Event News / 2016 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl ticket luncheon kicks off 20th bowl celebration

EVENT NEWS

2016 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl ticket luncheon kicks off 20th bowl celebration

Event generates more than $40,000 in ticket sales

BOISE, Idaho — The second annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl ticket luncheon held last week marked the beginning of the 20th annual bowl game celebration, generating over $40,000 in ticket sales.

Representatives from 45 Treasure Valley businesses were on hand in anticipation for the 20th game to be played on Dec. 22, including Boise icons Gem Stop, Pioneer Title and Dutch Bros. Emcee Tom Scott hosted a panel discussion featuring a wide array of topics surrounding college football today. Boise State Athletic Director Curt Apsey, Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher, ESPN play-by-play Jason Benetti, Color Analyst Kelly Stouffer and Vice President of ESPN Events Clint Overby comprised the group.

To commemorate this year’s milestone game, the the bowl has partnered up with local area companies for game day events that are unique to Idaho. Activities include a fry feed sponsored by J.R. Simplot, a FitOne Family Field Day and an event area hosted by Mission 43 for both members and the general public.

Originally dubbed the Humanitarian Bowl pairing the Big West champion and a representative from Conference USA, the inaugural game was played between Cincinnati and Utah State on Dec. 29, 1997. Since then the Gem State has hosted 25 different universities and has seen 19 first-round NFL Draft picks come through. The 20th edition of the northernmost college bowl game will pit the Mountain West Conference (MW) against the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Tickets for the 2016 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl went on sale earlier this week, and are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com. This year’s contest will kick off at 5 p.m. MT (7 p.m. ET). The game will take place at Albertsons Stadium on the campus of Boise State University and will be televised by ESPN.

ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 13 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

Collegiate Football
AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (Houston); Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Baton Rouge, La.); Montgomery Kickoff Classic (Montgomery, Ala.); Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); St. Petersburg Bowl (Florida); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta) and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth)