Oct. 4, 2001
GREENSBORO, N.C. -
The Tangerine Bowl has resumed in Orlando. Florida Citrus Sports,
organizers of a New Year's Day bowl, announced today that they will host
a second bowl game in Orlando beginning this year, on Thursday evening,
December 20, 2001. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m.
A team from the Atlantic Coast Conference will face a Big-East
Conference team, Notre Dame or an at large team in the Tangerine Bowl's
first game since 1982. For the succeeding four-year period the bowl is
negotiating for a team from either the Big Twelve Conference or the Big
East Conference to face the ACC entry.
Florida Citrus Sports is completing negotiations with a prominent
television network to carry the new Tangerine Bowl in prime time. Teams
will receive the greater of $750,000 or 75% of gross receipts.
Conferences have agreed to buy 12,500 tickets each to the favored
Orlando bowl site.
The original Tangerine Bowl was the predecessor to today's Florida
Citrus Bowl. Founded in 1946, the bowl was last played on December 18,
1982, between Boston College (featuring Doug Flutie) and Auburn
University (Bo Jackson). Teams received $350,000 each that year.
The Tangerine Bowl is the successor to the former Micron PC Bowl.
Officials with Florida Citrus Sports recently consummated an agreement
with the Sunshine Football Festival Committee to acquire their NCAA
certification of the South Florida bowl. Even though a title sponsor has
not been secured at this time, officials have enough confidence in the
bowl's potential and commercial appeal to go forward with the various
commitments that extend through 2005.
Teams to appear in the Tangerine Bowl will be determined in consultation
with the conferences. The ACC and Big East both have pre-existing
commitments to other bowls including their champions to the Bowl
Championship Series. The ACC also sends teams to the Toyota Gator,
Chick-fil-A Peach and Seattle Bowls. The Big East has teams in the
Toyota Gator, Insight.com and Music City bowls.
Notre Dame could also be a candidate to appear in the 2001 Tangerine
Bowl as they are available to Big East affiliated bowls along with other
bowl-eligible Big East teams. If no bowl-eligible team is available to
the Tangerine Bowl from either conference then the bowl may select an
at-large team from anywhere in the country.