The Bahamas Bowl is a NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually in Nassau, Bahamas, at the 15,000-seat Thomas Robinson Stadium.[2] The first game, played in 2014, was the first major (FBS or historical equivalent) bowl game to be played outside the United States and Canada between two U.S. teams since the January 1, 1937, Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba.[3] That first inaugural game featured teams from the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.[4] That conference matchup has continued annually, through the December 2017 playing of the game.[5]
From its inception to 2017, the game was sponsored by the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant franchise and officially known as the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.[6] After Restaurant Brands International acquired Popeyes in 2017, they declined to renew sponsorship. Elk Grove Village, Illinois—"home to the largest industrial park in the United States"—picked up the sponsorship in 2018, renaming the bowl as the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.[7]
MVPs
| Year | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP |
|---|
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team | Pos. |
| 2014 | Brandon Doughty | Western Kentucky | QB | Derik Overstreet | Western Kentucky | DL |
| 2015 | Jamauri Bogan | Western Michigan | RB | Grant DePalma | Western Michigan | LB |
| 2016 | Ray Lawry | Old Dominion | RB | TJ Ricks | Old Dominion | LB |
| 2017 | Dorian Brown | Ohio | RB | Javon Hagan | Ohio | FS |
Source: [8]
Appearances by conference
Through the December 2017 playing, there have been 4 games (8 total appearances).
References
- ↑ http://www.statisticbrain.com/college-bowl-game-payouts/
- ↑ "MAC Announces Creation of the Bahamas Bowl in 2014". Mid-American Conference. October 14, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
- ↑ "Inaugural Bahamas Bowl set for December 24, 2014". Bahamas Bowl Communications. May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ↑ "It's Conference USA Against the MAC In The Inaugural Bahamas Bowl". Bahamas Bowl Communications. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ↑ "Participating Conferences". bahamasbowl.com. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
- ↑ "Popeyes Announced as Title Sponsor of Popeyes Bahamas Bowl". Bahamas Bowl Communications. August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Elk Grove Village announced as Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl title sponsor". Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- 1 2 Bahamas Bowl Communications (December 22, 2017). "2017 Bahamas Bowl Postgame Notes". bahamasbowl.com. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
- ↑ "ESPN College Football – Bowl Schedule and Commentators, College GameDay, College Football Awards, Division I Football Championship and More". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- ↑ "College Football Playoff Highlights 2015-16 Bowl Schedule". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
