Cactus Bowl
| Cactus Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Motel 6 Cactus Bowl | |
 | |
| Stadium | Chase Field |
| Location | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Previous stadiums |
Arizona Stadium (1989–99) Chase Field (2000-2005 2016-present) Sun Devil Stadium (2006–15) |
| Previous locations |
Tucson, Arizona (1989–99) Phoenix, Arizona (2000–05) Tempe, Arizona (2006–15) |
| Operated | 1989–present |
| Conference tie-ins | Big 12, Pac-12 |
| Previous conference tie-ins |
WAC (1990–1997) Big 12 (1998–2001) Big East (1998–2005) Pac-10 (2002–2005) |
| Payout | US$3.3 million per team (as of 2011) [1] |
| Sponsors | |
|
Domino's Pizza (1990–1991) Weiser Lock (1992–1995) Insight Enterprises (1997–2011) Buffalo Wild Wings (2012–2013) TicketCity (2015) Motel 6 (2016–present) | |
| Former names | |
|
Copper Bowl (1989) Domino's Pizza Copper Bowl (1990–1991) Weiser Lock Copper Bowl (1992–1995) Copper Bowl (1996) Insight.com Bowl (1997–2001) Insight Bowl (2002–2011) Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (2012–2013) TicketCity Cactus Bowl (2015) | |
| 2016 matchup | |
| West Virginia vs. Arizona State (West Virginia 43–42) | |
The Cactus Bowl, officially the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl for sponsorship purposes, is an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played in the state of Arizona since 1989. Originally played in Tucson at Arizona Stadium as the Copper Bowl, the game moved to Chase Field in Phoenix in 2000 and then to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe in 2006.
For the 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons, the Cactus Bowl is being played at its previous home of Chase Field in Phoenix while Sun Devil Stadium undergoes renovations.[2] During this time, the game will be one of four bowl games that are played in baseball-specific stadiums; the Miami Beach Bowl, played at Marlins Park, the St. Petersburg Bowl, played at Tropicana Field, and the Pinstripe Bowl, played at Yankee Stadium, are the others.
History
For the first ten years, the game was played at Arizona Stadium, on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. In 2000, the bowl's organizers moved the game to Bank One Ballpark, a baseball-specific stadium, in downtown Phoenix. Finally, in 2006, the game moved to Sun Devil Stadium at Arizona State University in Tempe to replace the Fiesta Bowl which had moved to University of Phoenix Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale.
The game was played under its original name, the Copper Bowl, from 1989 until 1996 when title sponsorship rights were assumed by Insight Enterprises. Insight kept the naming rights until 2012, after which restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings bought them.[3] Buffalo Wild Wings declined to renew sponsorship following the 2013 game.[4] However, instead of reassuming the Copper Bowl name, the organizers opted to name the game the Cactus Bowl. The name previously belonged to a Division II postseason all-star game played in Kingsville, Texas beginning in 2001 and continuing until 2011. The Cactus Bowl name was the originally planned name of the game when first conceived.[5] In 2014, TicketCity secured the naming rights for the game.[6] For 2015, Motel 6 acquired the title sponsorship.[7]
It has featured teams from the WAC, the Big 12, the old Big East and Pac-10. Starting in 2006, the Insight Bowl began featuring an annual matchup between teams from the Big Ten and the Big 12. Starting in 2014, it will feature a Pac-12/Big 12 matchup.
The 2006 game saw the biggest comeback in NCAA Division I FBS postseason history, as Texas Tech came back from a 38–7 third-quarter deficit to defeat Minnesota 44–41 in overtime.
For the first three playings of the Copper Bowl, TBS carried the game. Beginning in 1992 and continuing until the 2005 playing, the game aired on ESPN. After a four-year hiatus, during which NFL Network carried the game, ESPN regained the rights beginning in 2010.
