| AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Stadium | Home Depot Center |
| Location | Carson, California |
| Previous stadiums | Sun Bowl Stadium (2007-10) Alamodome (2011) |
| Previous locations | El Paso, Texas (2007-10) San Antonio, Texas (2011) |
| Operated | 2007–present |
| Sponsors | |
| Texas Department of Transportation (2007) Western Refining (2008-09) Pro Football Hall of Fame (2010) NFL Players Association (2011-present) AstroTurf (2012-present) | |
| Former names | |
| Texas vs. the Nation Game (2007-10) NFLPA Game (2011) | |
| 2012 matchup | |
| National vs. American (National, 20-14) | |
| 2013 matchup | |
| National vs. American (TBA) | |
The AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game that was established in 2006 as the concluding game of the college football post-season. The game had been played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The game was previously known as the Texas vs. The Nation Game until 2011, when the game was moved from El Paso, Texas.[1]
The game was sponsored by the National Football League Players Association, based out of Washington, D.C.
The game, with a new sponsor in AstroTurf, returned with a new location and name, the AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which was held at the Home Depot Center on Jan. 21, 2012.[2]
Game background[]
The NFLPA Game originally began as the Texas vs. the Nation game, which was born from an idea to bring a sense of rivalry and teamwork back to the all-star arena. The format of the game pitted a team of top-rated college seniors who played college or high school football in Texas against a squad of top-rated seniors from the other 49 United States. Seniors rated in the top 15 at their position by the NFL are eligible to play in the game.[3]
After considering other locations including Aruba, the Bahamas, Phoenix, and San Diego, Game CEO Kenny Hansmire selected El Paso and the Sun Bowl Stadium to host the inaugural game.[4]
In 2011, the Texas vs. the Nation game was moved to San Antonio and was renamed the NFLPA Game, after the new sponsor of the event. The concept of The NFLPA Game had been "Texas vs. the Nation" with seniors having ties to the state of Texas taking on top seniors from across the Nation. In addition, The NFLPA Game was nationally televised live on CBS College Sports starting in 2011.[5]
The NFLPA switched the 2012 format to a more traditional National vs American format with 100 prospects and drafted them in a National vs American format. A new television deal with NBC Sports Network was implemented.[6]
In 2013, the game will be broadcast by ESPN on its ESPN2 network and streamed on its WatchESPN streaming-video service.
Game results[]
- Winning team in bold
- Tie game denoted in italics
| Date | Winning team | Losing team | Texas team coach | Nation team coach | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2, 2007 | The Nation | 24 | Texas | 20 | Mike Price | Buddy Ryan | 21,528 | |
| February 2, 2008 | Texas | 41 | The Nation | 14 | Gene Stallings | Buddy Ryan | 26,821 | |
| January 31, 2009 | The Nation | 27 | Texas | 24 | Gene Stallings | Howard Schnellenberger | 42,387 | |
| February 6, 2010 | Texas | 36 | The Nation | 17 | Bill Bates | Howard Schnellenberger | 26,041 | |
| February 5, 2011 | Texas | 13 | The Nation | 7 | Bill Bates | Jerry Glanville | ||
| Date | Winning team | Losing team | National coach | American coach | Attendance | Notes | ||
| January 21, 2012 | National | 20 | American | 14 | Dick Vermeil | Tom Flores | N/A | [7] |
| January 19, 2013 | Dick Vermeil | Herman Edwards | TBA | [8] | ||||
- 2006-2010 format: Texas leads The Nation (3–2)
- 2011–present format: National leads American (1-0)
Game MVPs[]
| Year | Name | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Paul Mosley | RB | Baylor |
| 2008 | Xavier Omon | RB | Northwest Missouri State |
| 2009 | Frantz Joseph | LB | Florida Atlantic |
| 2010 | Cornelius Brown | CB | UTEP |
| 2011 | Taylor Potts | QB | Texas Tech |
| 2012 | G. J. Kinne | QB | Tulsa |
See also[]
- Probound Sportswear Florida Bowl
References[]
- ↑ NFL Players Association Announces San Antonio Game
- ↑ NFLPA to have Los Angeles game
- ↑ History
- ↑ History
- ↑ NFL Players Association Announces San Antonio Game
- ↑ NFLPA announces Broadcast deal with NBC Sports Network.
- ↑ Alper, Josh (2011-11-07). "NFLPA will hold pre-draft game in Los Angeles". Profootballtalk.com. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/07/nflpa-will-hold-pre-draft-game-in-los-angeles/. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
- ↑ Finley, Ryan (2013-01-08). "Arizona Wildcats football: Tutogi and Quinn accept invites to NFLPA Bowl". Arizona Daily Star. http://azstarnet.com/sports/blogs/finley/arizona-wildcats-football-tutogi-and-quinn-accept-invites-to-nflpa/article_32cc76e2-59ce-11e2-abab-001a4bcf887a.html. Retrieved 2013-01-09.