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See today's earlier entry for news about the MWC and the Independence Bowl, which precedes the latest release from the conference offices:
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The New Mexico Bowl announced today its agreement with the Mountain West Conference for the next bowl term, 2010-2013. The nine-member conference will continue to provide one of its bowl-eligible teams, as it has since the New Mexico Bowl's inception in 2006. During this term, the New Mexico Bowl will share a regional selection with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, a fellow ESPN Regional Television owned and operated event.
The agreement assures the New Mexico Bowl access to one of the five selections from the Mountain West. The New Mexico Bowl and the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will make a selection with an emphasis on location, to ensure the best possible match-up is created for each local market.
"Considering the climate created by the economy, we are fortunate and pleased to continue to operate this event at a high level and provide teams from the league with a great postseason experience," said Clint Overby, senior director of events, ESPN.
"Since the inception of the New Mexico Bowl, the Mountain West Conference has been a fantastic partner and we are happy to be able to continue to build on that relationship moving forward," said Jeff Siembieda, New Mexico Bowl Executive Director. "We have been fortunate to enjoy tremendous support, not only from our partner conferences, but from the State of New Mexico, the Department of Tourism, the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau and this community as a whole. That convergence of support has allowed us to be in the position to continue this event at a high level in this economic climate."
In the previous three New Mexico Bowls, the University of New Mexico (2006 & 2007) and Colorado State University (2008) have represented the MWC. New Mexico was victorious in 2007, topping the Western Athletic Conference's University of Nevada, 23-0. Colorado State rallied for a 40-35 win over the WAC's Fresno State last year, mainly on the legs of running back Gartrell Johnson, who broke the Football Bowl Series record for the most combined rushing and receiving yards in the postseason, amassing 375.
"The Mountain West Conference has enjoyed participating in the development of the New Mexico Bowl and looks forward to several more years of growth," said Craig Thompson, Mountain West Conference Commissioner. "The participants and fans of the three teams that have played in Albuquerque have had nothing but positive things to say about the community and game festivities."
This year's New Mexico Bowl, featuring a representative from the MWC and WAC, will be played on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 2:30 p.m. MT at University Stadium on the University of New Mexico campus. The game, which kicks off the FBS postseason, will be televised nationally on ESPN and ESPN-HD.
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And then, there's this:
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Fort Worth, Texas, October 7, 2009 - The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, has signed a four-year agreement with the Mountain West Conference for one of its teams to participate in the Bowl through 2013, effective with the 2010 football season.
The announcement was made by Brant B. Ringler, Executive Director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, and Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson. The agreement assures the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl access to one of the five selections from the Mountain West as well as access to Texas Christian University's participation in the game.
The 2009 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will kick off Thursday, Dec. 31, at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN as the postseason college football game ushers in the New Year for the third straight year at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The seventh edition of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will feature a team from Conference USA against a team from the Mountain West Conference.
"Having the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl played on December 31 is a great way to begin a new year," said MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson. "The patriotic theme, the pageantry of the game and then the opportunity to celebrate New Year's Eve in Fort Worth, ‘Where the West Begins,' makes for a fantastic bowl experience."
When the new agreement begins in 2010, the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will work with the New Mexico Bowl to ensure that the best possible matchup is created for each local market.
"Considering the climate created by the economy, we are pleased to continue to operate this event at a high level and provide teams from the league with a great postseason experience," said Clint Overby, senior director of events, ESPN Regional Television.
The New Mexico Bowl, also owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, is also part of the Mountain West Conference's bowl package. The 2009 Albuquerque game will host its fourth annual contest Dec. 19 at University Stadium against a Western Athletic Conference opponent.
The alignment with the Mountain West Conference is the second major announcement in the past five weeks for the Fort Worth-based Armed Forces Bowl as Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. Company, has renewed its title sponsorship of the Bowl game for two more years.
The Armed Forces Bowl initially signed Bell Helicopter as the game's title partner in August 2006. The initial agreement was for two years, with Bell Helicopter picking up a two-year option in December 2007 to be title partner for the game through the 2009 postseason. The new agreement has Bell Helicopter continuing as the Armed Forces Bowl title sponsor through the 2011 game with an option for two additional years for the 2012 and 2013.
With patriotic overtones featuring all five branches of the military, the 2008 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl included a fanfest area showcasing military hardware; a flyover; a demonstration by two of the top military skydiving teams; induction ceremonies on the field; a military band and joint color guard; plus the presentation of the "Great American Patriot Award," presented by Armed Forces Insurance. The 2008 GAPA award winner was Army General David H. Petraeus.
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