Game results
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Site | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 1989 | Arizona | 17 | North Carolina State | 10 | Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ | 37,237 | notes |
| December 31, 1990 | California | 17 | Wyoming | 15 | 36,340 | notes | |
| December 31, 1991 | Indiana | 24 | Baylor | 0 | 35,751 | notes | |
| December 31, 1992 | Washington State | 31 | Utah | 28 | 40,826 | notes | |
| December 29, 1993 | Kansas State | 52 | Wyoming | 17 | 49,075 | notes | |
| December 29, 1994 | BYU | 31 | Oklahoma | 6 | 45,122 | notes | |
| December 27, 1995 | Texas Tech | 55 | Air Force | 41 | 41,004 | notes | |
| December 27, 1996 | Wisconsin | 38 | Utah | 10 | 42,122 | notes | |
| December 27, 1997 | Arizona | 20 | New Mexico | 14 | 49,385 | notes | |
| December 26, 1998 | Missouri | 34 | West Virginia | 31 | 36,147 | notes | |
| December 31, 1999 | Colorado | 62 | Boston College | 28 | 35,762 | notes | |
| December 28, 2000 | Iowa State | 37 | Pittsburgh | 29 | Bank One Ballpark • Phoenix, AZ | 41,813 | notes |
| December 29, 2001 | Syracuse | 26 | Kansas State | 3 | 40,028 | notes | |
| December 26, 2002 | Pittsburgh | 38 | Oregon State | 13 | 40,533 | notes | |
| December 26, 2003 | California | 52 | Virginia Tech | 49 | 42,364 | notes | |
| December 28, 2004 | Oregon State | 38 | Notre Dame | 21 | 45,917 | notes | |
| December 27, 2005 | Arizona State | 45 | Rutgers | 40 | 43,536 | notes | |
| December 29, 2006 | Texas Tech | 44 | Minnesota | 41 (OT) | Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ | 48,391 | notes |
| December 31, 2007 | Oklahoma State | 49 | Indiana | 33 | 48,892 | notes | |
| December 31, 2008 | Kansas | 42 | Minnesota | 21 | 49,103 | notes | |
| December 31, 2009 | Iowa State | 14 | Minnesota | 13 | 45,090 | notes | |
| December 28, 2010 | Iowa | 27 | Missouri | 24 | 53,453 | notes | |
| December 30, 2011 | Oklahoma | 31 | Iowa | 14 | 54,247 | notes | |
| December 29, 2012 | Michigan State | 17 | TCU | 16 | 44,617 | notes | |
| December 28, 2013 | Kansas State | 31 | Michigan | 14 | 53,284 | notes | |
| January 2, 2015 | Oklahoma State | 30 | Washington | 22 | 35,409 | notes | |
| January 2, 2016 | West Virginia | 43 | Arizona State | 42 | Chase Field • Phoenix, AZ | 39,321 | notes |
MVPs
| Date | MVPs | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 1989 | Shane Montgomery | North Carolina State | QB |
| Scott Geyer | Arizona | DB | |
| December 31, 1990 | Mike Pawlawski | California | QB |
| Robert Midgett | Wyoming | LB | |
| December 31, 1991 | Vaughn Dunbar | Indiana | TB |
| Mark Hagen | Indiana | LB | |
| December 28, 1992 | Drew Bledsoe | Washington State | QB |
| Phillip Bobo | Washington State | WR | |
| Kareem Leary | Utah | DB | |
| December 29, 1993 | Andre Coleman | Kansas State | WR |
| Kenny McEntyre | Kansas State | CB | |
| December 29, 1994 | John Walsh | BYU | QB |
| Jamal Willis | BYU | RB | |
| Broderick Simpson | Oklahoma | LB | |
| December 27, 1995 | Byron Hanspard | Texas Tech | RB |
| Zebbie Lethridge | Texas Tech | QB | |
| Mickey Dalton | Air Force | CB | |
| December 27, 1996 | Ron Dayne | Wisconsin | RB |
| Tarek Saleh | Wisconsin | LB | |
| December 27, 1997 | Trung Canidate | Arizona | RB |
| Jimmy Sprotte | Arizona | LB | |
| December 26, 1998 | Marc Bulger | West Virginia | QB |
| Jeff Marriott | Missouri | DT | |
| December 31, 1999 | Cortlen Johnson | Colorado | RB |
| Jashon Sykes | Colorado | LB | |
| December 28, 2000 | Sage Rosenfels | Iowa State | QB |
| Reggie Hayward | Iowa State | DE | |
| December 29, 2001 | James Mungro | Syracuse | RB |
| Clifton Smith | Syracuse | LB | |
