DURHAM, NC – The first invitation to the second annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl – to be played on Saturday, Dec. 17, at noon ET from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta – has been extended to the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference (MEAC) college football champion, North Carolina Central University. The FCS #20 ranked Eagles completed a perfect 8-0 conference slate by defeating rival and #9 North Carolina A&T, 42-21. Executive Director of the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl, John Grant, was on-site at the Aggie-Eagle Classic in Durham and presented Eagles Coach Jerry Mack with the official invitation.
“Congratulations to MEAC champion North Carolina Central for punching their ticket to the second annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl,” said Grant. “We are excited for the Eagles to join us in this historic match-up against the winner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, especially given Coach Mack’s amazing 21-3 mark in conference play over the last three years. His designation as an Eddie Robinson Award finalist is very well deserved.”
The opponent facing North Carolina Central’s Eagles in the second annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl will be decided during the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship game on Saturday, Dec. 3, where either Grambling State University or Southern University will take on Alcorn State University. The Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl Trophy Tour Presented by Coca-Coca will be on hand, providing fans an opportunity to take their picture with the trophy before the game.
Establishing itself as the first bowl game of the season, the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl is a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) postseason football game owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. It is a championship-style game between the MEAC and SWAC champions and will be televised on ABC. ESPN works with 100 Black Men of Atlanta to organize the game’s ancillary events which include a youth symposium, robotics showcase, gospel night, fan experience and more. The MEAC is 1-0 all time in the event, as North Carolina A&T defeated Alcorn State 41-34 in the inaugural game last year in front of over 35,000 fans.
Fans can purchase tickets to the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl at ticketmaster.com, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or at the Georgia Dome box office. Prices range from $15 to $60, plus applicable taxes and fees. A full list of events surrounding the game are available on the event’s website. For more information, visit www.TheCelebrationBowl.com, and follow the event on Twitter and Facebook.
For MEAC fans, a special rate of $104/night is being offered at the Marriott Marquis, and is available for December 17-19. Please visit the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl website for more details.
For SWAC fans, a special rate of $95/night is being offered at the Hilton Atlanta, and is available for December 17-19. Please visit the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl website for more details.
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 13 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
###
ESPN Media Contact: Rachel Margolis Siegal at 860-766-2798 or [email protected]
Hope-Beckham Inc. Media Contacts: Allison Ritter at 404-604-2603 or [email protected]; Kerstin Hunt at 404-604-2491 or [email protected]; Wendy Hsiao at 404-604-2192 or [email protected]
Liquid Soul Media Contacts: Jackie O. Asare at 718-930-8400 or [email protected] or Jessica Manning at 404-313-7602 or [email protected]
