The ninth annual Cricket Celebration Bowl – to be played Saturday, Dec. 14, at noon ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and broadcast live on ABC – has identified its first participant as Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) college football champion South Carolina State Bulldogs, (8-3, 4-0 MEAC) defeated rival Morgan State University _____ on Saturday to earn their second invitation to the bowl in program history. They will play the champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
“Congratulations to the MEAC champion South Carolina State University for earning their second trip to the Cricket Celebration Bowl,” said Executive Director John Grant, who will present the official invitation to head coach Chennis Berry in Orangeburg, S.C. during their final home game against Norfolk State. “We are excited for the Bulldogs to make their second appearance and join us in this championship matchup.”
South Carolina State’s regular season game wins over the 2022 Cricket Celebration Bowl champion North Carolina Central Eagles and Morgan State Bears secured their path to this year’s championship bowl game.
Now in its ninth year, the Cricket Celebration Bowl has established itself as a premier college football bowl game, celebrating the heritage, legacy, pageantry, and tradition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The championship-style game between the MEAC and SWAC champions is broadcast nationally on ABC. ESPN Events collaborates with its sponsors, Divine Nine Greek organizations, the Atlanta HBCU Alumni Alliance and other community partners to organize the game’s ancillary events, which includes a fan experience, community service projects and more. This year’s weekend festivities will also include the Band of the Year National Championship in its second year
North Carolina A&T won the inaugural Celebration Bowl game in 2015. In 2023, the Celebration Bowl had its third highest attendance in game history of 41,108 and attracted a television audience of more than 1.5 million viewers on ABC.
Celebration Bowl Games (2015-present):
| 2015 | North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn State, 41-34 |
| 2016 | Grambling State def. North Carolina Central, 10-9 |
| 2017 | North Carolina A&T def. Grambling State, 21-14 |
| 2018 | North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn State, 24-22 |
| 2019 | North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn State, 64-44 |
| 2020 | Not played due to pandemic |
| 2021 | South Carolina State def. Jackson State, 31-10 |
| 2022 | North Carolina Central def. Jackson State, 41 – 34 |
| 2023 | Florida A&M def. Howard, 30-26 |
Fans can purchase tickets to the Cricket Celebration Bowl online at thecelebrationbowl.com or ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $35 to $285 excluding taxes and fees. A full list of events surrounding the game are available on the event’s website.
For MEAC fans, a special rate is being offered at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and is available for December 15-17. Please visit the Celebration Bowl website for more details.
For SWAC fans, a special rate is being offered at the Hilton Atlanta and is available for December 15-17. Please visit the Celebration Bowl website for more details.
Additional hotel rooms are available at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Atlanta Downtown and Spring Hill Suites. Please visit the Celebration Bowl website for more details.
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2024, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. Follow ESPN Events on Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube.
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Media Contacts:
Michelle Jinks, Celebration Bowl – 704-856-9320 or [email protected]
Danny Chi, ESPN – [email protected]
