Emerald Bowl
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The Emerald Bowl has been played annually since 2002. Originally known as the San Francisco Bowl, the game is played at AT&T Park, home of MLB’s San Francisco Giants. The game’s official sponsor is Diamond Foods Inc. As of 2006, the game will feature teams from the Pac-10 and Atlantic Coast Conference. The 2006 game had a $850,000 payout to each school.
The inaugural game featured the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Air Force Falcons. The game was played on December 31, 2002 with Virginia Tech pulling out a 20-13 victory.
The 2004 game between Navy and New Mexico made college football history. Leading the game 31-19, Navy produced the longest drive in terms of plays and time of possession ever. The Midshipmen went on a 26-play that spanned 14 minutes and 26 seconds. The seemingly endless drive milked the clock and Navy went on to a 34-19 victory.
The 2005 contest between Utah and Georgia Tech was quite one-sided. Utah blew out Boston College 38-10.
Last year’s contest featured the Florida State Seminoles and UCLA Bruins. It was the first time a Pac-10 and ACC team both met in the Emerald Bowl. Utah appeared in the game a year earlier because the Pac-10 did not have enough bowl eligible teams. The Seminoles long journey to the west coast turned out to be a successful, as Florida State defeated UCLA 44-27. Running back Lorenzo Booker, who played his high school ball in California, was named the offensive MVP. Cornerback Tony Carter was named the defensive MVP.
The Emerald Bowl has the distinction of being the only bowl game that is held in a stadium used exclusively by a professional baseball team. Other venues like Dolphin Stadium and Rogers Centre are used by both football and baseball teams. This year’s Emerald Bowl will be played on December 28, 2007 and will be televised on ESPN.
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