National Bowl Game
StadiumCelebration Stadium
LocationCelebration, Florida
Previous stadiums
Previous locations
Operated2011–present
Sponsors
East Preps LLC

The National Bowl Game is an American independently operated post-season college football all-star game played annually since 2011, most often in December. The game showcases NFL draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and the NAIA. Since 2014, the game has been played as a doubleheader with the FCS Bowl.

History

The National Bowl Game was first played in April 2011 at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania.[1] Subsequent games have been held in December, and in 2013 the game moved to Riccardo Silva Stadium on the campus of Florida International University (FIU).[2] After three years at FIU, the game moved to Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida.[3] It has subsequently moved to other locations in Florida.

The game has been organized by East Preps LLC, who operate the game independently.[2] As of 2023, the game is branded as the College Football Alumni Association (CFBALL) National Bowl.[4]

The game and an associated scouting combine provide opportunity for players from smaller colleges to get exposure with scouts from various professional leagues, including the NFL and CFL.[5] Organizers report that 26 players from the December 2015 games (National Bowl Game and FCS Bowl) reached the NFL in some capacity.[6] At the December 2016 game, 14 NFL teams were represented, with over 30 scouts in attendance.[3]

Game results

National Bowl Game in Miami
No.DateWinning teamLosing teamStadiumCityRef.
1April 10, 2011Blue Nation10Red Nation7J. Birney Crum StadiumAllentown, PA[1]
2December 4, 2011Blue Nation34Red Nation31[7]
3December 9, 2012Red Nation35Blue Nation21[8]
4December 8, 2013Red Nation40Blue Nation26Riccardo Silva StadiumMiami, FL
5December 7, 2014Blue Nation14Red Nation7
6December 6, 2015American16National9[9]
7December 4, 2016American16National9Municipal StadiumDaytona Beach, FL[3][10]
8December 10, 2017American48National13[11]
9December 9, 2018American16National13[12]
10December 8, 2019National31American29Spec Martin StadiumDeLand, FL[3][13]
11January 20, 2024 Celebration StadiumCelebration, FL[14]

Note: It appears there have been no games following the 2019 season. Since then, it has been replaced by a "National Pro Combine Day" held in February.[15] A game is scheduled for January 2024 in Celebration, Florida.

MVPs

Overall MVPs of each game are listed below. Some additional awards not listed are also given, for offensive and defensive player of each team, special teams player, lineman, and the James Pratt Courage Award.

National Bowl Game in Miami
Year MVP Pos. College
2011 (Apr.)Beau ReedTEFairleigh Dickinson University
2011 (Dec.)Jordan GriffinSBGlenville State College
2012Scott PillarWRAlbright College
2013Mason EspinosaQBOhio Wesleyan University
2014Bobby BrownQBBuena Vista College
2015Travis SparksRBUniversity of La Verne
2016Michael EverettCBSouthwest Minnesota State University
2017Patrick O'BrienQBCatawba College
2018Trent WhiteQBWestminster College (MO)
2019Matt McDonaldRB/KRUpper Iowa University

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Ready for some football?". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. April 9, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "2013 NATIONAL BOWL SET FOR ALFONSO FIELD AT FIU STADIUM IN MIAMI, FL DECEMBER 8, 2013". nationalbowl.org. October 24, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "14 NFL Teams and 30+ Scouts Evaluate Top Talent at 2016 National Bowl in Daytona Beach 2016". nationalbowl.org. December 5, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  4. ↑ "National Bowl". nationalbowl.org. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  5. ↑ Heitner, Darren (October 21, 2011). "The National Bowl & D2-D3 Pro Day Are Secret Weapons For Small School Players". sportsagentblog.com.
  6. ↑ "RECORD 26 FCS- NATIONAL BOWL PLAYERS TO THE NFL FROM THE 2015 CLASS". nationalbowl.org. May 6, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  7. ↑ Heilig, John (December 4, 2011). "Former Wilson star Lenehan throws winning TD pass in National Bowl". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  8. ↑ Blouse, Michael (December 9, 2012). "Albright's Pillar MVP in National Bowl Game". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  9. ↑ "IMG_6739". flickr.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017 – via Flickr.
  10. ↑ "Scoring Summary (Final) 2016 National Bowl" (PDF). gobattlers.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  11. ↑ https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ybZZfBmKpI3MhH6DoAuoNqsGcnpR6k-X/view
  12. ↑ https://footballgameplan.com/feat/football-gameplans-2018-national-bowl-fcs-bowl-coverage/
  13. ↑ "Scoring Summary (Final) 2016 National Bowl" (PDF). gobattlers.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Stadium & Tickets". nationalbowl.org. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Stadium & Tickets". nationalbowl.org. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading

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