Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
Encyclopedia
The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg (formerly the St. Petersburg Bowl) is a NCAA
Division I FBS college football
bowl game
played annually at Tropicana Field
in St. Petersburg, Florida
. It was first played following the 2008
college football season, when it was known as the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl after corporate sponsor magicJack
. When Beef O'Brady's
became the sponsor in 2009, the official name was changed to the St. Petersburg Bowl Presented by Beef 'O' Brady's. The bowl game features teams from the Big East Conference
and Conference USA
, unless one of the conferences does not have enough teams bowl eligible
, in which case the Sun Belt Conference
is eligible to send a team.
; both the long-defunct Cigar Bowl
and the ongoing Outback Bowl
have been held across the bay
in Tampa
.
On April 30, 2008, the NCAA's Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee approved a to-be-named bowl for Tropicana Field to be played after the 2008 college football season
. On November 25, 2008, ESPN Regional Television, the game's owner, announced a one-year title sponsorship agreement with magicJack
.
The inaugural game was played on Dec 20, 2008, between the South Florida Bulls
and Memphis Tigers
, with the USF
Bulls winning by a score of 41–14. USF
Quarterback
Matt Grothe
was named Most Outstanding Player, after throwing for 236 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 83 yards on 15 carries.
Both the UCF Knights
and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
accepted bids to play in the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl on December 19, 2009. On December 9, 2009, the bowl's name was changed to the St. Petersburg Bowl Presented by Beef O'Brady's
after the restaurant chain obtained a title sponsorship. In the second St. Petersburg Bowl, Rutgers defeated Central Florida 45-24.
The 2010 Beef 'O' Brady's bowl pitted the Southern Miss Golden Eagles
against the Louisville Cardinals
on December 21, 2010. It was the 29th meeting between former Conference USA
rivals. After falling behind 14–0 and 21–7, Louisville came back to win their sixth contest in a row against Southern Miss, 31–28
Since Tropicana Field
was originally designed for baseball
, the football gridiron is arranged along the right field line, from home plate to the foul pole. If the new Rays Ballpark
is approved and built on the site of Progress Energy Park
(formerly Al Lang Stadium), the game would move there as well. The game is one of three to take place in a baseball-only stadium among current post-season football contests; the others are the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
(see the Emerald Bowl), played at San Francisco
's AT&T Park
, the home of the San Francisco Giants
, and Yankee Stadium
, home of the New York Yankees
, hosting the Pinstripe Bowl. Between 2000 and 2005, the Insight Bowl
was played at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks
, Chase Field
(see Bank One Ballpark) in Phoenix, Arizona
after being moved from Tucson
, while the 2001 Seattle Bowl
was played at Safeco Field
while Qwest Field
was being built on the site of the Kingdome
. Original plans had the Military Bowl (see Eaglebank Bowl) in Washington being played at Nationals Park, but the game has been played at RFK Stadium instead.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I FBS college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
played annually at Tropicana Field
Tropicana Field
Tropicana Field is a domed stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, which has been the home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays since the team's inaugural season in 1998, when they were the Devil Rays. It has also served as the host stadium for the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, an NCAA-sanctioned college...
in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
. It was first played following the 2008
NCAA football bowl games, 2008-09
The 2008–09 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision College Football Post-Season, which followed the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season contained a record number of bowl games scheduled in history, as a total of 37 bowl games were played starting on December 20, 2008 with four contests,...
college football season, when it was known as the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl after corporate sponsor magicJack
MagicJack
MagicJack is a device that plugs into a USB port on the user's computer and that has a standard RJ-11 phone jack into which any standard phone can be plugged. This allows the user to make phone calls to almost any phone in the U.S...
. When Beef O'Brady's
Beef O'Brady's
Beef 'O'Brady's Family Sports Pubs is a restaurant franchise in the United States established in 1985 by Jim Mellody in Brandon, Florida.Jim Mellody moved from his native Pennsylvania to Florida in 1971, and tried numerous restaurant ideas before hitting on the concept of a family friendly Irish...
became the sponsor in 2009, the official name was changed to the St. Petersburg Bowl Presented by Beef 'O' Brady's. The bowl game features teams from the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
and Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
, unless one of the conferences does not have enough teams bowl eligible
Bowl eligible
Bowl eligibility in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision College Football is the standard through which teams become available for selection to participate in postseason bowl games. When a team achieves this state, it is described as "bowl-eligible"...
, in which case the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
is eligible to send a team.
History
The Beef O' Brady's Bowl is the third college bowl game to be played in the Tampa Bay areaTampa Bay Area
The Tampa Bay Area is the region of west central Florida adjacent to Tampa Bay. Definitions of the region vary. It is often considered equivalent to the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau currently...
