December 30, 2008, 7:00p CST · Reliant Stadium
Houston, Texas

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2008 Texas Bowl Gridiron Legends

L–R: Jack Pardee, Ken Burrough, Jackie Sherrill, Mickey Herskowitz, Rob Lynch, Texas Bowl manager Heather Houston.

2008 TEXAS BOWL GRIDIRON LEGENDS TO BE HONORED AT TEXANS-BUCCANEERS GAME

Ex-Southwest Conference coaches Pardee, Sherrill highlight group

The Texas Bowl Committee will honor past football greats from the state of Texas during the Texans game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, August 28.

The 2008 Texas Bowl Gridiron Legends class includes Jackie Sherrill, Mickey Herskowitz, Ecomet Burley, Ken Burrough and Jack Pardee. The Gridiron Legends will be available on the field from 6:30 – 7 p.m. Thursday night for interviews.

What: Texas Bowl Committee honors Texas Gridiron Legends

Where: Reliant Stadium

When: Thursday, August 28, 6:30 – 7:00 p.m. CDT. Prior to kickoff of Texans – Buccaneers game

Who: Texas Bowl Gridiron Legends Ecomet Burley, Ken Burrough, Mickey Herskowitz, Jack Pardee and Jackie Sherrill

A star player at Lufkin High School and a Hall of Fame defensive tackle for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Burley went on to play for six seasons in the Canadian Football League. As a principal and superintendant in local middle and high schools, he developed a reputation for turning around troubled schools.

After an All-America career at Texas Southern, Burrough helped transform the 1970s Houston Oilers into the “Luv ya Blue” era. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection during his time with the Oilers.

Herskowitz covered local and national sports for the Houston Chronicle and Houston Post for over 50 years. He also won many awards for his sports journalism and was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.

Pardee played for coach “Bear” Bryant’s famed Junction Boys at Texas A&M where he earned All-America honors. Pardee spent a great deal of his coaching career in Houston, first with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL, then at the University of Houston and ultimately with the Houston Oilers.

As head coach at Texas A&M, Sherrill started the legendary “12th Man” kickoff team and built the Aggies into a national powerhouse in the 1980s. Sherrill guided the Aggies to a 52–28–1 record and three Southwest Conference titles in seven years.

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The 2007 Texas Bowl was a rousing success as TCU defeated Houston, 20-13, in front of 62,097 fans—the third-largest crowd ever to see a college bowl game in Houston and the eighth-largest non-BCS bowl game in the nation. The bowl boasted over 20,000 season tickets and over 35,000 tickets sold before the matchup was announced. The Texas Bowl has averaged $25 million in local revenue over the past two years, putting it on par with major conventions such as the Offshore Technology Conference in terms of economic impact in the greater Houston area. The Texas Bowl also donated $150,000 to DePelchin Children’s Center over the last two years.

For more information, please contact Texas Bowl media relations director Zac Emmons at 832-667-2220 or via email at .

2008 TEXAS BOWL TO BE PLAYED TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30

Texas Bowl to feature Big 12, Conference USA; has option to select Navy

The 2008 Texas Bowl will be played on Tuesday, December 30 at Reliant Stadium, the Texas Bowl Committee announced today. The announcement was made in front of a crowd of over 200 at a Texas Bowl luncheon held at Reliant Stadium.

December 30 marks the latest date for the Texas Bowl in its three-year history. The bowl was played on December 28 in each of the last two years. The 2008 edition will feature teams from the Big 12 and Conference USA. The game will be broadcast nationally on NFL Network.

The Texas Bowl also announced an option to select Navy if the Midshipmen are bowl-eligible. Navy boasts a strong nationwide following, including a significant military population in the Greater Houston area. Navy has played in bowls following each of the last five seasons, including an appearance in the Houston Bowl in 2003 vs. Texas Tech.

Speakers at the luncheon included new University of Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin, Houston Texans preseason TV analyst Spencer Tillman and Texans linebacker and Texas Bowl alumnus Zac Diles. Houston played in the 2007 Texas Bowl prior to Sumlin’s arrival, and Diles played in the inaugural Texas Bowl with Kansas State in 2006.

In two years, the Texas Bowl has generated more than $50 million in local revenue and has built a season ticket base of over 20,000. The 2007 Texas Bowl was a rousing success as TCU defeated Houston, 20-13, in front of 62,097 fans—the third-largest crowd ever to see a college bowl game in Houston. Over 35,000 tickets sold before the matchup was announced.

