Champions of MEAC and SWAC to play Saturday, Dec. 18 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta; will air live on ABC at noon ET
The second invitation to ESPN Events’ sixth annual Cricket Celebration Bowl – to be played Saturday, Dec. 18 at noon ET at
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and aired live on ABC – has been extended to Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) college football champion Jackson State University. The Tigers (11-1, 8-0 SWAC) defeated the Prairie View A&M Panthers on Saturday, 27-10, and will play MEAC champion South Carolina State.
Executive Director of the Cricket Celebration Bowl, John Grant, was on-site at the SWAC Championship in Jackson, Miss., to present Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders with the official invitation.
“Congratulations to SWAC champion Jackson State University for punching its ticket to the Cricket Celebration Bowl,” said Grant. “Jackson State, led by Coach Sanders, had an outstanding season. We are excited for the Tigers to join us in this championship matchup against the MEAC champion South Carolina State Bulldogs.”
Entering its sixth year, the Cricket Celebration Bowl has established itself as a premier bowl game, celebrating the heritage, legacy, pageantry, and tradition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The championship-style game between the MEAC and SWAC champions is televised on ABC. ESPN Events collaborates with its sponsors and the Divine Nine Greek organizations to schedule the game’s ancillary events, which includes a fan experience, community service projects, and more.
Since its debut in 2015, the Celebration Bowl is the only Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision bowl game. It serves as the annual championship game between the MEAC and SWAC conferences.
The Celebration Bowl is returning in 2021 after a one-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Celebration Bowl Games (2015-present):2015 North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn State, 41-342016 Grambling State def. North Carolina Central, 10-92017 North Carolina A&T def. Grambling State, 21-142018 North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn State, 24-222019 North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn, 64-44
Fans can purchase tickets to the Cricket Celebration Bowl online at thecelebrationbowl.com or ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Prices range from $15 to $175 excluding taxes and fees. A full list of events surrounding the game are available on the event’s website.
For MEAC fans, a special rate of $145/night is being offered at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, and is available for December 17-18. Please visit the Celebration Bowl website for more details.
For SWAC fans, a special rate of $126/night is being offered at the Hilton Atlanta, and is available for December 17-18. Please visit the Celebration Bowl websitefor more details.
Additional hotel rooms are available at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Atlanta Downtown for $124/night. Please visit the Celebration Bowl website for more details.
ESPN Events ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 35 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes five early-season college football games, 17 college bowl games, 12 college basketball events, and a college softball event, which accounts for approximately 400 hours of live programming, reaching almost 64 million viewers and attracting over 800,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and Tampa, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
