The Heritage Bowl is an annual American NCAA Division II college football bowl game held at Community National Bank & Trust Stadium in Corsicana, Texas. The game was established in 2017 by Antwone "Tony" Taulton. Since 2018 the bowl has operated under the non-profit Corsicana Area Foundation, and proceeds from the game go to local Corsicana and Navarro County charities.[1] Initially called the Corsicana Bowl, the game was given its current name in 2019.[2] Fun Town RV served as title sponsor from 2021–23. On May 31, 2024, Riot Platforms was named the presenting sponsor and the game rebranded as the Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot.
| Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot | |
|---|---|
| Stadium | Community National Bank & Trust Stadium |
| Location | Corsicana, Texas United States |
| Operated | 2017–present |
| Conference tie-ins | At-large picks from GAC, LSC, or MIAA |
| Sponsors | |
Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot | |
| Former names | |
Corsicana Bowl (2017–2018) | |
The Heritage Bowl is one of three Division II sanctioned bowl games. The others are the America's Crossroads Bowl and Florida Beach Bowl. The two participants are selected on an at-large basis from teams of the Lone Star Conference (LSC), Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), and Great American Conference (GAC) that do not qualify for the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs.[3]
Throughout its existence, the Heritage Bowl has been unique among Division II bowl games in having no fixed conference tie-in. This feature enabled bowl organizers to secure ten different teams for the first five games. Emporia State, invited in 2018 and 2023, and UT Permian Basin, in 2021 and 2024, are the only repeat participants thus far. The game has also included each of the three possible combinations of the participating conferences. An LSC-MIAA matchup in the inaugural game was followed by a GAC-MIAA contest in 2018, before three consecutive LSC-GAC games in 2019, 2021, and 2022 (the 2020 game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The 2023 contest featured a GAC-MIAA matchup for the first time in five years. The 2024 contest featured a LSC-MIAA matchup for the first time since the inaugural game.
Game results
edit| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2, 2017 | Central Oklahoma (MIAA) | 38 | Tarleton State (LSC) | 31 | 3,422 | [4] |
| December 1, 2018 | Emporia State (MIAA) | 30 | Arkansas–Monticello (GAC) | 22 | 3,900 | [5] |
| December 7, 2019 | Eastern New Mexico (LSC) | 20 | Southern Arkansas (GAC) | 13 | 2,000 | [6] |
| December 4, 2021 | Oklahoma Baptist (GAC) | 24 | UT Permian Basin (LSC) | 21 | 3,576 | [7] |
| December 3, 2022 | East Central (GAC) | 38 | Texas A&M–Kingsville (LSC) | 21 | 2,000 | [8] |
| December 2, 2023 | Emporia State (MIAA) | 55 | Southern Nazarene (GAC) | 24 | [9] | |
| December 7, 2024 | Central Missouri (MIAA) | 39 | UT Permian Basin (LSC) | 37 | [10] | |
Wins by conference
edit| Conference | Games | Win | Loss | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-America | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Great American | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 |
| Lone Star | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 |
Appearances by team
edit| Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Emporia State | 2 | 2–0 |
| Central Missouri | 1 | 1–0 |
| Central Oklahoma | 1 | 1–0 |
| East Central | 1 | 1–0 |
| Eastern New Mexico | 1 | 1–0 |
| Oklahoma Baptist | 1 | 1–0 |
| Arkansas–Monticello | 1 | 0–1 |
| Southern Arkansas | 1 | 0–1 |
| Tarleton State | 1 | 0–1 |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | 1 | 0–1 |
| Southern Nazarene | 1 | 0–1 |
| UT Permian Basin | 2 | 0–2 |
References
edit- ^ "Heritage Bowl full of surprises: Events kick off Dec. 6".
- ^ "Blog • Corsicana, TX • CivicEngage".
- ^ Phillips, Mike. "Corsicana Bowl on its way". Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- ^ "UCO beats Tarleton State in Corsicana Bowl". The Oklahoman. 2 December 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- ^ "Emporia State tops Arkansas-Monticello, 30-22". The Daily Review (Morgan City, LA). 4 December 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "ENMU 20, Southern Ark 13". Albuquerque Journal. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Falcons' defense solid as offense sputters against Bison". The Odessa American. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Texas A&M Kingsville ends season with loss to East Central". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. 4 December 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Champs: Emporia State dispatches Southern Nazarene, 55-24". Emporia State University Athletics. December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ "No. 20 Mules Football Wins Heritage Bowl, 39-37, in Double Overtime Over Texas Permian Basin Saturday". University of Central Missouri Athletics. December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024.