Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | |
|---|---|
| File:Famous Idaho Potato Bowl logo.jpg Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Logo | |
| Stadium | Bronco Stadium |
| Location | Boise, Idaho |
| Operated | 1997–present |
| Conference tie-ins | WAC, MAC |
| Previous conference tie-ins | Big West (1997-2000), C-USA (1997-99), ACC (2001-2008), MWC (2009) |
| Payout | US$650,000 (As of 2011[update]) |
| Sponsors | |
Crucial.com (1999–2002) MPC Computers (Dec. 2004 – 2006) Roady's Truck Stops (2007–2009) uDrove (2010) Idaho Potato Commission (2011–present) | |
| Former names | |
Humanitarian Bowl (1997–1998) Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl (1999–2002) Humanitarian Bowl (Jan. 2004) MPC Computers Bowl (Dec. 2004 – 2006) Roady's Humanitarian Bowl (2007 – 2009) U Drove Humanitarian Bowl (2010) | |
| 2011 matchup | |
| Ohio vs. Utah State (Ohio 24–23) | |
| 2012 matchup | |
| (TBA) | |
The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (formerly the Humanitarian Bowl) is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that has been played annually at 33,500-seat Bronco Stadium on the campus of Boise State University in Boise, Idaho, since 1997. The game currently matches a team from the Western Athletic Conference, usually the conference's champion, with one from the Mid-American Conference and is televised nationally on the ESPN family of networks. Cincinnati defeated Utah State, 35–19, in the inaugural Humanitarian Bowl in 1997. The Ohio Bobcats are the current Potato Bowl champions after defeating the Utah State Aggies, 24–23, in 2011.
For its first four years, the Humanitarian Bowl offered an automatic bid to the Big West Conference champion after that conference lost its contract with the Las Vegas Bowl. From 1997 to 1999, the opponent was a team from Conference USA, while in 2000 an at-large was chosen. After the 2000 Humanitarian Bowl, the Big West Conference stopped sponsoring football and the automatic bid instead went to the WAC, where it remains to this day. Conference-USA's automatic bid went to the ACC from 2001 through 2008. After the bowl's contract with the ACC ended in 2008, the automatic bid went to the Mountain West Conference in 2009, although they did not fill the slot. The MAC replaces the Mountain West Conference after the folding of the Toronto-based International Bowl. With Boise State moving to the Mountain West Conference in 2011, the bowl tie-ins may eventually change yet again.
The game was sponsored by Micron Technology, an Idaho-based manufacturer, from 1999 to 2002 under the name Crucial.com, which sells computer memory upgrades from Micron. The bowl game then briefly had no sponsor for the January 2004 game. In December 2004, the name was changed to the MPC Computers Bowl. MPC Computers was formerly MicronPC, the computer manufacturing division of Micron, but split from Micron and has no affiliation with Micron. In April 2007, it was announced that the bowl will again be called the Humanitarian Bowl.[1] In May 2007, Boise-based Roady's Truck Stops was announced as the new sponsor, thus renaming the game the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl.[2] On May 25, 2010, mobile business application, uDrove became the sponsor of the Humanitarian Bowl, signing a four-year agreement to replace Roady's. uDrove is a small-business solution dedicated to making life easy for the three million-plus professional truckers throughout the U.S.[3] On August 3, 2011 The Idaho Potato Commission signed six-year naming rights deal to sponsor the Bowl[4]
It is the longest running cold weather bowl game currently in operation. The payout is $750,000, but teams are required to provide a corporate sponsor, purchase a minimum number of tickets, and stay at a selected hotel for a minimum stay. Because of this, 7–4 UCLA declined an invitation to the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl.[5]
Beginning in 2008, the Humanitarian Bowl (in conjunction with the Truckload Carriers Association) featured a "Highway Angel", a truck driver who performed a heroic feat to save the life of another motorist. The 2008 Highway Angel, Leonard T. "Lenny" Roach, pulled a driver from a water-filled ditch near South Bend, Indiana, even though the wind chill factor was −20 °F (−29 °C).[6] The 2009 Highway Angel, Michael Hunt, used his truck to push away a vehicle (and its driver) from a fiery collision near Spring Lake, North Carolina which had already claimed the life of the other driver.[7] The 2010 Highway Angel, Shawn L. Hubbard was honored on December 18, 2010.[8] While driving his truck near Diamond Bar, California, Hubbard came upon a fiery car crash in which the driver was deceased, but the passenger was still alive and trapped in the burning car. Hubbard freed the passenger and pulled him from the vehicle just moments before it was completely engulfed in flames.[9]
