National Bowl Game

National Bowl Game
StadiumCelebration Stadium
LocationCelebration, Florida
Previous stadiums
Previous locations
Operated2011–present
Sponsors
East Preps LLC

The National Bowl Game is an American independently operated post-season college football all-star game played annually since 2011, most often in December. The game showcases NFL draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and the NAIA. Since 2014, the game has been played as a doubleheader with the FCS Bowl.

History

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The National Bowl Game was first played in April 2011 at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania.[1] Subsequent games have been held in December, and in 2013 the game moved to Riccardo Silva Stadium on the campus of Florida International University (FIU).[2] After three years at FIU, the game moved to Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida.[3] It has subsequently moved to other locations in Florida.

The game has been organized by East Preps LLC, who operate the game independently.[2] As of 2023, the game is branded as the College Football Alumni Association (CFBALL) National Bowl.[4]

The game and an associated scouting combine provide opportunity for players from smaller colleges to get exposure with scouts from various professional leagues, including the NFL and CFL.[5] Organizers report that 26 players from the December 2015 games (National Bowl Game and FCS Bowl) reached the NFL in some capacity.[6] At the December 2016 game, 14 NFL teams were represented, with over 30 scouts in attendance.[3]

Game results

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National Bowl Game in Miami
No. Date Winning team Losing team Stadium City Ref.
1 April 10, 2011 Blue Nation 10 Red Nation 7 J. Birney Crum Stadium Allentown, PA [1]
2 December 4, 2011 Blue Nation 34 Red Nation 31 [7]
3 December 9, 2012 Red Nation 35 Blue Nation 21 [8]
4 December 8, 2013 Red Nation 40 Blue Nation 26 Riccardo Silva Stadium Miami, FL
5 December 7, 2014 Blue Nation 14 Red Nation 7
6 December 6, 2015 American 16 National 9 [9]
7 December 4, 2016 American 16 National 9 Municipal Stadium Daytona Beach, FL [3][10]
8 December 10, 2017 American 48 National 13 [11]
9 December 9, 2018 American 16 National 13 [12]
10 December 8, 2019 National 31 American 29 Spec Martin Stadium DeLand, FL [3][13]
11 January 20, 2024 National 27 American 6 Celebration Stadium Celebration, FL [14]

Note: during February 2023, organizers held a "National Pro Combine Day" in lieu of a game.[15]

MVPs

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Overall MVPs of each game are listed below. Some additional awards not listed are also given, for offensive and defensive player of each team, special teams player, lineman, and the James Pratt Courage Award.

National Bowl Game in Miami
Year MVP Pos. College
2011 (Apr.) Beau Reed TE Fairleigh Dickinson University
2011 (Dec.) Jordan Griffin SB Glenville State College
2012 Scott Pillar WR Albright College
2013 Mason Espinosa QB Ohio Wesleyan University
2014 Bobby Brown QB Buena Vista College
2015 Travis Sparks RB University of La Verne
2016 Michael Everett CB Southwest Minnesota State University
2017 Patrick O'Brien QB Catawba College
2018 Trent White QB Westminster College (MO)
2019 Matt McDonald RB/KR Upper Iowa University

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Ready for some football?". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. April 9, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "2013 NATIONAL BOWL SET FOR ALFONSO FIELD AT FIU STADIUM IN MIAMI, FL DECEMBER 8, 2013". nationalbowl.org. October 24, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d "14 NFL Teams and 30+ Scouts Evaluate Top Talent at 2016 National Bowl in Daytona Beach 2016". nationalbowl.org. December 5, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  4. ^ "National Bowl". nationalbowl.org. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  5. ^ Heitner, Darren (October 21, 2011). "The National Bowl & D2-D3 Pro Day Are Secret Weapons For Small School Players". sportsagentblog.com.
  6. ^ "RECORD 26 FCS- NATIONAL BOWL PLAYERS TO THE NFL FROM THE 2015 CLASS". nationalbowl.org. May 6, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  7. ^ Heilig, John (December 4, 2011). "Former Wilson star Lenehan throws winning TD pass in National Bowl". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  8. ^ Blouse, Michael (December 9, 2012). "Albright's Pillar MVP in National Bowl Game". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  9. ^ "IMG_6739". flickr.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017 – via Flickr.
  10. ^ "Scoring Summary (Final) 2016 National Bowl" (PDF). gobattlers.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  11. ^ https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ybZZfBmKpI3MhH6DoAuoNqsGcnpR6k-X/view [dead link]
  12. ^ "Football Gameplan's 2018 National Bowl & FCS Bowl Coverage | FOOTBALL GAMEPLAN".
  13. ^ "Scoring Summary (Final) 2016 National Bowl" (PDF). gobattlers.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  14. ^ "Stadium & Tickets". nationalbowl.org. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  15. ^ "Stadium & Tickets". nationalbowl.org. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading

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