Check out the top five crazy names for College Bowl Games
The Rose Bowl and the Orange Bowl are still around. So is the Sugar and Fiesta Bowl, along with some new, traditional corporate sponsorship. But with 43 college bowl games in total you are bound to get some crazy names for the games. It happens every year. Let’s explore the etymology of these revered college football events, diving deeper into why “Famous Idaho Potato Bowl” decided to remind us of the relative nature of “fame”? (Why not delicious or extravagant for an adjective there?)
Here are a few, quick, honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions:
Lockheed Martin Air Force Bowl- Why wouldn’t a weapons manufacturer sponsor that one?
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl- That’s gotta be a heck of a bank if you can sponsor a bowl. Plus, aren’t credit unions supposed to return profits back to their members?
Here is our “top five”.
#5- Duluth Trading Cure Bowl
The name here feels a little bit like a tongue twister. What makes this one tough is that Duluth Trading is the flagship sponsor of the Cure Bowl. The Cure Bowl has been around since 2015 (who would have known?) It was initially tough to find a company called Duluth Trading Cure. (I know- I tried.)
In all seriousness, the Cure Bowl moniker works to help provide monies for cancer research. The aim is to also provide awareness. Since 2015, the bowl has helped raise a collective $3.88 million dollars to benefit cancer research. To learn more about how to donate, visit www.CureBowl.com
Duluth Trading company makes flannel shirts, jeans and underwear. From some brief research it appears their sponsorship wasn’t cheap. AutoNation, FBC Mortgage, and TailGreeter have all been previous sponsors.
#4- Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
When I think Bad Boys, I think Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. When I think of Will Smith, I think about him slapping Chris Rock. And when I think about Chris Rock I think about some of the funniest stand-up specials ever made.
Of course that really doesn’t have anything to do with this game. Similar to number five, the Bad Boy Mowers company is the flagship sponsor of the Pinstripe Bowl. (Held at Yankee stadium). This game has also been around for a little bit. The New Era Cap company was the previous sponsor.
Bad Boy Mowers makes lawn mowers and other yard equipment. The company’s motto is, “MOW WITH AN ATTITUDE.” This one might have won me over: I am in the market for a new mower. My general attitude when I mow is one of inconvenience and “daddy’s quiet time”. Maybe some “attitude” is needed.
#3- SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
As some of us begin to enter the back nine of our working careers, it is never too early to worry about retirement. “Did I save enough?” or “Did I save at all?” or “ Why isn’t that baseball card collection a great investment option?” all come to mind.
So I was initially confused to think of why an IRA/401k company would advertise retirement distributions? Does that really need advertising?
Then I was even MORE surprised to learn the bowl has nothing to do with retirement distributions at all! SRS Distributions is a building products company that helps people redo their roofs.
There is a SRS Distribution Building Products branch in Waukegan, Illinois.
We caught wind here of a wildly worded press release. I personally love the line, “ We look forward to doing our part to make sure the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl is an over-the-top event for the fans, the city and the annual representative schools.” Making something become “over-the-top” in Vegas shouldn’t be hard. Roofs, drugs and debauchery for all!
#2- Camellia Bowl
Named after the Alabama state flower, this game features a team from the Sun Belt Conference playing a team from the Mid-American Conference. No knock on those conferences but I’m not entirely sure I could name a single school from either of them, save the one time I got a betting tip from “Vinnie” out in Vegas that laying the points on Tulane was easy money.
Camellia. It’s a beautiful looking flower: peach or pink with a circular look to it. Now if we could just get the state of Washington to run a bowl game: it’d be named the Pacific Rhododendron.
In a cool Wisconsin connection, this game’s MVP award is named after Bart Starr, who played his college football at the University of Alabama. Starr was born and raised in Alabama.
Also prominent at the Camellia Bowl is a celebration of the top Alabamian Football Coach of the year.
This bowl seems to be all about Alabama. Seems cool to me. Nothing wrong with being proud of where you live- I’m looking at you Wisportsheroics… crazy about Wisconsin Sports. Maybe we could have a Wisportsheroics Bowl one day? Sponsored by Koh’s Grocery stores? (www.wisportsheroics.com)
#1- Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel
Yes, this is that Jimmy Kimmel and yes, we’d expect him to be at the game with his namesake. Kimmel is often really associated with the LA movie star scene. He’s got a late night talk show. It’s usually a solid third place in the ratings war behind Letterman and Leno.
Stifel is a wealth investment management company that specializes in diversifying wealth. It turns out they’d be the ones to check-in with about the “back nine of my career”, not SRS Distributions. Who would have thought?
Thanks for checking out our list. I guess they can’t as all be as exciting as the New Mexico Bowl. I wonder what that one is trying to say?
Follow me on Twitter at @authorrudylb and check out my other writings at www.rudylb.com. Follow us at @WiSportsHeroics! For all things Wisconsin sports, click here! Also, check out our merch store for some amazing WSH merchandise!
