Celebration Bowl
| Celebration Bowl | |
|---|---|
| "Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl" | |
 | |
| Stadium | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Previous stadiums | Georgia Dome (2015–16) |
| Operated | 2015–present |
| Conference tie-ins | MEAC, SWAC |
| Payout |
US$2,000,000 ($1M Per conference) |
| Preceded by |
Heritage Bowl (1991–99) Pelican Bowl (1972, 1974–75) |
| Sponsors | |
|
Air Force Reserve (2015–present) | |
| 2016 matchup | |
| Grambling State v. NC Central (Grambling State 10–9) | |
| 2017 matchup | |
| MEAC champion v. SWAC champion (December 16, 2017) | |
The Celebration Bowl is a post-season college football bowl game that began play in the 2015 season. The game is contested between the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) — the two prominent conferences of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in NCAA Division I. It serves as a de facto national championship of Black college football and is the only active bowl game to feature teams from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Starting with the December 2017 game, it is played at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium; the first two games were played at the Georgia Dome.
The game is a successor to two previous bowl games between the MEAC and SWAC, the Pelican Bowl and Heritage Bowl. The game is organized by ESPN Events,[1] which also runs the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, the annual interconference game between the two conferences, held over Labor Day weekend in Orlando, Florida.[2][3][4] Because the Celebration Bowl takes place during the FCS playoff tournament, neither the SWAC nor the MEAC can send their champion to the tournament; as it is, the SWAC's regular season already extended too late into the year for its teams to qualify before the bowl was established. In June 2017, the SWAC announced that it will forgo its football championship game following the 2017 SWAC Football Championship, resulting in the SWAC regular season champion qualifying automatically for the Celebration Bowl.[5]
Game results
| Date | MEAC Team | SWAC Team | Attendance | Series | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 19, 2015 | North Carolina A&T Aggies | 41 | Alcorn State Braves | 34 | 35,528[6] | MEAC 1–0 | notes |
| December 17, 2016 | North Carolina Central Eagles | 9 | Grambling State Tigers | 10 | 31,096 | Tied 1–1 | notes |
MVPs
Two MVPs are selected for each game; one an offensive player, the other a defensive player.[7]
| Game | MVPs | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Tarik Cohen | North Carolina A&T | RB |
| Denzel Jones | North Carolina A&T | LB | |
| 2016 | Martez Carter | Grambling State | RB |
| Jameel Jackson | Grambling State | DB |
Broadcasting
Television
| Date | Network | Play-by-play announcers | Color commentators | Sideline reporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | ABC[8] | Mark Neely | Jay Walker | Tiffany Greene |
| 2015 | ABC[9] | Mark Neely | Jay Walker | Tiffany Greene |
Radio
| Date | Network | Play-by-play announcers | Color commentators | Sideline reporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | RedVoice, LLC | Sam Crenshaw | Hugh Douglas | Lericia Harris |
| 2015 | RedVoice, LLC | Sam Crenshaw | Hugh Douglas |
See also
References
- ↑ Hudson, Phill W. (18 March 2015). "Atlanta to Host New Celebration Bowl". Atlanta Business Chronicle. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ↑ Patterson, Chip. "MEAC, SWAC to play in Atlanta-based Celebration Bowl after 2015 season". www.cbssports.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ↑ Reese, Earnest (December 21, 1996). "Heritage Bowl struggling for acceptance". The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. p. 9H.
- ↑ "Champions of MEAC, SWAC to meet in new Celebration Bowl". www.usatoday.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ↑ "SWAC To Forgo Football Title Game After 2017". SWAC.org. NeuLion. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ↑ Purdum, David. "North Carolina A&T defeats Alcorn State at Georgia Dome". ajc. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ↑ "MVP Awards". thecelebrationbowl.com. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- ↑ "College Football Playoff Featuring Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Washington Highlights ESPN’s 38-Game Bowl Schedule". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
- ↑ "College Football Playoff Highlights 2015-16 Bowl Schedule". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved December 8, 2015.