News

SUN BOWL ASSOCIATION CANCELS TONY THE TIGER® SUN BOWL December 1, 2020

EL PASO, Texas – The Sun Bowl Association announced on Tuesday, Dec. 1 that the 2020 Tony the Tiger® Sun Bowl is canceled due to the ongoing issues with the COVID-19 Pandemic throughout the nation.

This is the first time in the 87-year history of the Sun Bowl football game that it has had to cancel. The decision, made by the Sun Bowl Association Board of Directors, was not an easy one but one that needed to be made.

“The Sun Bowl has historically been a way to expose our amazing City of El Paso to the rest of our country. A great way to share our culture, our community, our people, and our neighbors to the South,” said Football Committee Chairman and long-time Board Member John Folmer. “However, now is no time to expose players and their families to the Pandemic and being that I’ve been involved with Sun Bowl for almost 50 years, and it breaks my heart to do this. But it is the right thing to do.”

The Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl is the second oldest bowl game in the business with the first Sun Bowl game being played at El Paso High School’s Jones Stadium, with the El Paso All-Stars defeating Ranger 25-21. 2003 Legend of the Sun Bowl Ken Heineman accounted for every El Paso All-Star point.

Last year, Arizona State defeated Florida State 20-14.

STATEMENT FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BERNIE OLIVAS
“While it is a very sad decision to make, it was not a hard decision based on the current situation in El Paso and the nation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. The safety and well-being of everybody involved must be our priority, and our board unanimously approved the cancelation of the 2020 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. We look forward to bringing back El Paso’s long-standing tradition game 2021 and all the festivities associated with the game. I would like to thank CBS, Kellogg’s, the ACC and PAC-12 conferences, and all our sponsors and vendors for their understanding in this matter.”

STATEMENT FROM GAME SPONSOR KELLOGG’S FROSTED FLAKES
“Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes® and Tony the Tiger recognize the impact the game’s cancellation has on the entire El Paso community and the local game day workers who traditionally make the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl run. From the parking and stadium attendants to the concessions team and ushers, Tony the Tiger will ensure Sun Bowl staff receive their usual paycheck this holiday season,” said Brant Wheaton, marketing director of Kellogg U.S. ready-to-eat cereal segment. “Additionally, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes will donate 1 million meals to El Paso food banks, which continues our game’s historic commitment to the families and residents of this vibrant community.”

STATEMENT FROM BOARD PRESIDENT NATALIA FLORES
“Due to what is happening nationwide in the bowl industry, across the country and in El Paso, we had to make this difficult decision. The well-being of the people involved and that participate in the Sun Bowl game are of upmost importance to us. We are looking forward to 2021 and are exploring ideas on how to help the community impacted by the loss of the game.”

STATEMENT FROM ACC
“We empathize with the great people who work for the Sun Bowl and the fans in El Paso who have faithfully followed and attended this game for so many years,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “We understand this was a difficult decision to make, but one that is best for the health and safety of the Sun Bowl community and participating teams. We look forward to resuming our relationship with the Sun Bowl next season.”

STATEMENT FROM PAC-12
“We share our student-athletes and fans disappointment regarding today’s news of the Sun Bowl’s cancelation due to the pandemic. We are looking forward to witnessing a Pac-12 team compete in the 2021 edition of the Sun Bowl and to continuing the great excitement and tradition of this marquee event next year.”

TICKET INFORMATION (from Ticket Manager Ellen Hughes)
We thank our loyal ticket purchasers, partners and sponsors for their patience as we navigated through the difficult decisions brought on by the challenging circumstances facing us in 2020.

When we return for the 2021 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Game, our annual ticket account holders can rest assured they will be contacted and given priority options to renew their accounts. Any questions or concerns may be directed to Ellen Hughes, Sun Bowl Association Ticket Manager, at 915-533-4416 x200 or ticket@sunbowl.org