; both the long-defunct Cigar Bowl
Cigar Bowl
The Cigar Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game featuring small college teams held in Tampa, Florida from 1946 to 1954. It was played at Phillips Field, which was located across the Hillsborough River from downtown Tampa at the current site of Tampa Preparatory School and Julian Lane...
and the ongoing Outback Bowl
Outback Bowl
The Outback Bowl is an annual New Year's Day college football bowl game played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The event was originally called the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1994 until being renamed in 1995 for its new title sponsor, Outback Steakhouse...
have been held across the bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
.
On April 30, 2008, the NCAA's Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee approved a to-be-named bowl for Tropicana Field to be played after the 2008 college football season
2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...
. On November 25, 2008, ESPN Regional Television, the game's owner, announced a one-year title sponsorship agreement with magicJack
MagicJack
MagicJack is a device that plugs into a USB port on the user's computer and that has a standard RJ-11 phone jack into which any standard phone can be plugged. This allows the user to make phone calls to almost any phone in the U.S...
.
The inaugural game was played on Dec 20, 2008, between the South Florida Bulls
2008 South Florida Bulls football team
The 2008 South Florida Bulls football team will represent the University of South Florida in the 2008 college football season. Their head coach is Jim Leavitt, and the USF Bulls will play all of their home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. The 2008 college football season is only the...
and Memphis Tigers
2008 Memphis Tigers football team
The 2008 Memphis Tigers football team represented the University of Memphis in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2008 season. Memphis competed as a member of the Conference USA.The team was led by head coach Tommy West...
, with the USF
USF
USF may refer to:Universities* University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida* University of San Francisco, California* University of St. Francis, Joliet, Illinois* University of Sioux Falls, South DakotaFile formats* Universal Subtitle Format...
Bulls winning by a score of 41–14. USF
USF
USF may refer to:Universities* University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida* University of San Francisco, California* University of St. Francis, Joliet, Illinois* University of Sioux Falls, South DakotaFile formats* Universal Subtitle Format...
Quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Matt Grothe
Matt Grothe
Matt Grothe is a professional quarterback who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Storm. He has been with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He played college football at South Florida....
was named Most Outstanding Player, after throwing for 236 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 83 yards on 15 carries.
Both the UCF Knights
2009 UCF Knights football team
The 2009 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach was George O'Leary, in his sixth season with the team. Coaching changes included new offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe...
and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
The 2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 2009 college football season. Their head coach was Greg Schiano and they played their home games at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights finished the season 9–4, 3–4 in Big East play and...
accepted bids to play in the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl on December 19, 2009. On December 9, 2009, the bowl's name was changed to the St. Petersburg Bowl Presented by Beef O'Brady's
Beef O'Brady's
Beef 'O'Brady's Family Sports Pubs is a restaurant franchise in the United States established in 1985 by Jim Mellody in Brandon, Florida.Jim Mellody moved from his native Pennsylvania to Florida in 1971, and tried numerous restaurant ideas before hitting on the concept of a family friendly Irish...
after the restaurant chain obtained a title sponsorship. In the second St. Petersburg Bowl, Rutgers defeated Central Florida 45-24.
The 2010 Beef 'O' Brady's bowl pitted the Southern Miss Golden Eagles
2010 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team
The 2010 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented University of Southern Mississippi in the college football season of 2010–2011. The team's head coach was Larry Fedora, who was in his third year at Southern Miss. They played their home games at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg,...
against the Louisville Cardinals
2010 Louisville Cardinals football team
The 2010 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Cardinals were led by head coach Charlie Strong, who was in his 1st season. They played their home games at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and were members...
on December 21, 2010. It was the 29th meeting between former Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
rivals. After falling behind 14–0 and 21–7, Louisville came back to win their sixth contest in a row against Southern Miss, 31–28
Stadium
Tropicana Field
Tropicana Field is a domed stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, which has been the home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays since the team's inaugural season in 1998, when they were the Devil Rays. It has also served as the host stadium for the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, an NCAA-sanctioned college...
was originally designed for baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, the football gridiron is arranged along the right field line, from home plate to the foul pole. If the new Rays Ballpark
Rays Ballpark
Rays Ballpark was the name used in project documents for a ballpark in the current location of Progress Energy Park on the Tampa Bay waterfront in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, proposed by the Tampa Bay Rays as a replacement for Tropicana Field....
is approved and built on the site of Progress Energy Park
Progress Energy Park
Progress Energy Park is a 7,227 seat baseball stadium located on the downtown waterfront of St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is named in honor of Al Lang, a former mayor of St. Petersburg who helped to bring professional baseball to the city...
(formerly Al Lang Stadium), the game would move there as well. The game is one of three to take place in a baseball-only stadium among current post-season football contests; the others are the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Emerald Bowl
The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is a post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually at 40,800-seat AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, in San Francisco, California, since 2002...
