Sun Bowl (game)

Sun Bowl
Hyundai Sun Bowl
2010 Sun Bowl Logo
Stadium	Sun Bowl
Location	El Paso, Texas
Previous stadiums	Jones Stadium (1935–1937) Kidd Field (1938–1962)
Operated	1935–present
Conference tie-ins	Pac-12, ACC
Previous conference tie-ins	Big Ten (1995–2005) Big 12 (2006–2009) Big East/Notre Dame (2006–2009)
Payout	US$2,150,000 (as of 2015)
Sponsors
John Hancock (1987–1993) Norwest Corporation (1996–1998) Wells Fargo (1999–2003) Helen of Troy Limited (2004–2009; through its Vitalis and Brut brands) Hyundai (2010–present)
Former names
Sun Bowl (1936–1986) John Hancock Sun Bowl (1987–1988) John Hancock Bowl (1989–1993) Sun Bowl (1994–1995) Norwest Bank Sun Bowl (1996) Norwest Sun Bowl (1997–1998) Wells Fargo Sun Bowl (1999–2003) Vitalis Sun Bowl (2004–2005) Brut Sun Bowl (2006–2009)
2016 matchup
Stanford vs. North Carolina (Stanford 25–23)

The Sun Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl, are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. Games are currently played at Sun Bowl Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso, and since 2014 have featured teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12).

The first game was played on New Year's Day of 1935, between high school teams; the first collegiate game was held on New Year's Day of 1936. In most of its early history, the game pitted the champion of the Border Conference against an at-large opponent. The first three were played at El Paso High School stadium (1935–1937), then switched to Kidd Field until the present stadium was ready in 1963. Through the 1957 season, the game was played on January 1 or January 2; since then, with the exception of the 1976 season, the game has been played in late December, with a majority of games played on or near December 31.

The 1940 Sun Bowl set the record for fewest points scored, when the Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe Bulldogs played the Catholic University Cardinals to a scoreless tie, the only 0–0 result in Sun Bowl history.

In advance of the 1949 game, Lafayette College turned down an invitation from the Sun Bowl Committee, because the committee would not allow an African American player to participate. This bid rejection led to a large student demonstration on the Lafayette campus and in the city of Easton, Pennsylvania against segregation.