports venues across the country, including top level golf courses and professional baseball, soccer, racing, and football stadiums. George Toma knows first hand how Pennington Seed performs under pressure. Last year, he had eight days to prepare the field for the University of Hawaii's opening game with Montana State at War Memorial Stadium, Home of the Hula Bowl in Maui.

"The field was in deplorable condition, so normally you would replace the whole field with new sod. But Hawaii doesn't have any large sod farms," explained Toma. "We went to a local hardware store and bought all the Pennington Enviro-Bermuda(TM) seed they had in stock. We pre-germinated it with some ryegrass and eight days before the game we seeded the field, which was in great shape by kick-off. The player's footing was excellent, and the color of the grass was great. In fact, I was awarded the game ball because of the condition of the field."

Founded in 1945 by Brooks Pennington Sr., Pennington Seed is today owned by Central Garden & Pet
Company (Nasdaq: CENT). A leading manufacturer and distributor of lawn, garden, turf care, forage grasses, wild game and birdseed products, Pennington is also the largest packager of grass seed in the world. Central Garden & Pet recently reported annual revenues of more than $1.0 billion.