Independence Bowl

Independence Bowl
Walk-On's Independence Bowl
Stadium	Independence Stadium
Location	Shreveport, Louisiana
Operated	1976–present
Conference tie-ins	SEC ACC
Previous conference tie-ins	Southland (1976–81) SEC (1995–2009) Big 12 (1998–2009) MWC (2010–11)
Payout	US$1,200,000 (as of 2015)[1]
Sponsors
Poulan (1990–97) Sanford (1998–2000) Mainstay Suites (2001–03) PetroSun (2006–08) AdvoCare (2009–13) Duck Commander (2014) Camping World (2015–16) Walk-On's (2017–present)
Former names
Independence Bowl (1976–89) Poulan Independence (1990) Poulan/Weed Eater Independence Bowl (1991–97) Sanford Independence Bowl (1998–2000) MainStay Independence Bowl (2001–03) Independence Bowl (2004–05) PetroSun Independence Bowl (2006–08) AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl (2008–12) AdvoCare V100 Bowl (2013) Duck Commander Independence Bowl (2014) Camping World Independence Bowl (2015–16)
2017 matchup
Florida State vs. Southern Miss (Florida State 42–13)
2018 matchup
Teams TBD (December 27, 2018)

The Independence Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually each December at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Independence Bowl was named because it was inaugurated in 1976, the year of the United States Bicentennial. Since 2017, the game has been sponsored by Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar and officially known as the Walk-On's Independence Bowl. In 2013, the game was officially referred to as simply the AdvoCare V100 Bowl after then-title sponsor AdvoCare.

Conference tie-ins and matchups

For its first five years, the game pitted the champion of the Southland Conference against an at-large opponent.^[2] It then moved to inviting two at-large teams, until 1995 when it began featuring a Southeastern Conference school against an at-large opponent.

From 1998 to 2009 the game normally featured a matchup between teams representing the Big 12 Conference and the SEC. Teams from other conferences were included only if one of those leagues did not have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill its spot, such as in 2004 when Miami (Ohio) played instead of an SEC squad. In 2008 neither the SEC nor the Big 12 had enough bowl-eligible teams to fill their respective spots resulting in a matchup of Louisiana Tech and Northern Illinois.

From 2010–2011, the Independence Bowl held the third selection from the Mountain West Conference and the seventh selection from the Atlantic Coast Conference. It was announced that in 2012, the Mountain West Conference team would be replaced by the tenth selection from the Southeastern Conference.

One of the most memorable games in Independence Bowl History was the 2000 "snow bowl" game between Texas A&M and Mississippi State. The game was originally publicized as a reunion game, since Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill had served as A&M's coach for six seasons in the 1980s and led them to three conference titles. However, the weather quickly dominated the storyline as a rare and significant snowstorm hit Shreveport. In the midst of the snow, Mississippi State rallied to an overtime win over A&M. The 2013 game featured the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference.

Title sponsor

In 1990, the contest became one of the earliest college bowl games to use a title sponsor, becoming the Poulan Weed-Eater Independence Bowl. Poulan (then a division of AB Electrolux Home Products, now Husqvarna AB) sponsored the game until 1996. Newell Rubbermaid's Sanford brand of writing products took over sponsorship from 1998 until 2000, while MainStay Investments sponsored from 2001 to 2003. In January 2005, the Deja Vu chain of "gentlemen's clubs" offered to become the title sponsor. The offer was rejected.

The Independence Bowl's three-year search for a title sponsor ended on August 21, 2006 when PetroSun Inc., a Phoenix, Arizona-based company that provides services and products to suppliers of oil and gas, agreed to become the bowl's sponsor. The deal, changing the game's full name to the PetroSun Independence Bowl, was to have run through 2008 with an option for 2009; however the deal was discontinued prior to the 2008 game.

On May 21, 2009, AdvoCare became the fifth title sponsor since the bowl's inception. The bowl was then renamed the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl.^[3] AdvoCare makes energy drinks and nutritional supplements sold through multilevel marketing. On February 28, 2013, AdvoCare and the Independence Bowl Foundation announced that the Independence Bowl name would be dropped, and the bowl would be known as the AdvoCare V100 Bowl for the 2013 game.^[4] In August 2013, AdvoCare announced it would drop its sponsorship after the 2013 game.^[5][6]

In February 2014 Duck Commander (a duck call and hunting apparel manufacturer founded by former Louisiana Tech quarterback Phil Robertson, made prominent by the reality series Duck Dynasty) announced that it would be the title sponsor for the 2014 bowl, which will be known as the Duck Commander Independence Bowl.^[7] After a year, Duck Commander declined to renew sponsorship and in July 2015, Camping World was announced as the new title sponsor of the game.^[8] On March 14, 2017, the Independence Bowl Foundation unveiled a new logo for the game which will be used until a new title sponsor is signed.^[9]

On October 5, 2017, Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar was named as the new title sponsor of the game.^[10]

Independence Stadium

Independence Stadium

Independence Stadium is a stadium owned by the city of Shreveport, Louisiana. It used to be known as "State Fair Stadium"; it is the site of the annual Independence Bowl post-season college football game, initially (1976) the Bicentennial Bowl. Before that, it was the home venue of the Shreveport Steamer of the short-lived World Football League (1974–75). It also served as a neutral site for the annual Arkansas–LSU football rivalry from 1925–1936. The stadium is also host to numerous high school football games and soccer matches, since many schools in Shreveport lack an on-campus facility. Independence Stadium also hosted the Louisiana High School Athletic Association state football championship games in 2005 after the Louisiana Superdome suffered heavy damage from Hurricane Katrina. In 1994–95, Independence Stadium was home to the Shreveport Pirates of the Canadian Football League, which was undergoing US expansion at the time. In the late 1990s, the stadium capacity was expanded from approximately 40,000 to 50,832. In 2005, to meet accommodations of the upcoming Independence Bowl in 2006, the stadium went through a renovation to extend the capacity from 52,000 to 59,000. Then in 2008, the City of Shreveport created an entire new section of the stadium. This portion would allow the stadium capacity to be expanded only if need be. This expanse put the total capacity at 63,000.^[11] This was part of a grander upgrading plan that improved all aspects of the facility, from concourses to playing surface.

Independence Stadium was considered as a possible playing site for the New Orleans Saints during the 2005 National Football League season due to Hurricane Katrina, but Shreveport eventually lost out to the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and Louisiana State University's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. However, Independence Stadium eventually was chosen to host the Saints' first preseason home game for the 2006 season while the Louisiana Superdome prepared for its grand re-opening. Field Turf was installed on the stadium's playing surface in 2010. In 2010, a Texas UIL playoff game was played featuring Mesquite Horn HS and the technical host Longview. Longview won, 28–14. In 2011, Independence Stadium hosted the inaugural year of the annual Port City Classic, an NCAA college football competition between Louisiana Tech University of Ruston, Louisiana, and Grambling State University of Grambling, Louisiana. The south end zone of the stadium borders Interstate 20.

Game results

Most Valuable Player Award

Most appearances

Teams with multiple appearances

Teams with a single appearance

Won: Arizona, Auburn, East Carolina, Florida State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, NC State, Ohio, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Wisconsin
Lost: Army, Boston College, Clemson, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas State, Louisiana–Monroe, Louisville, Miami (FL), Miami (OH), Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, TCU, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Virginia
Tied: Maryland

Appearances by conference

Through the December 2017 playing, there have been 42 games (84 total appearances).

Game records

^[13]

See also

• List of college bowl games
• List of Independence Bowl broadcasters

Notes

External links

• Official website