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New Orleans Bowl
signs agreement with C-USA
Sun Belt Conference News
Release
NEW ORLEANS — Conference USA
has signed a multi-year agreement with the New Orleans Bowl to send a
mutually agreed upon team to its annual game, bowl officials announced
Thursday. The New Orleans Bowl, to be played Dec. 17, 2002 at the Louisiana
Superdome, will now match a Conference USA team against the champion of the
Sun Belt Conference.
“We’re very excited to be able to add a high quality opponent from
Conference USA,” said New Orleans Bowl Executive Director Ron Maestri.
“We’ve made a commitment to make the New Orleans Bowl a special event for
the participating teams and their fans, and this agreement with Conference
USA helps us do that.”
"We are looking forward to playing in the New Orleans Bowl. This fourth bowl
provides additional postseason opportunities for our players and coaches,"
said Conference USA Commissioner Mike Slive. "The addition of the New
Orleans Bowl and its close proximity to several of our schools provides the
opportunity for our players to showcase their talents in a great city, in a
great football state like Louisiana and to the rest of the nation on ESPN."
“We at the Sun Belt Conference are very excited to begin this special
relationship with our friends at Conference USA,” said Sun Belt Commissioner
Wright Waters. “Conference USA brings many quality football programs to the
New Orleans Bowl table. This will be an exciting venture as we continue to
make the New Orleans Bowl a success.”
Conference USA has 10 football-playing members for 2002, which include Army,
Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Louisville, Memphis, Southern Miss, TCU,
Tulane and UAB. South Florida, a member of C-USA in all other sports,
becomes a football member in 2003.
The Sun Belt Conference heads into its second season of football competition
in 2002 with seven member institutions: Arkansas
State, Idaho, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, New
Mexico State and North Texas.
The 2001 New Orleans Bowl, which was televised by ESPN2, saw 26,718 tickets
sold in its inaugural year as Colorado State defeated North Texas 45-20 last
December 18. The game had a 1.37 national rating, making it the third-most
watched bowl game on ESPN2 since the network began broadcasting bowl games
in 1997.
Visit SunBeltSports.org.
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