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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[]

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