North Carolina State University Athletics
ACC Announces New Bowl Tie-In
10/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 3, 2001
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, which was won last year by NC State. 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.
"I am extremely pleased that the NCAA has approved the transfer of certification for this bowl game to Orlando," said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. "The Tangerine Bowl has tremendous upside potential and we think it will be very successful. It is a superb location for an ACC participant, for obvious reasons, and our entire conference looks forward to again being involved with the Florida Citrus Sports Association and the people of Orlando and Central Florida."
[The ACC sent its champion to the Florida Citrus Bowl after football seasons from 1988 through 1991.]
Said Florida Citrus Sports President Bill Dymond: "We at Florida Citrus Sports are extremely excited to return to our roots and revive the Tangerine Bowl. We look forward to renewing a relationship with our former partners and good friends at the Atlantic Coast Conference. Likewise, we have an opportunity to build new relationships with the Big East Conference and the Big 12 Conference. This game should bring more new and exciting major college new football entertainment to Central Florida. We think that it will be a great experience for our members, the participating schools and Central Florida sports fans."
