Branding Bowl Games: Fiesta Bowl
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In 1968, Arizona State University President G. Homer Durham proposed that Phoenix should have a football bowl game. Thanks to the support of several local sports enthusiasts and community leaders, this dream was realized on April 26, 1971. Until this point, the Rose Bowl was the only other bowl game played outside of the South.
On June 10, 1971, the Arizona Sports Foundation and the Arizona Republic held a “Name the Bowl Game” contest. According to the Fiesta Bowl’s official website, 6,500 entries were received, 73 of which suggested the name “Fiesta Bowl”. In a blind drawing of the 73 winning entries, Gary Keltner was chosen as the lucky winner and received four lifetime tickets to the Fiesta Bowl Classic.
Although the name Fiesta might seem a bit abstract at first, I think it is rather appropriate for a bowl game. The dictionary definition of the word Fiesta, as defined by www.dictionary.com is “A festival or festive celebration.” What could be more festive than a football game? Football games not only engage the players and their fans, but also the larger community in which the game takes place. Football games, and more importantly, bowl games, are celebrated with food, friends and team spirit, truly embodying the definition of Fiesta.
By: Jessica McGrail
Branding Bowl Games: International Bowl
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The 2009 International Bowl was played on January 3rd at Canada’s Rogers centre. This recent addition to college bowl games takes its name quite literally from the fact that it is the only post-season bowl game played outside of the United States.
In the first International Bowl in 2007, the NCAA pitted Western Michigan University against the University of Cincinnati. It was the first post-season bowl game played outside the United States since the Bacardi Bowl was played in Cuba in 1937.
This year's matchup included two winter warriors: the Connecticut Huskies vs. the Buffalo Bulls.
Contributed by: Maghan Cook
Branding Bowl Games: Liberty Bowl
On January 2, 2009, the University of Kentucky and East Carolina University will play in the 50th annual Liberty Bowl. Without knowing its history, it is quite puzzling why a bowel game played in Memphis, TN would be called the Liberty Bowl. However, the bowl game was first played in Philadelphia, PA before it landed in Memphis in the mid-1960s.
The Liberty Bowl name certainly plays off of Philadelphia’s heritage as it is the home of the Liberty Bell. Therefore, it is fitting that the trophy presented to the winner of this game is an authentic, one-quarter-sized replica of the bell that rang in Independence Hall to announce the signing of the Declaration of Independence. To check out the Liberty Bowl yourself, click here.
By: Rebecca Parker
Branding Bowl Games: Sugar Bowl
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2009 marks the 75th anniversary of the Sugar Bowl, whose name originates from the history of Louisiana itself. Back in the 1920s, when the idea for the annual game was first discussed, Louisiana was the nation’s top sugar producer. According to an article from the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/sports/ncaafootball/30sugar.html?fta=y), the “game’s original stadium was built on land where Étienne de Boré became the first person in La Louisiane to crystallize sugar into granules.”
The trophy for the first game, played by Tulane and Temple, was a replica of a silver wine cooler that was crafted in 1830 and donated by a French Quarter antiques dealer. Interesting that the members of the Mid-Winter Sports Association chose that symbol, rather than a connection to the refined sucrose we know and love today.
Branding Bowl Games: Cotton Bowl
On January 2, 2009, Ole Miss will take on Texas Tech in the 73rd AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. According to Wikepedia, the Cotton bowl first was played in 1937 in Dallas, Texas. However, the name has gone through several changes due to sponsorship over the years as seen in the evolution of the logos below.
Also, the Cotton Bowl will be moving in 2010 to the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington. If you’re interested in finding out more information about the Cotton Bowl, click here.
By: Trista Thielker
Branding Bowl Games: Orange Bowl
The FedEx Orange Bowl, played on New Year’s Day, is the second oldest college bowl game. It was created in hopes of drawing tourists back to Miami after the 1926 hurricane and the 1929 stock market crash.
The name seems like an obvious choice, as Florida is the largest producer of oranges in the U.S., but it took almost a decade for the name we know to develop. The game was first played in 1926 as part of the "The Fiesta of the American Tropics". A few years later, the Greater Miami Athletic Association organized the game under the name Palm Festival, with the slogan “Have a Green Christmas in Miami”. In 1935, the chairman of the Greater Miami Athletic Club and a local radio announcer came up with the name "Orange Bowl". FedEx became the game’s sponsor 1989.
