gmac bowl history
gmac bowl history
Since 1999, GMAC Bowl tickets have treated college football fans to a look at the future of the NFL. Pairing teams from the Mid-American Conference, the Western Athletic Conference and Conference USA, the 2007 GMAC Bowl will act as an appetizer to the first ever BCS National Championship Game this year and won't kick off until Sunday, Jan. 7, at historic Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. That gives you plenty of time to make plays to buy GMAC Bowl Game tickets for what promises to be a tremendous battle between a couple of rising college football programs.
What future NFL stars will be on display this year? The last four GMAC Bowl game MVPs have gone on to become NFL quarterbacks. But it was a dynamic running back from Texas Christian that started the trend. In the 2000 GMAC Bowl, a diminutive Horn Frog by the name of LaDanian Tomlinson introduced himself to the nation with a remarkable performance in a losing cause against Southern Miss. These days, Tomlinson is a perennial Pro Bowl performer for the San Diego Chargers. There aren't many running backs in the history of the NFL that possess the explosiveness and versatility that Tomlinson possesses. 2001 GMAC Bowl ticket holders saw the beginning of the NFL quarterback pipeline, when a stocky signal caller from Marshall experienced his coming out party. The guest of honor that day at Ladd Peebles Stadium was current Jacksonville Jaguar quarterback Byron Leftwich. With his rocket arm and playmaking abilities, Leftwich is one of the NFL's top young quarterbacks.
He was a two-time MVP of the GMAC Bowl, leading Marshall to a thrilling, double-overtime 64-61 victory over East Carolina in 2001 and a convincing 38-15 win over Louisville in 2002. Big Ben Roethlisberger was next up. Big Ben helped the Miami (Ohio) Red Hawks shoot down Louisville in the 2003 GMAC Bowl. Of course, Roethlisberger hasn't missed a beat in the NFL. In his first season in the pros, he took over as the Pittsburgh Steelers' signal caller and became the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to the AFC Championship Game. Roethlisberger won his first 15 starts, setting another rookie mark. He one-upped himself in second season, leading the Steelers on an improbable playoff run and a victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL at Detroit's Ford Field.
In the 2004 GMAC Bowl, Bowling Green's record setting quarterback Omar Jacobs would earn MVP honors by leading the Falcons to an impressive 52-35 victory over the Memphis Tigers, who featured current Carolina Panthers running back D'Angelo Williams. Jacobs, after rewriting the Bowling Green record book, would get drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Last year, in the 2005 GMAC Bowl, Toledo quarterback Bruce Gradkowski stole the show from UTEP's Jordan Palmer, the younger brother of Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer. Gradkowski, now seeing action with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, torched UTEP for a 45-13 victory. It's a good bet that 2007 GMAC Bowl tickets will again treat college football fans to another preview of the future of the NFL. So start making your plans to buy GMAC Bowl tickets now.
