The Cricket Celebration Bowl is a postseason college football game featuring the conference champions from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The event’s mission is to provide the schools, alumni, fans, and sponsors with a first-class bowl experience while continuing to celebrate the heritage, legacy, pageantry and tradition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. It is managed by ESPN Events, a subsidiary of ESPN, which owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide, including 13 postseason bowl games. ESPN partners with The 100 Black Men of Atlanta to manage the game’s ancillary events, which include a Youth Symposium, Robotics Showcase, Gospel Night and Fan Experience. John Grant serves as the Celebration Bowl’s Executive Director.
The Cricket Celebration Bowl was announced at the College Football Hall of Fame in March of 2015. The event got off to a rousing start in its inaugural year as North Carolina A&T defeated Alcorn State 41-34 in front of over 35,000 fans at the Georgia Dome. An additional 14.8 million people (2.56 million average) watched around the country on ABC.
In 2016, the event was viewed by even more people as average viewership eclipsed a 2.71 million average. In addition, Grambling State’s 10-9 victory over North Carolina Central was seen by service men and women around the world in over 140 countries on the Armed Forces Network.
See below for year by year results. For information on our MVPs click here.
Series Record: MEAC Leads 4-1
2019
North Carolina A&T 64, Alcorn State 44
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, GA
Box Score
2018
North Carolina A&T 24, Alcorn State 22
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, GA
Box Score | Recap
2017
North Carolina A&T 21, Grambling State 14
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, GA
Box Score | Recap
2016
Grambling State 10, North Carolina Central 9
Georgia Dome – Atlanta, GA
Box Score | Recap
2015
North Carolina A&T 41, Alcorn State 34
Georgia Dome – Atlanta, GA
