Downtown Orlando was home to three college bowl games this holiday season, proving that we are making a serious play to be recognized as the country’s college football capital. With an average of 75% of attendees coming from out of town, DTO was showcased to thousands of cheering fans while also creating a positive economic impact to the area.
The 8th Annual Cure Bowl took place at Exploria Stadium on December 16 with nearly 12,000 fans watching the University of Texas at San Antonio face off against Troy University, with Troy coming from behind to win the game, 18 – 12. It was the first appearance by both teams in the Cure Bowl as well as their first time facing off against each other. To date, the Cure Bowl has been a platform to donate more than $3.88 million to benefit its charity partner, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Of the total donated at this year’s game, more than $1.2 million in grants have been distributed to local Orlando BCRF researcher Dr. Annette Khaled, head of the Division of Cancer Research at the UCF College of Medicine.
The 33rd Annual Cheez-It Bowl was held at Camping World Stadium on December 29, with more than 61,000 fans in attendance. Florida State rallied against Oklahoma University to defeat them in the final minute with a score of 35-32. This was the teams’ fifth bowl game against each other, with the first dating back to 1965’s Gator Bowl. Before game day, Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Florida State stars Jordan Travis and Dillan Gibbons toured the neighborhoods of West Lakes around the stadium. The players learned about the $100 million in capital investment projects that Lift Orlando, Florida Citrus Sports and their partners have powered through the success of Florida Citrus Sports’ bowl games and other events.
The 77th Annual Cheez-It Citrus Bowl rang in the New Year on January 2 at Camping World Stadium, with LSU defeating Purdue, 63 – 7, in front of 42,000 fans, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. During pregame, events before the showdown between LSU and Purdue, a reported six-foot tall version of the Cheez-It snack cracker, named Ched-Z, came out of a giant box to the hit song "Party Up" from late rapper DMX. The national-championship-winning Pop Warner football teams from Apopka and Oviedo were honored during the game. Earlier in the week, players from LSU and Purdue spent a morning with children from the West Lakes neighborhoods, local Pop Warner players and other local children as part of a “Day for Kids.” Players from Florida State and Oklahoma had a similar experience prior to their bowl game as well.
Florida State and LSU will both return to Orlando in September as part of the Camping World Kickoff, the fourth edition of Florida Citrus Sports’ regular season opening weekend games in partnership with ESPN Events.