| December 26, 2002 | Brandon Miree | Pittsburgh | TB |
| Claude Harriott | Pittsburgh | DL | |
| December 26, 2003 | Aaron Rodgers | California | QB |
| Ryan Gutierrez | California | FS | |
| December 26, 2004 | Derek Anderson | Oregon State | QB |
| Trent Bray | Oregon State | LB | |
| December 27, 2005 | Rudy Carpenter | Arizona State | QB |
| Jamar Williams | Arizona State | LB | |
| December 29, 2006 | Graham Harrell | Texas Tech | QB |
| Antonio Huffman | Texas Tech | CB | |
| December 31, 2007 | Zac Robinson | Oklahoma State | QB |
| Donovan Woods | Oklahoma State | S | |
| December 31, 2008 | Dezmon Briscoe | Kansas | WR |
| James Holt | Kansas | LB | |
| December 31, 2009 | Alexander Robinson | Iowa State | RB |
| Christopher Lyle | Iowa State | DE | |
| December 28, 2010 | Marcus Coker | Iowa | RB |
| Micah Hyde | Iowa | DB | |
| December 30, 2011 | Blake Bell | Oklahoma | QB |
| Jamell Fleming | Oklahoma | DB | |
| December 29, 2012 | Le'Veon Bell | Michigan State | RB |
| William Gholston | Michigan State | DE | |
| December 28, 2013 | Tyler Lockett | Kansas State | WR |
| Dante Barnett | Kansas State | DB | |
| January 2, 2015 | Desmond Roland | Oklahoma State | RB |
| Seth Jacobs | Oklahoma State | LB | |
| January 2, 2016 | Skyler Howard | West Virginia | QB |
| Shaq Petteway | West Virginia | LB |
Most appearances
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Kansas State | 3 | 2–1 |
| T1 | Minnesota | 3 | 0–3 |
| T3 | Arizona | 2 | 2–0 |
| T3 | California | 2 | 2–0 |
| T3 | Oklahoma State | 2 | 2–0 |
| T3 | Texas Tech | 2 | 2–0 |
| T3 | Iowa State | 2 | 2–0 |
| T3 | Arizona State | 2 | 1–1 |
| T3 | Indiana | 2 | 1–1 |
| T3 | Missouri | 2 | 1–1 |
| T3 | Oregon State | 2 | 1–1 |
| T3 | Pitt | 2 | 1–1 |
| T3 | Iowa | 2 | 1–1 |
| T3 | Oklahoma | 2 | 1–1 |
| T3 | West Virginia | 2 | 1–1 |
| T3 | Utah | 2 | 0–2 |
| T3 | Wyoming | 2 | 0–2 |
| T18 | BYU | 1 | 1–0 |
| T18 | Colorado | 1 | 1–0 |
| T18 | Michigan State | 1 | 1–0 |
| T18 | Kansas | 1 | 1–0 |
| T18 | Syracuse | 1 | 1–0 |
| T18 | Washington State | 1 | 1–0 |
| T18 | Wisconsin | 1 | 1–0 |
| T18 | Air Force | 1 | 0–1 |
| T18 | Baylor | 1 | 0–1 |
| T18 | Boston College | 1 | 0–1 |
| T18 | Michigan | 1 | 0–1 |
| T18 | North Carolina State | 1 | 0–1 |
| T18 | New Mexico | 1 | 0–1 |
| T18 | Notre Dame | 1 | 0–1 |
| T18 | Rutgers | 1 | 0–1 |
| T18 | TCU | 1 | 0–1 |
| T18 | Virginia Tech | 1 | 0–1 |
| T18 | Washington | 1 | 0–1 |
Television broadcasting rights
The Cactus Bowl has been broadcast by three different networks, TBS (1989–1991), ESPN (1992–2005, 2010–2016), and NFL Network (2006–2009)
Wins by conference
| Conference | Wins | Losses | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pac-12 | 7 | 1 | .875 |
| Big 12 | 10 | 5 | .667 |
| Big Ten | 4 | 5 | .444 |
| American/Big East | 2 | 5 | .286 |
| WAC | 1 | 6 | .143 |
| ACC | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Independent | 0 | 1 | .000 |
References
- ↑ http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/12/26/20101226tempe-bowl-insight.html
- ↑ http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/12817055/cactus-bowl-moving-chase-field
- ↑ "Insight Bowl loses its title sponsor after 15 years,". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ↑ "Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl loses sponsorship". azcentral. 16 June 2014.
- ↑ "New bowl game seeking sponsor, TV pact". The Tuscaloosa News. 1988-08-13. Retrieved 2014-12-30.
- ↑ "TicketCity gets naming rights for Cactus Bowl in Tempe". Phoenix Business Journal. 2014-11-25. Retrieved 2014-12-30.
- ↑ "Motel 6 inks naming rights deal for Cactus Bowl". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved 24 November 2015.