Orange Bowl (game)

Collegebowl
name = Orange Bowl
full_name = FedEx Orange Bowl
nickname =
defunct =


image_size = 150
caption = FedEx Orange Bowl logo
stadium = Dolphin Stadium
previous_stadiums = Miami Field (1935-1937)
Miami Orange Bowl (1938-1996, 1999)
location = Miami Gardens, Florida
previous_locations = Miami, Florida
years = 1935-present
previous_tie-ins = Big Eight (1968-1998)
Big East (1998-2005)
conference_tie-ins = ACC
payout = 17,000,000 (2006)
sponsors = FedEx (1989-present)
former_names = Orange Bowl (1935-1988)
prev_matchup_year = 2008
prev_matchup_season= 2007
prev_matchup_teams = Kansas vs. Virginia Tech
prev_matchup_score = KU 24, VT 21
next_matchup_year = 2009
next_matchup_season= 2008
next_matchup_teams = ACC Champion or BCS At-Large vs. BCS At-Large
next_matchup_date = January 1

The Orange Bowl is an annual college football game that is usually played the first week in January in the Miami, Florida metro area, in the United States.

History

The game was played at Miami Field [http://www.orangebowl.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11800&KEY=&ATCLID=695751] (located where Miami Orange Bowl was later built) from 1935 to 1937, the Miami Orange Bowl from 1938 to 1996 and 1999, being moved to its current site, Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, in December 1996. The corporate title sponsor has been FedEx (formerly Federal Express) since 1989 and the official title of the game is the FedEx Orange Bowl. The 1999 game was moved to the namesake stadium because the game was played on the same day the Miami Dolphins hosted an NFL Wild Card Playoff game. Coincidentally, both of those games were aired on ABC.

From 1968, the game usually featured the champion of the former Big Eight Conference (whose members formed the basis of the current Big 12 Conference). Since 1998, however, with the creation of the Bowl Championship Series system, team selection for the Orange Bowl is now tied into the other three BCS Bowls. From 1998-2005, the game hosted the champion of either the ACC or Big East conferences, unless they were invited to the National Championship game. Starting with the 2006 season, the Orange Bowl will be exclusively tied with the ACC and will use the brand "Home of the ACC Champion". As one of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl games (the others being the Sugar, Fiesta, and Rose Bowls), the Orange Bowl had hosted the national championship game once every four years under the BCS system (as it did on January 4, 2005).

The Orange Bowl currently airs on Fox, having done so since 2007. ABC aired the game the previous eight years, with CBS (1995-1998) and NBC (1964-1994) previously carrying the game. The most recent Orange Bowl, played at Dolphin Stadium on January 3, 2008, featured ACC Champion Virginia Tech and Big 12 At-Large University of Kansas. Kansas won the game by a score of 24 to 21.

Previous results

+ - Denotes Bowl Coalition Championship game
^ - Denotes Bowl Alliance Championship game
* Denotes BCS National Championship Game ~ Game played at Miami Orange Bowl due to scheduling conflict with NFL playoff game † Denotes overtime(s)

MVPs

Palm Festival Game

In 1932, George E. Hussey, official greeter of Miami, organized the first Palm Festival Game, predecessor of the Orange Bowl. With Miami suffering from both the Great Depression and the preceding Florida land bust, Hussey and other Miamians sought to help its economy by organizing a game similar to Pasadena's Rose Bowl.

Two games were played in this series at Moore Park in Miami, both pitting an invited opponent against a local team, the University of Miami. In the first game, played on January 2, 1933, Miami defeated Manhattan College 7-0. In the second game, played on New Year's Day 1934, Duquesne defeated Miami 33-7.

These games are not recognized as bowl games by the NCAA because one team was guaranteed a berth regardless of record. However, following the success of these games, backers organized another game for New Year's Day 1935 under the Orange Bowl name. This game, unlike the Palm Festival Games, did not automatically grant a berth to one team, although the University of Miami was again a participant. For this reason, the 1935 Orange Bowl was later recognized by the NCAA as an official bowl game. [Bowl Games: College Football's Greatest Tradition, by Robert Ours, 2004, pg. 28]

ee also

*List of college bowl games
*Orange Bowl broadcasters
*Dolphin Stadium

References

External links

* [http://www.orangebowl.org/ Orange Bowl official site]
* - Dolphin Stadium
* [http://athletics.cua.edu/history/orange.cfm 1936 Orange Bowl story]