The inaugural Texas Bowl featured a Rutgers team that enjoyed a top 10 ranking for much of the season and a Kansas State squad which closed the season strong under first-year head coach Ron Prince. Rutgers won the inaugural Texas Bowl, 37-10, behind an MVP performance from RB Ray Rice who ran for 170 yards and a touchdown.

For more information, please contact Texas Bowl media relations director Zac Emmons at 832-667-2220 or via email at .

TEXAS BOWL DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED AT LUNCHEON THURSDAY

Changes to conference affiliations to be announced as well

HOUSTON —The date for the 2008 Texas Bowl will be announced at a Texas Bowl luncheon on Thursday, June 19 at Reliant Stadium. The luncheon will be held in the Verizon West Club from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.The luncheon is a celebration of the Texas Bowl’s successes thus far as well as a look ahead at where the bowl is going in the future. Featured speakers include CBS Sports and Houston Texans preseason TV analyst Spencer Tillman, Texas Bowl executive director Jamey Rootes and Houston Texans linebacker Zac Diles. Diles started for Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl and recorded seven tackles for the Wildcats.

In two years, the Texas Bowl has generated more than $50 million in local revenue and has built a season ticket base of over 20,000, which is on par with some of the top bowl games in college football.

WHAT: Texas Bowl Celebration Luncheon 2008 Texas Bowl date announcement

WHERE: Reliant Stadium, Verizon West Club

WHEN: Thursday, June 19, 2008, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

WHO: CBS Sports and Houston Texans preseason TV analyst Spencer Tillman, Texas Bowl executive director Jamey Rootes, Houston Texans LB Zac Diles

Food will be available for media members in attendance. Media should park in the Teal Lot at the corner of Kirby Dr. and Murworth St. Tillman, Diles and Rootes will all be available for interviews following the luncheon.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Texas Bowl media relations director Zac Emmons at 832-667-2220 or .

TEXAS BOWL WINS AMERICAN MARKETING ASSOCIATION CRYSTAL AWARD

HOUSTON — The Texas Bowl was honored by the American Marketing Association’s Houston chapter with the association’s Crystal Award at a banquet Thursday night. The Texas Bowl was recognized as the Outstanding Non-Profit Special Event for 2007.

“This is a great honor for the Texas Bowl, our staff and the hundreds of volunteers who work tirelessly to make the event great,” said Texas Bowl director David Brady. “The bowl is a celebration of the culture, heritage and football tradition of the Lone Star State, and part of that tradition is continually reaching for excellence. We are proud to be recognized by the AMA for the 2007 Texas Bowl, and we are hard at work to make the 2008 Texas Bowl even better.”

“We also want to congratulate our partners who also received Crystal Awards: DePelchin Children’s Center, VT2 Studios and the Houston Zoo,” Brady said.

The Crystal Award nominees were selected by a panel of eight judges, all marketing professionals from outside the Houston area. This year’s field was the most competitive in the history of the award, setting records for the number of entries, up 27 percent over last year, and the number of participating companies/organizations, up by 67 percent.

The 2007 Texas Bowl was a tremendous success, both on and off the field. The bowl boasted over 20,000 season tickets and over 35,000 tickets sold before the matchup was announced. The Texas Bowl has averaged $25 million in local economic impact over the past two years, putting it on par with major conventions such as the Offshore Technology Conference. The Texas Bowl has also donated $130,000 to DePelchin Children’s Center, the official charity beneficiary.

For more information, please contact Texas Bowl media relations director Zac Emmons at 832-667-2220 or via email at .

DePelchin a Big Winner as Charitable Beneficiary of Texas Bowl

A college bowl record crowd of 62,097 converged on Reliant Stadium to watch the University of Houston Cougars take on the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in the second annual Texas Bowl on December 28, 2007.

As the charitable beneficiary of the event, DePelchin Children’s Center received a donation of $70,000 from the Texas Bowl, as well as $10,000 from AIG American General, a new corporate sponsor, which committed to a three-year partnership with the Texas Bowl to help raise funds for DePelchin. AIG, ranked one of the top insurance providers in North America, served as the presenting sponsor of Touchdowns For Texans, donating $1,000 for each touchdown scored during the 2007 game. In addition to the cash donation generated by Touchdowns For Texans, AIG also contributed 500 tickets to DePelchin so that the agency’s youth and families could attend the Texas Bowl. Continue reading >

 

The Texas Bowl will feature teams from the Big 12, Conference USA, Mountain West and Big East.

The Football Bowl Association (FBA) is dedicated to "promoting the college bowl experience."

For more information, visit the FBA website.

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