7Things You Do Not Know About...

7 Things You Do Not Know About the Holiday Bowl & Bowl Games
By Toni Herrera
Holiday Bowl

1) Each player receives a gift package.
Last year each player from the participating universities received a gift package conssiting of a Sony Mylo personal communicator, Sony Style gift card, Tommy Hilfiger watch, Hooded sweatshirt, and a baseball cap.
2) The Holiday Bowl is proud owner of the "Big Flag."
It is one of the largest ceremonial American Flags in the United States and is 100 by 50 yards (45,000 sq. feet) and covers one entire football field when fully deployed. The Big Flag has been presented at the Super Bowl, World Series and numerous NFL, NCAA and MLB events. The Big Flag weighs 850 pounds and a minimum of 250 people is required to unfurl it.

3) The Bowls are a production of a full-time staff of 10 and over 700 dedicated volunteers.
Staff and volunteers produce a year round festival of over 40 events: an Outrigger Challenge, 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament, Golf Tournament, Hole-In-One Shootout, and the Big Bay Balloon Parade and more.

4) Holiday/Poinsettia Bowl Executive Director is a familiar voice to San Diego.
Bruce Binkowski, Executive Director of the Holiday and Poinsettia Bowls has been the Public Address Announcer for the Sea World Dolphin Show, San Diego Padres, San Diego Chargers, SDSU Aztecs, San Diego Clippers, San Diego Sockers, World Team Tennis, World Series', All-Star game, Japan Bowl and Super Bowls. Bruce Binkowski was the first employee of the Bowl in 1978.
5) Bowl games are everywhere.
Last season twenty-seven communities throughout the U.S. and Canada hosted thirty-two post-season college football bowl games where some 6,400 student-athletes, 12,900 college band members, 1,200 cheerleaders, up to 100,000 additional performers and about 1.6 million fans took part in the “college bowl experience.”

6) A typical day for a player during bowl week.
6:15 Wake Up Call
7:00 Breakfast
7:45 Begin taping
8:30 Special Teams Meetings
10:00 Practice
2:00 Arrive at Sea World
4:30 Ronald McDonald House Visit
6:30 Dinner
8:00 Training Room Treatments
12:00 Curfew

7) Division IA universities and host cities benefit the most from bowls.
Most of the bowls are non-profit 501(c) (3) organizations setup by the host communities to manage and promote the bowls, which of course benefit these communities through economic impact and exposure. However, financially the bowls are setup to primarily benefit the universities that participate in the game and their conference partners.