The Cure Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game that has been played in December of each year since 2015 in Orlando, Florida. It is currently held at FBC Mortgage Stadium, and in the past has been held at Camping World Stadium and Exploria Stadium. The Cure Bowl is so named to promote awareness and research of breast cancer, with proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The Cure Bowl usually features teams from the American Athletic Conference and the Sun Belt Conference. Since 2024, it has been sponsored by the health care employment website StaffDNA and officially known as the StaffDNA Cure Bowl; previous sponsors include AutoNation (2015–2018), FBC Mortgage (2019–2020), Tailgreeter (2021), Duluth Trading Company (2022), and Avocados from Mexico (2023).
| Cure Bowl | |
|---|---|
| StaffDNA Cure Bowl | |
 | |
| Stadium | FBC Mortgage Stadium |
| Location | Orlando, Florida |
| Previous stadiums |
|
| Operated | 2015–present |
| Conference tie-ins | The American, Sun Belt |
| Payout | US$573,125 (2019)[1] |
| Sponsors | |
| |
| Former names | |
| |
| 2023 matchup | |
| Appalachian State vs. Miami (OH) (Appalachian State 13–9) | |
| 2024 matchup | |
| (December 20, 2024) | |
History
editThe game has tie-ins with the American Athletic Conference (The American) and the Sun Belt Conference. The inaugural game took place on December 19, 2015,[2] featuring the San Jose State Spartans from the Mountain West Conference and the Georgia State Panthers of the Sun Belt Conference. A Mountain West team was invited to the bowl due to The American not having enough bowl-eligible teams to fill the tie-in.[3]
During the planning stages, it was originally proposed to hold the game at Bright House Networks Stadium (now known as FBC Mortgage Stadium) on the campus of UCF.[4] However, it was later decided to hold the game at the newly-renovated Camping World Stadium in downtown Orlando, joining the Camping World Bowl and the Citrus Bowl as annual bowl games at the venue.[5] The game was at held Camping World Stadium in 2015–2018 and 2020,[6] and at Exploria Stadium in 2019, 2021–2022.[7] Beginning in 2023, it will move to FBC Mortgage Stadium at UCF.
The game was acquired by ESPN Events in May 2020.[8] The 2020 edition of the bowl, between Liberty and Coastal Carolina, became the first Cure Bowl to go to overtime.
Sponsorship
editFrom its inaugural playing in 2015 through 2018, the game was sponsored by AutoNation and was known as the AutoNation Cure Bowl.[9] In December 2019, FBC Mortgage became the new title sponsor, making the game the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl.[10] In December 2020, FBC Mortgage renewed its sponsorship of the bowl.[11] On December 2, 2021, digital marketplace Tailgreeter became the new sponsor of the bowl, making the game the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl.[12] On June 29, 2022, Duluth Trading Company was announced as the new title sponsor for the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl.[13] On October 31, 2023, Avocados From Mexico, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association, became the new title sponsor of the game.[14] On May 28, 2024, StaffDNA became the new title sponsor of the game.[15]
Game results
editAll rankings are taken from the AP Poll prior to the game being played.
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Venue | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 19, 2015 | San Jose State | 27 | Georgia State | 16 | Camping World Stadium | 18,536 | notes |
| December 17, 2016 | Arkansas State | 31 | UCF | 13 | 27,213 | notes | |
| December 16, 2017 | Georgia State | 27 | Western Kentucky | 17 | 19,585 | notes | |
| December 15, 2018 | Tulane | 41 | Louisiana | 24 | 19,066 | notes | |
| December 21, 2019 | Liberty | 23 | Georgia Southern | 16 | Exploria Stadium | 18,158 | notes |
| December 26, 2020 | 23 Liberty | 37 | 9 Coastal Carolina | 34OT | Camping World Stadium | 4,488 | notes |
| December 17, 2021 | Coastal Carolina | 47 | Northern Illinois | 41 | Exploria Stadium | 9,784 | notes |
| December 16, 2022 | 23 Troy | 18 | 22 UTSA | 12 | 11,911 | notes | |
| December 16, 2023 | Appalachian State | 13 | Miami (OH) | 9 | FBC Mortgage Stadium | 11,121 | notes |
Source:[16]
MVPs
edit| Year | MVP | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Kenny Potter | San Jose State | QB |
| 2016 | Kendall Sanders | Arkansas State | WR |
| 2017 | Conner Manning | Georgia State | QB |
| 2018 | Darius Bradwell | Tulane | RB |
| 2019 | Jessie Lemonier | Liberty | DE |
| 2020 | Malik Willis | Liberty | QB |
| 2021 | Grayson McCall | Coastal Carolina | QB |
| 2022 | KJ Robertson | Troy | LB |
| 2023 | Anderson Castle | Appalachian State | RB |
Source:[17]
Most appearances
editUpdated through the December 2023 edition (9 games, 18 total appearances).