(see the Emerald Bowl), played at San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
's AT&T Park
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
, the home of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, and Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
, home of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, hosting the Pinstripe Bowl. Between 2000 and 2005, the Insight Bowl
Insight Bowl
The Insight Bowl is an NCAA college football bowl game played in Arizona since 1989. From 1989 to 1999, the games were played at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. The game moved to Phoenix in 2000 and was played at Chase Field until 2005. After the 2005 playing the Insight Bowl moved to Sun Devil Stadium...
was played at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
, Chase Field
Chase Field
Chase Field is a baseball stadium located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona and is the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. It opened in , just in time for the Diamondbacks' first game as an expansion team...
(see Bank One Ballpark) in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
after being moved from Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, while the 2001 Seattle Bowl
2001 Seattle Bowl
The 2001 Jeep Seattle Bowl was the first edition to be named as such of the college football bowl game , and was to be played at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington. The game pitted the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from the ACC and the from the Pac-10...
was played at Safeco Field
Safeco Field
Safeco Field is a retractable roof baseball stadium located in Seattle, Washington. The stadium, owned and operated by the Washington-King County Stadium Authority, is the home stadium of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball and has a seating capacity of 47,878 for baseball...
while Qwest Field
Qwest Field
CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer...
was being built on the site of the Kingdome
Kingdome
The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the...
. Original plans had the Military Bowl (see Eaglebank Bowl) in Washington being played at Nationals Park, but the game has been played at RFK Stadium instead.
Game results
| Date | | Winning Team | | Losing Team | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 20, 2008 | South Florida 2008 South Florida Bulls football team The 2008 South Florida Bulls football team will represent the University of South Florida in the 2008 college football season. Their head coach is Jim Leavitt, and the USF Bulls will play all of their home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. The 2008 college football season is only the... |
41 | Memphis 2008 Memphis Tigers football team The 2008 Memphis Tigers football team represented the University of Memphis in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2008 season. Memphis competed as a member of the Conference USA.The team was led by head coach Tommy West... |
14 | Notes 2008 St. Petersburg Bowl The 2008 magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl was the inaugural edition of the new college football bowl game, and was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida... |
| December 19, 2009 | Rutgers 2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team The 2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 2009 college football season. Their head coach was Greg Schiano and they played their home games at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights finished the season 9–4, 3–4 in Big East play and... |
45 | UCF 2009 UCF Knights football team The 2009 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach was George O'Leary, in his sixth season with the team. Coaching changes included new offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe... |
24 | Notes 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl The 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl presented by Beef 'O' Brady's, formerly known as the St. Petersburg Bowl, was the second edition of the college football bowl game and was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game began at 8:00 PM US EST on Saturday, December 19, 2009, was... |
| December 21, 2010 | Louisville 2010 Louisville Cardinals football team The 2010 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Cardinals were led by head coach Charlie Strong, who was in his 1st season. They played their home games at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and were members... |
31 | Southern Miss 2010 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team The 2010 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented University of Southern Mississippi in the college football season of 2010–2011. The team's head coach was Larry Fedora, who was in his third year at Southern Miss. They played their home games at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg,... |
28 | Notes 2010 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl The 2010 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg was the third edition of the college football bowl game formerly known as the St. Petersburg Bowl. It was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 8 p.m.... |
MVPs
| Year | MVP(s) | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Matt Grothe Matt Grothe Matt Grothe is a professional quarterback who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Storm. He has been with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He played college football at South Florida.... |
USF | QB |
| 2009 | Mohamed Sanu Mohamed Sanu Mohamed Sanu is an American football wide receiver for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.After shuffling between New Jersey and his parents' native Sierra Leone as a child, Sanu eventually settled in and starred at South Brunswick High School before enrolling at Rutgers University in 2009... |
Rutgers | WR |
| 2010 | Jeremy Wright | Louisville | RB |
Most appearances
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Louisville Louisville Cardinals football The Louisville Cardinals football team represents the University of Louisville in college football as a member of the Big East Conference. Howard Schnellenberger started the program's rise to relevancy after winning the Miami Hurricanes' first national championship... |
1 | 1–0 |
| T1 | Rutgers Rutgers Scarlet Knights football The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision play... |
1 | 1–0 |
| T1 | South Florida South Florida Bulls football The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus... |
1 | 1–0 |
| T1 | Memphis Memphis Tigers football The Memphis Tigers football team represents the University of Memphis in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Tigers compete in Conference USA... |
1 | 0–1 |
| T1 | Southern Miss Southern Miss Golden Eagles The Southern Miss Golden Eagles represent The University of Southern Mississippi in Division I athletics. The teams compete in Conference USA.... |
1 | 0–1 |
| T1 | UCF | 1 | 0–1 |
Results by conference
| Conference | Wins | Losses | Pct Win |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big East | 3 | 0 | 1.000 |
| C-USA Conference USA Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports... |
0 | 3 | .000 |