The success of the game led to the construction of the Orange Bowl Stadium as a WPA project. The stadium was originally named Burdine Stadium, after a local businessman who owned a department store. The game moved to Miami’s Dolphin Stadium in 1996.
Branding Bowl Games: Rose Bowl
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Let me introduce you to “The Granddaddy of Them All”...the Rose Bowl Game. This annual American college football bowl game achieved its nickname by being the first post season game, dating back to 1902! It starts things off right on New Year’s Day in Pasadena California, and since 1945, has been the highest attended college football game!
Don’t be fooled though! This legacy goes far beyond an annual football game. The first tournament was actually staged in 1890 when a local group decided to hold a festival to tell the world about their paradise of blooming flowers and warm weather. The Festival included such amazing games as ostrich races, chariot races, and bronco busting demonstrations.
What eventually developed into the Tournament of Roses, also known as “America’s New Year Celebration,” is famous for an amazing parade that consists of floats now featuring high-tech computerized animation and exotic natural materials from around the world.
This year the Rose Bowl Game will be Penn State vs. USC, so make sure you check out who wins the granddaddy of all games! Learn more here.
Contributed by: Ashley Hollingsworth
Branding Bowl Games: Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl, formally named Konica Minolta Gator Bowl after its present sponsor, is the sixth oldest college bowl game and was first played in 1946 between Wake Forest and South Carolina. It was in 1955 when the Gator Bowl became the first ever to be nationally televised coast-to-coast. Over the years the sponsorships, much like others bowls, have switched hands several times. Other Gator sponsorships have included Toyota, Outback, and Mazda.
I found out a great deal of information about the Gator Bowl’s history but nothing about how the actual “Gator” name came to be. Of course, we can’t forget about the University of Florida who named its mascot the “Gator” in 1911, long before the Gator Bowl came into existence. I think we can safely assume the name came from the region’s historical and continually growing alligator population.
By: Kelly Wilson
Branding Bowl Games: Outback Bowl
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The Outback Bowl www.outbackbowl.com is played on New Years day at “The New Sombrero” Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It pits the third pick of the SEC vs the third pick of the Big Ten Conference.
Suffering from something of an identity crisis for decades, this bowl game had several aliases before Outback Steakhouse became the title sponsor in 1995. From 1977 to 1985 the game had two names: The Hall of Fame Classic, and the All American Bowl. Both of these names signified the game that was played at Legion Field in Birmingham Alabama.
In 1986, the Hall of Fame Bowl was relocated to Tampa Florida. Legion Field hosted a game for the next five years under a different name, and after that would not see postseason college football until 2006, with the creation of the PapaJohns.com bowl. In 2001, the US Army sponsored a new All-American Bowl for the top high school football players in the country.
The Outback bowl was the first American sporting event of this century. On Jan 1, 2000, the Georgia Bulldogs inched out the Purdue Boilermakers in one of the greatest ever bowl-game comebacks (25 points). Feathers will fly this year as the 2009 Outback bowl features a battle between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Contributed by: Maghan Cook
Branding Bowl Games: Capital One Bowl
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The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that is played on New Year’s Eve, before the Rose Bowl. This bowl game is played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl Stadium. The Capital One Bowl’s tagline is “Little Bowl with the Big Heart” because at one time, the proceeds all went to charity. The first game was played in 1947 and was originally called the Tangerine Bowl. It has since been called Florida Citrus Bowl, CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl, Ourhouse.com Florida Citrus Bowl, and now the Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (or Capital One Bowl for short).
The majority of the names for this bowl game have been derived from their title sponsor’s name (CompUSA, Ourhouse.com, Capital One) and their operating partner, Florida Citrus Sports, a not for profit group which also organizes the Champs Sports Bowl and Florida Classic. I don’t know why it was originally named the Tangerine Bowl; my only thought is because of the game’s location- Florida.
For more information on the Capital One Bowl, check out their official website.
By:Jessica McGrail