Celebration Bowl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Celebration Bowl
Cricket Celebration Bowl
"Black National Championship"
Stadium	Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Location	Atlanta, Georgia
Previous stadiums	Georgia Dome (2015–2016)
Operated	2015–present
Conference tie-ins	MEAC, SWAC
Payout	US$2 million ($1M per conference)
Preceded by	Pelican Bowl (1972, 1974–1975) Heritage Bowl (1991–1999)
Sponsors
Air Force Reserve (2015–2016, 2018) Cricket Wireless (2020–present)
2023 matchup
Howard vs. Florida A&M (Florida A&M 30–26)
2024 matchup
South Carolina State vs. Jackson State (Jackson State 28–7)

The Celebration Bowl is a special college football game played after the regular season. It started in the 2015 season. This game features the champions from two important conferences: the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). These conferences are made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in NCAA Division I.

Many people see the Celebration Bowl as the unofficial national championship for black college football. The game happens every year in Atlanta, Georgia, usually in December. It has been played at the Georgia Dome and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It is currently the only bowl game for teams in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

History of the Celebration Bowl

The Celebration Bowl continues a tradition of games between the MEAC and SWAC. Before it, there were two other bowl games: the Pelican Bowl and the Heritage Bowl.

The Celebration Bowl takes place at the same time as the FCS playoff tournament. Because of this, the champions from the SWAC and MEAC cannot join the FCS playoffs. When the Celebration Bowl began, the SWAC's regular season ended too late for its champion to play in the FCS playoffs. The MEAC decided to send its champion to the Celebration Bowl instead of the FCS playoffs.

ESPN Events helps organize this game. They also run the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, which is another game between these two conferences. The Celebration Bowl had different sponsors over the years. The Air Force Reserve sponsored it in 2015, 2016, and 2018. Since December 2020, Cricket Wireless has been the main sponsor, so it is now called the Cricket Celebration Bowl.

In 2017, the SWAC said it would stop holding its own championship game. This meant their regular season champion would automatically go to the Celebration Bowl. However, in 2018, the SWAC changed its mind. They still play their championship game, and the winner goes to the Celebration Bowl.

The Celebration Bowl was not played in 2020. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The MEAC canceled all fall sports, and the SWAC moved its football season to the spring of 2021.

Game Results and Winners

This table shows the winners and scores of each Celebration Bowl game.

Most Valuable Players (MVPs)

Tarik Cohen was the Offensive MVP of the 2015 game.

In each Celebration Bowl, two players are chosen as MVPs. One is the best offensive player, and the other is the best defensive player.

Teams with Most Appearances

This table shows which teams have played in the Celebration Bowl the most times. It includes games up to December 2024. Wins are shown in bold in the "Years" column.

Game Records and Top Plays

Head coach Rod Broadway (right) at the 2015 Celebration Bowl

These tables show some of the best records and longest plays from the Celebration Bowl games.

Broadcasting the Games

The Celebration Bowl games are shown on TV and heard on the radio. Different announcers, commentators, and reporters cover the games.

Television Coverage

Radio Coverage

See also

• Pioneer Bowl and Florida Beach Bowl, similar bowl games for NCAA Division II HBCUs.
• List of college bowl games
• African Americans in Atlanta
• MEAC/SWAC Challenge
• HBCU Legacy Bowl