Lost amid last week's announcement that the NCAA had certified 35 bowl games through January 2014: Two games were actually denied a license — the Cure Bowl in Orlando and Christmas Bowl in Los Angeles.
The Cure Bowl was to feature a matchup of teams from Conference USA and the Sun Belt in Bright House Networks Stadium. Proceeds would have gone to organizations that fight breast cancer.
The Christmas Bowl was a mystery. Frankly, nobody in Southern California had heard of the proposed game, even though it was to be played at the L.A. Coliseum.
Now that the bid for the game was turned down, founder Derek Dearwater has provided a glimpse into the Christmas Bowl, which was to feature a matchup of Pacific 10 and Western Athletic Conference teams. He has posted a pdf of his proposed game, which you can download by clicking here.
Dearwater, an executive vice president of sales at Epic Nutrition in Orange County, based his game on the first postseason bowl game played in the Coliseum — the 1924 L.A. Christmas Festival.
Dearwater's 26-page presentation included endorsements from L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, 1985 Heisman winner Bo Jackson and former NFL standouts Steve Young, Tim Brown and Jerry Rice.
The proposal also showcased L.A.'s proximity to Pac-10 and WAC teams, with 68% of the teams within a three-hour flight of one of six major airports that serve the L.A. region.
Dearwater, along with representatives of the Cure Bowl, plan to continue to secure licensing in 2011 and beyond.
Sounds like they're trying to renew the Christmas Festival, which was a bowl game a long, loooong time ago and played in the Coliseum. But I'm sure you knew that...
Posted by: Dave | May 02, 2010 at 05:32 PM