Bahamas Bowl – Wikipedia
College football bowl game played annually in Nassau, Bahamas
The Bahamas Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually in Nassau, Bahamas, at the 15,000-seat Thomas Robinson Stadium.[2] The Bowl has tie-ins with the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.
On October 2, 2020, the 2020 edition of the bowl was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions.[3]
History[edit]
The inaugural edition of the Bahamas Bowl, played in 2014, was the first major (FBS or historical equivalent) bowl game to be played outside the United States and Canada between two U.S. teams since the January 1, 1937, Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba.[4] The game featured teams from the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA;[5] that conference matchup has continued annually.[6] In July 2019, the MAC announced a continuation of its tie-in with the bowl through the 2025–26 football season.[7]
From its inception to 2017, the game was sponsored by the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant franchise and officially known as the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.[8] After Restaurant Brands International acquired Popeyes in 2017, they declined to renew sponsorship. Elk Grove Village, Illinois—”home to the largest industrial park in the United States”—picked up title sponsorship in 2018, with the bowl using the official naming of Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.[9] The name lasted until Elk Grove Village ended its sponsorship in March 2020.[10] On May 25, 2022, it was announced that HomeTown Lenders would be the new title sponsor of the game.[11]
The winning team is presented with a trophy, since 2016 named the Prime Minister’s Trophy.[12] The current trophy, in use since the 2018 playing, is approximately 30 inches (76 cm) tall and weighs nearly 30 pounds (14 kg).[12]
Game results[edit]
| Date | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 24, 2014 | Western Kentucky | 49 | Central Michigan | 48 | 13,667 | notes | |
| December 24, 2015 | Western Michigan | 45 | Middle Tennessee | 31 | 13,123 | notes | |
| December 23, 2016 | Old Dominion | 24 | Eastern Michigan | 20 | 13,422 | notes | |
| December 22, 2017 | Ohio | 41 | UAB | 6 | 13,585 | notes | |
| December 21, 2018 | FIU | 35 | Toledo | 32 | 13,510 | notes | |
| December 20, 2019 | Buffalo | 31 | Charlotte | 9 | 13,547 | notes | |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[13] | ||||||
| December 17, 2021 | Middle Tennessee | 31 | Toledo | 24 | 13,596 | notes | |
Source:[14]
| Year | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team | Pos. | ||
| 2014 | Brandon Doughty | Western Kentucky | QB | Derik Overstreet | Western Kentucky | DL | [15] |
| 2015 | Jamauri Bogan | Western Michigan | RB | Grant DePalma | Western Michigan | LB | [16] |
| 2016 | Ray Lawry | Old Dominion | RB | TJ Ricks | Old Dominion | LB | [17] |
| 2017 | Dorian Brown | Ohio | RB | Javon Hagan | Ohio | FS | [18] |
| 2018 | Christian Alexander | FIU | QB | Edwin Freeman | FIU | LB | [19] |
| 2019 | Jaret Patterson | Buffalo | RB | Malcolm Koonce | Buffalo | DE | [20][21] |
| 2021 | Nicholas Vattiato | Middle Tennessee | QB | DQ Thomas | Middle Tennessee | LB | [22][23] |
Most appearances[edit]
Updated through the December 2021 edition (7 games, 14 total appearances).
- Teams with multiple appearances
- Teams with a single appearance
Won: Buffalo, FIU, Ohio, Old Dominion, Western Kentucky, Western Michigan
Lost: Central Michigan, Charlotte, Eastern Michigan, UAB
Appearances by conference[edit]
Updated through the December 2021 edition (7 games, 14 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| MAC | 7 | 4 | 3 | .571 | 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 | 2014, 2016, 2018 |
| C-USA | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | 2014, 2016, 2018 | 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 |
Game records[edit]
| Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 49, Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | 2014 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 48, Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky | 2014 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 97, Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | 2014 |
| Fewest points allowed | 6, Ohio vs. UAB | 2017 |
| Largest margin of victory | 35, Ohio vs. UAB | 2017 |
| Total yards | 647, Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | 2014 |
| Rushing yards | 282, Western Michigan vs. Middle Tennessee | 2015 |
| Passing yards | 493, Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky | 2014 |
| First downs | 29, Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | 2014 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 278, Buffalo vs. Charlotte | 2019 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 80, Buffalo vs. Charlotte | 2019 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 77, Charlotte vs. Buffalo | 2019 |
| Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| All-purpose yards | 215, Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan) | 2015 |
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 4, shared by Bogan, Brown, and Davis (see below) | |
| Rushing yards | 215, Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan) | 2015 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 4, shared by: Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan) Dorian Brown (Ohio) |
2015 2017 |
| Passing yards | 493, Cooper Rush (Central Michigan) | 2014 |
| Passing touchdowns | 7, Cooper Rush (Central Michigan) | 2014 |
| Receiving yards | 183, Corey Davis (Western Michigan) | 2015 |
| Receptions | ||
| Receiving touchdowns | 4, Titus Davis (Central Michigan) | 2014 |
| Tackles | 12, Grant DePalma (Western Michigan) 8 (solo), Jamez Brickhouse (Old Dominion) |
2015 2016 |
| Sacks | 2, shared by: Derik Overstreet (Western Kentucky) Malcolm Koonce,[24] (Buffalo) Nate Givhan (Toledo) |
2014 2019 2021 |
| Interceptions | 1, by multiple players | |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 74 yds., Dorian Brown (Ohio) | 2017 |
| Touchdown pass | 90 yds., Dequan Finn to Matt Landers (Toledo) | 2021 |
| Kickoff return | 45 yds., Andre Wilson (UAB) | 2017 |
| Punt return | 34 yds., Kylan Nelson (Ohio) | 2017 |
| Interception return | 49 yds., Samuel Womack (Toledo) | 2021 |
| Fumble return | 27 yds., Tony Annese (Central Michigan) | 2014 |
| Punt | 54 yds., shared by: Michael Farkas (Ohio) Bailey Flint (Toledo) |
2017 2018, 2021 |
| Field goal | 47 yds., Andrew Haldeman (Western Michigan) | 2015 |
Source:[25]
Media coverage[edit]
Television[edit]
Radio[edit]
•Elvis Gallegos became the analyst in 2021 after Rob Best died on October 4, 2020.[28] During the 2021 bowl broadcast Kyle Wiggs announced that the Bahamas Bowl broadcast booth had been renamed the Rob Best Broadcast Booth as a memorial to Coach Best.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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