Jack Miller, the 9-Year-Old Inspiration for the Colorado State Rams Football Team, gets an Upper Deck Trading Card!

CARLSBAD, Calif., April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Upper Deck has joined forces with the Friends of Jaclyn charity to shine a light on some of the incredible children who have been the inspiration for collegiate teams throughout the nation by creating trading cards of them with their respective teams. Upper Deck is excited to announce the first trading card from a member of the charity will be of Jack Miller, a 9-year-old who has been battling brain tumors over the past six years. Jack has been "adopted" by the Colorado State Rams Football team and his 2014 Upper Deck "Star Rookie" cards will be available through the Friends of Jaclyn charity.

Additionally Upper Deck will be hosting an in store appearance with Jack at Mike's Stadium Sportscards in Aurora, Colorado on Sunday, April 27 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Jack will be signing autographed versions of his trading cards and posing for photos with fans for donations to the charity. Additionally, Mike Fruitman, the owner of Mike's Stadium Sportscards, will be presenting Jack with a special gift on behalf of both Upper Deck and the Colorado State Rams Football team.

"There's an old saying that good brands make good products, but great brands improve lives," said Chris Carlin, Upper Deck's sports marketing manager. "It is our goal to tell inspirational stories of brave young children suffering from this terrible disease while raising awareness and funds for the Friends of Jaclyn charity. Jack Miller is an inspiration to the Colorado State Football team, his community and all who have been affected by pediatric brain cancer. He deserves his very own trading card."

"Being a part of the Colorado State Football program has meant so much to both Jack and the players," said Jody Miller, Jack's mother. "It means the world to us to see the smile on his face after spending time with the team. And now to have his very own Upper Deck trading card is just incredible, something we will always remember. We are grateful to Colorado State, Friends of Jaclyn and Upper Deck for all the support they have shown our son."

"Jack is a big part of our family, and we all are honored that he chose us to be his teammates," said Jim McElwain, head football coach for Colorado State University. "Part of this whole deal in life is understanding what it takes and what it is to give of yourself to somebody else. I can't tell you how enjoyable it is, after a game, to see Jack in the locker room wearing his Rams jersey, and that smile on his face. He has taught all of us so much about toughness, determination and embracing life."

Friends of Jaclyn will be releasing details on how fans can own the 2014 Upper Deck Jack Miller "Star Rookie" card in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Upper Deck encourages everyone to check out the Friends of Jaclyn official website and to like the Friends of Jaclyn Facebook page. Together we hope we can find a cure for pediatric brain cancer.

This is not the first time Upper Deck has created a special card for a child with pediatric brain cancer. In 2013 Upper Deck created a "Star Rookie" trading card for Jack Hoffman, the inspirational young man who was able to fulfill a childhood dream by running a touchdown in for Nebraska during their spring game. Proceeds from the sale of Upper Deck cards made for Jack helped raise over $50,000 to date for the Team Jack Foundation for pediatric brain cancer research. More recently Upper Deck created a "Heroic Inspirations" trading card for Jaclyn Murphy who is the founder of the Friends of Jaclyn charity and a cancer survivor.

About Upper Deck

Upper Deck, headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., is a worldwide sports and entertainment company built on the pillars of quality craftsmanship, authenticity and innovation with a dedication to creating products that turn memorable moments into collectibles. Upper Deck revolutionized the sports trading card experience with anti-counterfeit holograms, high quality card stock and stunning photography in its inaugural 1989 baseball set, and since then its mission has been to capture the excitement of the game and deliver it to fans of all ages. The cornerstone of Upper Deck's business, which opened in 1989, is based on sports trading cards. As its brand has evolved to include other products over the years, the company now creates exclusive memorabilia, gaming products, collectible cards and a wide array of sports trading cards.

Find more information at www.upperdeck.com, www.UpperDeckBlog.com or follow us on Facebook (UpperDeck), Twitter (@UpperDeckSports), and YouTube (udvids).

About Friends of Jaclyn

The Friends of Jaclyn program pairs children suffering with brain tumors and cancer with sports programs, primarily at the collegiate level. The interaction between student athletes and the Friends of Jaclyn kids is often their first glimpse into a world that reminds student athletes how fragile life can be and how strong one can be in the face of adversity. The strength, courage and resilience the child demonstrates often motivates and inspires athletes and teams to levels they had not known, often exposing them to 'giving back' for the first time in their young adult life. This ripple effect reaches far and wide as it spreads awareness about pediatric brain tumors and associates Friends of Jaclyn with the larger pediatric cancer world. There is no chemotherapy, radiation treatment or clinical trial drug more powerful than the love, support and friendship Friends of Jaclyn programs provide.

For more information about Friends of Jaclyn, please visit www.friendsofjaclyn.org.

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SOURCE Upper Deck