Independence Bowl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Independence Bowl | |
|---|---|
| PetroSun Independence Bowl | |
 Independence Bowl logo |
|
| Stadium | Independence Stadium |
| Location | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Operated | 1976-present |
| Conference Tie-ins | Big 12, SEC |
| Previous Conference Tie-ins | Southland (1976-1981) |
| Payout | US$1,100,000 |
| Sponsors | |
| AB Electrolux Home Products Poulan and Weed Eater (1990-1996) Sanford (1998-2000) MainStay Investments (2001-2003) PetroSun (2006-present) |
|
| 2007 Matchup | |
| Alabama vs. Colorado (Alabama 30, Colorado 24) |
|
| 2008 Matchup | |
| SEC vs. Big 12 (December 28) | |
The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, so named because it was inaugurated in the United States bicentennial year, 1976.
For its first five years, the game pitted the champion of the Southland Conference against an at-large opponent. It then moved to inviting two at-large teams, until 1995 when it began featuring a Southeastern Conference school against an at-large opponent.
Since 1998 the game has normally featured a matchup between teams representing the Big 12 Conference and the SEC. Teams from other conferences are included only if one of those leagues does not have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill its spot, such as in 2004 when Miami (Ohio) played instead of an SEC squad.
In 1990, the contest became one of the earliest college bowl games to use a title sponsor, becoming the Poulan Weed-Eater Independence Bowl. Poulan (then a division of AB Electrolux Home Products, now Husqvarna AB) sponsored the game until 1996, leading some fans to label it the "Weedwacker Bowl." (The term Weedwacker Bowl is still used as a disparaging term for any second-rank bowl game, the kind the top teams have to play in if they can't make one of the major bowl games.)[citation needed]
Newell Rubbermaid's Sanford brand of writing products took over sponsorship from 1998 until 2000, while MainStay Investments sponsored from 2001 to 2003. In January 2005, in what was widely perceived as a publicity stunt, the Deja Vu chain of "gentlemen's clubs" offered to become the title sponsor. The offer was rejected.
The Independence Bowl's three-year search for a title sponsor ended on August 21, 2006 when PetroSun Inc., a Phoenix, Arizona-based company that provides services and products to suppliers of oil and gas, agreed to become the bowl's sponsor. The deal, changing the game's full name to the PetroSun Independence Bowl, runs from through 2008 with an option for 2009.
An article by Spencer Hall, the writer of everydayshouldbesaturday.com, appearing in the Sporting News on December 27, 2007, named the Independence Bowl as one of the worst college bowl games, citing the locale, sponsorship, and the payout to the participants.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Previous results
[edit] MVP(s)
| Date played | MVP(s) | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 13, 1976 | Terry McFarland | McNeese State | QB |
| Terry Clark | Tulsa | CB | |
| December 17, 1977 | Keith Thibodeaux | Louisiana Tech | QB |
| Otis Wilson | Louisville | LB | |
| December 16, 1978 | Theodore Sutton | East Carolina | FB |
| Zack Valentine | East Carolina | DE | |
| December 15, 1979 | Joe Morris | Syracuse | RB |
| Clay Carroll | McNeese State | DT | |
| December 13, 1980 | Stephen Starring | McNeese State | QB |
| Jerald Baylis | Southern Miss | NG | |
| December 12, 1981 | Gary Kubiak | Texas A&M | QB |
| Mike Green | Oklahoma State | LB | |
| December 11, 1982 | Randy Wright | Wisconsin | QB |
| Tim Krumrie | Wisconsin | NG | |
| December 10, 1983 | Marty Louthan | Air Force | QB |
| Andre Townsend | Mississippi | DT | |
| December 15, 1984 | Bart Weiss | Air Force | QB |
| Scott Thomas | Air Force | S | |
| December 21, 1985 | Rickey Foggie | Minnesota | QB |
| Bruce Holmes | Minnesota | LB | |
| December 20, 1986 | Mark Young | Mississippi | QB |
| James Mosley | Texas Tech | DE | |
| December 19, 1987 | Chris Chandler | Washington | QB |
| David Rill | Washington | LB | |
| December 23, 1988 | James Henry | Southern Miss | PR/CB |
| December 16, 1989 | Bill Musgrave | Oregon | QB |
| Chris Oldham | Oregon | DB | |
| December 15, 1990 | Mike Richardson | Louisiana Tech | RB |
| Lorenza Baker | Louisiana Tech | LB | |
| December 29, 1991 | Andre Hastings | Georgia | FL |
| Torray Evans | Georgia | LB | |
| December 31, 1992 | Todd Dixon | Wake Forest | SE |
| Herman O'Berry | Oregon | CB | |
| December 31, 1993 | Maurice DeShazo | Virginia Tech | DB |
| Antonio Banks | Virginia Tech | S | |
| December 28, 1994 | Mike Groh | Virginia | QB |
| Mike Frederick | Virginia | DE | |
| December 29, 1995 | Kevin Faulk | LSU | RB |
| Gabe Northern | LSU | DE | |
| December 31, 1996 | Dameyune Craig | Auburn | QB |
| Takeo Spikes | Auburn | LB | |
| Rickey Neal | Auburn | LB | |
| December 28, 1997 | Rondell Mealey | LSU | RB |
| Arnold Miller | LSU | DE | |
| December 31, 1998 | Romaro Miller | Mississippi | QB |
| Kendrick Clancy | Mississippi | DL | |
| December 31, 1999 | Tim Strickland | Mississippi | CB |
| Josh Heupel | Oklahoma | QB | |
| December 31, 2000 | Ja'Mar Toombs | Texas A&M | RB |
| Willie Blade | Mississippi State | DT | |
| December 27, 2001 | Seneca Wallace | Iowa State | QB |
| Matt Word | Iowa State | LB | |
| Waine Bacon | Alabama | S | |
| December 27, 2002 | Eli Manning | Mississippi | QB |
| Chris Kelsay | Nebraska | DE | |
| December 31, 2003 | Cedric Cobbs | Arkansas | RB |
| Caleb Miller | Arkansas | LB | |
| December 28, 2004 | Bret Meyer | Iowa State | QB |
| Nick Moser | Iowa State | DB | |
| December 30, 2005 | Brad Smith | Missouri | QB |
| Marcus King | Missouri | CB | |
| December 28, 2006 | Dantrell Savage | Oklahoma State | RB |
| Jeremy Nethon | Oklahoma State | LB | |
| December 30, 2007 | John Parker Wilson | Alabama | QB |
| Wallace Gilberry | Alabama | DE |
[edit] Most appearances
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ole Miss | 5 | 4-1 |
| T2 | Alabama | 3 | 2-1 |
| T2 | Louisiana Tech | 3 | 1-1-1 |
| T2 | McNeese State | 3 | 1-2 |
| T6 | Virginia Tech | 2 | 1-1 |
| T6 | LSU | 2 | 2-0 |
| T6 | Arkansas | 2 | 1-1 |
| T6 | Iowa State | 2 | 1-1 |
| T6 | Missouri | 2 | 1-1 |
| T6 | Oregon | 2 | 2-0 |
| T6 | Texas Tech | 2 | 0-2 |
| T5 | Tulsa | 2 | 0-2 |
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
[edit] Notes
- ^ Shreveport: The Grandaddy of Bad Bowl Games - NCAA Football - Yahoo! Sports
- ^ Game ended in a tie.
- ^ Overtime
- ^ Miami University received a bid because the SEC did not have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill all of its allotted bowl slots in 2004, even before the University of South Carolina chose to decline a bowl bid after a massive brawl between players from that school and archrival Clemson University during their November 20, 2004 game.
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