sun bowl history
sun bowl history
When you’ve got Sun Bowl tickets you’ve become a part of one of the longest running college football traditions in the country. The Sun Bowl held its first game in 1935 in a high school stadium in El Paso, TX. After three years and a growing crowd, Sun Bowl officials moved the event to the stadium at Texas Western College, a venue that seated 15,000 people. In 1963 the Sun Bowl had grown large enough to justify moving the game to Sun Bowl Stadium, a structure with a capacity of over 30,000. Presently over 50,000 Sun Bowl tickets are routinely sold to give college football fans a chance to see this game.
Throughout the years the Sun Bowl has seen its share of great football players. Some of the more recognizable names: Priest Holmes of Texas, now a star running back with the Kansas City Chiefs, ran for 4 touchdowns in 1994, Charles Alexander of LSU set a mark for most net yards with 197 in 1977. Bert Jones, Kyle Orton, and Sam Keller, have all written their names in the Sun Bowl record books.
In 2005 the Vitalis Sun Bowl was nothing if not an offensive feast. Football purists may love a defensive battle, but most fans are just as happy with a game that features plenty of scoring and the Sun Bowl delivered in 2005. The UCLA Bruins and the Northwestern Wildcats combined to score 88 points in the game with the Bruins finally topping Northwestern 50-38. During the contest Bruins wideout Brandon Breazell returned two onside kicks for touchdowns. UCLA quarterback Drew Olson got off to a rough start but eventually wound up with three touchdown passes. The game was at its zenith when Northwestern pulled to 36-31 with less than three minutes on the clock with a scoring throw from Brett Basanez to Mark Philmore. While Northwestern looked to be mounting a challenge, Breazell answered with one of his touchdown returns to put the Bruins firmly back on top.
Overall Northwestern dominated n the passing game with quarterback Brett Basanez throwing for 416 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Basanez was hot early and Northwestern ran out to a 22-0 lead on two scoring drives and a pair of turnovers. Kevin Mims returned an interception for the games first touchdown, then later in the first quarter Nick Roach pulled down an interception and returned it 35 yards for another Wildcats TD. The Bruins responded to the turnovers by scoring 29 unanswered points to regain the lead after an ugly start. It was the kind of college football Sun Bowl crowds have come to expect.
Sun Bowl tickets and a trip to El Paso are just the thing to hold off those winter blues. The cold weather is coming but you don’t have to suffer through it forever. Take a trip down to the Lone Star State with your friends and family and watch some great college football with 2006 Vitalis Sun Bowl tickets. You’ll be glad you did.
