capital one bowl history
capital one bowl history
What do Peyton Manning, Fred Taylor, Anthony Thomas, Plaxico Burress and Ronnie Brown all have in common? Yes all are stars in the NFL, but previous to their NFL careers they were all named MVP of the Capital One Bowl. The Capital One Bowl is rich in history and has the largest payout of all the non-BCS bowls. Recently featuring top teams from the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten Conference, Capital One Bowl ticket holders are always in for a treat.
Besides the Cotton Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the Capital One Bowl is the oldest of the non-BCS bowls. With its inaugural game played in 1947, the bowl began as the Tangerine Bowl and often featured the Ohio Valley Conference champion. In later years the match-up switched allegiances to the Mid-American Conference champ and a Southern Conference team or an at large bid. In the mid-1970’s, major football conferences began to ease up on restrictions of conference ties with bowl games allowing the Tangerine Bowl viewers the chance to see two top caliber teams from any conference. In 1983 the bowl was renamed the Florida Citrus Bowl, and soon matched up the Atlantic Coast Conference Champion with an at large opponent. Now one of the most prestigious bowls in the country, the Capital One Bowl has first pick from the SEC and the Big Ten conferences, after the BCS selections are made.
The Capital One Bowl has made its home the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. When first built in 1936, the stadium could hold a meager 10,000 fans. After several renovations, the capacity was increased to over 65,000, giving the opportunity for more fans to be able to purchase Capital One Bowl tickets. The Citrus Bowl, or Orlando- Orange County Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium officially, recently added some impressive improvements including the addition of escalators, contour seating, and a 107-foot wide video screen. These improvements have impressed many Capital One Bowl ticket holders in the past years. The natural Bermuda grass of the stadium has played host to more than just college football games. Several World Cup soccer matches where played here, as well as several musical acts including, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Guns N” Roses and most recently The Rolling Stones.
A look at the recent games played in the Capital One Bowl proves the upper tier status of this postseason match-up. In 2006 the Wisconsin Badgers upset a hot Auburn team by the score of 24 to 10, capping off Barry Alvarez’s impressive career as the Badgers head coach. In 2005 Iowa narrowly escaped with a victory over LSU, and the previous year saw the Georgia Bulldogs surpass Purdue in an exciting overtime battle. This year should be no different; with two of the top conferences in college football the SEC and the Big Ten each sending one of the best teams in the country. Capital One Bowl tickets holders and fans watching the nationally televised game are sure to be treated with an outstanding display of college football powerhouses when they clash on January 1st, 2007.