- Teams with multiple appearances
| Team | Appearances | Record | Win pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 2 | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| Georgia State | 2 | 1–1 | 0.500 |
| Coastal Carolina | 2 | 1–1 | 0.500 |
- Teams with a single appearance
Won (5): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, San Jose State, Troy, Tulane
Lost (7): Georgia Southern, Louisiana, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, UCF, UTSA, Western Kentucky
Appearances by conference
editUpdated through the December 2023 edition (9 games, 18 total appearances).
| Conference | Record | Appearances by season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | W | L | Win pct. | Won | Lost | |
| Sun Belt | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 | 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| Independents | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2019, 2020 | |
| The American | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2018 | 2016 |
| C-USA | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2017, 2022 | |
| MAC | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2021, 2023 | |
| Mountain West | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2015 | |
Independent appearances: Liberty (2019, 2020)
Game records
edit| Team | Performance vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored | 47, Coastal Carolina vs. Northern Illinois | 2021 |
| Fewest points allowed | 9, Miami (OH) vs. Appalachian State | 2023 |
| Margin of victory | 18, Arkansas State vs. UCF | 2016 |
| First downs | 29, Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina | 2021 |
| Rushing yards | 337, Tulane vs. Louisiana | 2015 |
| Passing yards | 351, Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State | 2017 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 41, Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina | 2021 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 88, Coastal Carolina vs. Northern Illinois | 2021 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 223, UCF vs. Arkansas State | 2016 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | -2, Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State | 2017 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 44, Miami (OH) vs. Appalachian State | 2023 |
| Individual | Player, Team | Year |
| Points scored | 24, shared by: Malik Willis (Liberty) Grayson McCall (Coastal Carolina) |
2020 2021 |
| Passing touchdowns | 4, Grayson McCall (Coastal Carolina) | 2021 |
| Rushing yards | 180, Rashad Amos (Miami (OH)) | 2023 |
| Passing yards | 351, Mike White (Western Kentucky) | 2017 |
| Receiving yards | 178, Jaivon Heiligh (Coastal Carolina) | 2020 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 4, Malik Willis (Liberty) | 2020 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 3, Kendall Sanders (Arkansas State) | 2016 |
| Tackles | 14, shared by: Demeitre Brim (UCF) Silas Kelly (Coastal Carolina) Carlton Martial (Troy) |
2016 2021 2022 |
| Sacks | 2, shared by: Rolland Jones (Arkansas State) Ceridor McKendry (Georgia State) Zachery Harris (Tulane) Trey Moore (Troy) |
2016 2017 2018 2022 |
| Interceptions | 1, by multiple players—most recent: Yashyn McKee (Miami (OH)) |
2023 |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 60 yds., Braydon Bennett (Coastal Carolina) | 2021 |
| Touchdown pass | 75 yds., Justice Hansen to Kendall Sanders (Arkansas State) | 2016 |
| Kickoff return | 41 yds., Trayvon Rudolph (Northern Illinois) | 2018 |
| Punt return | 85 yds., Tyler Ervin (San Jose State) | 2015 |
| Interception return | 63 yds., Bralen Trahan (Louisiana) | 2018 |
| Fumble return | 8 yds., Dre Pinckney (Coastal Carolina) | 2021 |
| Punt | 70 yds., Wil Lutz (Georgia State) | 2015 |
| Field goal | 46 yds., Alex Probert (Liberty) | 2019 |
Source:[18]
Media coverage
editThe game was initially televised by CBS Sports Network, making it one of the few bowl games to not be televised by an ESPN network. Following the bowl's acquisition by ESPN Events in 2020, broadcasting moved to ESPN.[19]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ "Citrus Bowl to host Cure Bowl in 2015". WESH.com. Hearst Television. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
- ^ "AAC, Sun Belt to meet in 2015 Cure Bowl on CBS Sports Network". CBSSports.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
- ^ Washington, Chad (April 14, 2014). "Report: Sun Belt to be tie-in to new bowl game in Orlando". The Daily Advertiser. Lafayette, Louisiana. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ Murschel, Matt (April 14, 2014). "Orlando set to host third bowl game featuring teams from AAC, Sun Belt". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ "Cure Bowl to be Played Saturday, December 26 on ESPN". curebowl.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- ^ Murschel, Matt (May 1, 2019). "Orlando City Stadium to host Cure Bowl". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ "ESPN Events Reveals 13-Game College Football Bowl Schedule for 2020-21". ESPN Press Room U.S. 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ "AutoNation signs on as title sponsor of Cure Bowl". Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ^ "FBC Mortgage Named Title Sponsor of the Cure Bowl and March 2 Cure". CureBowl.com (Press release). December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "FBC Mortgage Continues as Title Sponsor of the 2020 Cure Bowl". CureBowl.com (Press release). December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ "Tailgreeter Named Title Sponsor of 2021 Cure Bowl in Orlando". Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ "Duluth Trading Company Named Title Sponsor of 2022 Cure Bowl in Orlando". espnevents.com (Press release). June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
- ^ "Avocados From Mexico® Named Title Sponsor of 2023 Cure Bowl in Orlando". Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ "StaffDNA Named Title Sponsor of Cure Bowl in Orlando". Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ "FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl" (PDF). Bowl/All Star Game Records. NCAA. 2020. p. 16. Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via NCAA.org.
- ^ "The History". curebowl.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Cure Bowl Records" (PDF). 2019 Media Prospectus. Orlando Sports Foundation. pp. 22–23. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020 – via curebowl.com.
- ^ "Bowl season is going to be an even more ESPN-centric affair this year". Awful Announcing. 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-12-08.