Tigers to Face North Carolina Central Eagles on December 17
HOUSTON – The last invitation to the second annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl – to be played on Saturday, Dec. 17, at noon ET from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta – has been extended to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) college football champion, Grambling State University. The FCS No. 14 Tigers have now won 10 games in a row after defeating Alcorn State University 27-20. Executive Director of the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl, John Grant, was on-site at the SWAC Championship in Houston, and presented Grambling State Coach Broderick Fobbs with the official invitation.
“Congratulations to SWAC champion Grambling State for punching their ticket to the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl,” said Grant. “We are excited for the Tigers to join us in this historic match-up against the North Carolina Central Eagles.”
The bowl will feature a Top 20 matchup, as North Carolina Central rose to No. 18 in the final FCS Coaches Poll behind a nine game win streak. They defeated rival and then No. 9 North Carolina A&T on Nov. 19 to win the MEAC title outright. Eagles Coach Jerry Mack and Fobbs have both been nominated for the Eddie Robinson Award, which is awarded annually to the top head coach in FCS.
Establishing itself as the first bowl game of the season, the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl is a postseason football game owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. It is a championship-style game between the MEAC and SWAC champions and will be televised on ABC. ESPN Events collaborates with 100 Black Men of Atlanta to organize the game’s ancillary events which include a youth symposium, robotics showcase, gospel night, fan experience and more. North Carolina A&T defeated Alcorn State 41-34 in the inaugural game last year in front of over 35,000 fans.
Fans can purchase tickets to the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl online at ticketmaster.com, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, or in person at the Georgia Dome box office. Prices range from $15 to $60, plus applicable taxes and fees. A full list of events surrounding the game are available on the event’s website. For more information, visit www.TheCelebrationBowl.com, and follow the event on Twitter and Facebook.
For MEAC fans, a special rate of $104/night is being offered at the Marriott Marquis, and is available for December 17-19. Please visit the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl website for more details.
For SWAC fans, a special rate of $95/night is being offered at the Hilton Atlanta, and is available for December 17-19. Please visit the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl website for more details.
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 13 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
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