Game results
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 29, 1997 | Cincinnati | 35 | Utah State | 19 | notes |
| December 30, 1998 | Idaho | 42 | Southern Mississippi | 35 | notes |
| December 30, 1999 | Boise State | 34 | Louisville | 31 | notes |
| December 28, 2000 | Boise State | 38 | UTEP | 23 | notes |
| December 31, 2001 | Clemson | 49 | Louisiana Tech | 24 | notes |
| December 31, 2002 | Boise State | 34 | Iowa State | 16 | notes |
| January 3, 2004 | Georgia Tech | 52 | Tulsa | 10 | notes |
| December 27, 2004 | Fresno State | 37 | Virginia | 34 (OT) | notes |
| December 28, 2005 | Boston College | 27 | Boise State | 21 | notes |
| December 31, 2006 | Miami | 21 | Nevada | 20 | notes |
| December 31, 2007 | Fresno State | 40 | Georgia Tech | 28 | notes |
| December 30, 2008 | Maryland | 42 | Nevada | 35 | notes |
| December 30, 2009 | Idaho | 43 | Bowling Green | 42 | notes |
| December 18, 2010 | Northern Illinois | 40 | Fresno State | 17 | notes |
| December 17, 2011 | Ohio | 24 | Utah State | 23 | notes |
MVPs
| Year | MVPs | School | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Steve Smith | Utah State | WR |
| Chad Plummer | Cincinnati | QB | |
| 1998 | Lee Roberts | Southern Miss | QB |
| John Welsh | Idaho | QB | |
| 1999 | Brock Forsey | Boise State | RB |
| Chris Redman | Louisville | QB | |
| 2000 | Bart Hendricks | Boise State | QB |
| Chris Porter | UTEP | RB | |
| 2001 | Woodrow Dantzler | Clemson | QB |
| Delwyn Daigre | Louisiana Tech | WR | |
| 2002 | Bobby Hammer | Boise State | DT |
| Anthony Forrest | Iowa State | DB | |
| Jan. 2004 | P. J. Daniels | Georgia Tech | RB |
| Cort Moffitt | Tulsa | P | |
| Dec. 2004 | Paul Pinegar | Fresno State | QB |
| Marques Hagans | Virginia | QB | |
| 2005 | Matt Ryan | Boston College | QB |
| Jared Zabransky | Boise State | QB | |
| 2006 | Kirby Freeman | Miami | QB |
| Jeff Rowe | Nevada | QB | |
| 2007 | Tom Brandstater | Fresno State | QB |
| Jonathan Dwyer | Georgia Tech | RB | |
| 2008 | Da'Rel Scott | Maryland | RB |
| Colin Kaepernick | Nevada | QB | |
| 2009 | DeMaundray Woolridge | Idaho | RB |
| Freddie Barnes | Bowling Green | WR | |
| 2010 | Chandler Harnish | Northern Illinois | QB |
| Ryan Colburn | Fresno State | QB | |
| 2011 | LaVon Brazill | Ohio | WR |
| Michael Smith | Utah State | RB |
Most appearances
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boise State | 4 | 3–1 |
| 2 | Fresno State | 3 | 2–1 |
| T3 | Idaho | 2 | 2–0 |
| T3 | Georgia Tech | 2 | 1–1 |
| T3 | Nevada | 2 | 0–2 |
| T3 | Utah State | 2 | 0–2 |
| T7 | Boston College | 1 | 1–0 |
| T7 | Cincinnati | 1 | 1–0 |
| T7 | Clemson | 1 | 1–0 |
| T7 | Maryland | 1 | 1–0 |
| T7 | Miami | 1 | 1–0 |
| T7 | Northern Illinois | 1 | 1–0 |
| T7 | Ohio | 1 | 1–0 |
| T7 | Bowling Green | 1 | 0–1 |
| T7 | Iowa State | 1 | 0–1 |
| T7 | Louisiana Tech | 1 | 0–1 |
| T7 | Louisville | 1 | 0–1 |
| T7 | Southern Mississippi | 1 | 0–1 |
| T7 | Tulsa | 1 | 0–1 |
| T7 | UTEP | 1 | 0–1 |
| T7 | Virginia | 1 | 0–1 |
Wins by conference
| Conference | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| ACC | 5 | 2 |
| Western Athletic | 4 | 7 |
| Big West | 3 | 1 |
| MAC | 2 | 1 |
| Conference USA | 1 | 2 |
| Big 12 | 0 | 1 |
Game records
| Record | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 52, Georgia Tech vs. Tulsa | Jan. 2004 |
| Fewest points allowed | 10, Georgia Tech | Jan. 2004 |
| First downs | 29, Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech | 2007 |
| Rushing yards | 371, Georgia Tech vs. Tulsa | Jan. 2004 |
| Passing yards | 401, Louisiana Tech vs. Clemson | 2001 |
| Total yards | 571, Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech | 2007 |
| Record | Player, Team | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 18, many times (Last:Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois) | 2010 |
| Rushing yards | 307, P.J. Daniels, Georgia Tech | 2004 |
| Passing yards | 387, Tyler Sheehan, Bowling Green | 2009 |
| Receiving Yards | 219, Freddie Barnes, Bowling Green | 2009 |
Television coverage
Former logos
-
MPC Computers Bowl Logo Used from 2004-2006 -
Humanitarian Bowl Logo Used from 2007-2009 -
Humanitarian Bowl Logo Used in 2010
Notes
- ^ http://www.idahostatesman.com/104/story/80015.html
- ^ http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/86390.html
- ^ http://www.idahopress.com/sports/article_b0b39f44-688c-11df-8c53-001cc4c03286.html
- ^ http://newsblaze.com/story/2011080313010300004.pnw/topstory.html
- ^ UCLA Addresses Bowl Situation - Statement from UCLA athletic director Peter Dalis
- ^ http://www.truckload.org/index.asp?bid=232&nid=89&archiveyear=2008
- ^ http://www.truckload.org/index.asp?bid=232&nid=130&archiveyear=2009
- ^ http://www.truckload.org/index.asp?bid=232&nid=206&archiveyear=2010
- ^ http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2010/Jan10/011810/011910-03.htm