Conference USA Secures Fourth Bowl Tie-In
7/13/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
"We are pleased to be associated with the Motor City Bowl. This fourth bowl provides additional postseason opportunities for our players", said C-USA Commissioner Mike Slive. "The addition of the Motor City Bowl and its close proximity to several of our schools provides the opportunity for our players to showcase their talents to a great football state like Michigan as well as to the rest of the nation, " said Slive.
After having an open selection during the first three years of the bowl, the Motor City Bowl has secured the MAC's opponent prior to the season for the first time.
"We are very pleased to partner with Conference USA, " said George Perles, President and CEO of the Motor City Bowl. "C-USA has made great strides in just four years of conference football. And it offers a strong regional proximity with several schools within driving distance of the Silverdome and metro Detroit. This is the next step in the overall development of the bowl, " added Perles.
This year's game marks the fourth in the Motor City Bowl's history. Marshall has represented the Mid-American Conference in each of the first three games, including last year when MU capped off a 13-0 season with its second straight Motor City Bowl win. "We are quite supportive of Conference USA's tie-in to the Motor City Bowl," said Mid-American Conference Commissioner Rick Chryst. "Under the direction of George Perles and Ken Hoffman, the game has grown significantly in a short three years and the Mid-American Conference feels a great part of that. Now, we will have an equally aggressive partner in C-USA to support efforts to market and develop the event year-round. Given today's bowl landscape, it makes sense - and we're confident that our two conferences can create an exciting and entertaining match-up for college football fans in the region."
Louisville was chosen by the bowl as an at-large selection in 1998 and brought more than 17,000 fans to Michigan for the game. The champion of Conference USA will play in the AXA Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
C-USA's other bowl agreements are with the GMAC Mobile Alabama Bowl and with the inaugural galleryfurniture.com Bowl in Houston. Conference USA's fifth season gets underway on Saturday, September 2.
