The stage is set in more ways than one for the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin and Juice by Dr. Dre and Snoop.
The participants were announced Sunday — Colorado State of the Mountain West and Miami (Ohio) of the Mid-American Conference — for the Dec. 28 game at 2:30 p.m. at Arizona Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the CW.
Because of Snoop Dogg’s presence, so much is tied into this year’s Arizona Bowl, in its 10th year of existence, that the game is not at the centerpiece but part of the buffet line.
It will be the largest undertaking of events in the bowl’s history.
“It’s the biggest both on a national profile stage and with all the added events we’ve put together,” Arizona Bowl executive director Kym Adair said. “It’s big but it’s something we’re excited to do for Southern Arizona.”
.@theARIZONABOWL executive director @KymAdair comments about all that encompasses the Dec. 28 game at Arizona Stadium with @SnoopDogg the featured sponsor – XBox gaming event and 24-team youth football national tournament among them among them. This is by far the largest… pic.twitter.com/xQfijX6tus
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) December 8, 2024
Along with the game:
— Snoop Dogg, an iconic American rapper, actor, record producer and media personality, will promote the new line of premium Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop flavors.
— A video-gamers tournament sponsored by X-Box.
— The SNOOPER Bowl, a national event featuring 24 youth football teams, in the week leading up to the Arizona Bowl with games at Arizona and Rillito Park. As a philanthropist, Snoop Dogg launched the Snoop Youth Football League 17 years ago that has since seen more than 40 kids make it to the NFL. As part of the SYFL, Snoop Special Stars ensures that kids with any physical, mental or developmental disabilities also participate. “I’ve sent many players through my SYFL to colleges (and the NFL) so it’s only fitting that I bring the ‘juice’ back to college football,” said Snoop Dogg in a press release. “Dr. Dre and I are excited to bring our brand to the next level with this partnership, and we’re going to make the Arizona Bowl into a game-day experience like never before.” Snoop Dogg came to Tucson in 2015 as head coach of the 12U Diamond Valley Steelers of Pomona (Calif.). His team took on the Sunnyside SW Rams as part of the West Coast Challenge, a fund-raising event for the Community Food Bank that included other youth football teams.
— Downtown Pep Rally on Dec. 27 at 5 p.m.
— Gin & Juice Tailgate Festival the day of the game from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
— The annual Taco Bell New Year’s Eve Downtown Bowl Bash on Dec. 31 starting at 6 p.m. past midnight.
The event’s growth is what chairman Ali Farhang envisioned before the first game in 2015 when Colorado State and Nevada played on a cold night in front of 20,425 at Arizona Stadium.
I remember interviewing @theARIZONABOWL chairman @alibomaye32 at the game’s inception 10 years ago. He was very passionate then about making this event flourish not for himself or for the game’s board or committee but for the community in general with the incorporation of… pic.twitter.com/LNbCNLGXtM
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) December 8, 2024
The Arizona Bowl is one year from matching the length of the Copper Bowl/Insight.com Bowl, which was played at Arizona Stadium from 1989 to 1999.
That game, now known as the Rate Bowl, transition from Tucson to Phoenix’s Chase Field in 2000.
“What I have most gratitude about is when we started, there was just a handful of us that put on this game,” Farhang said. “Since then, we have grown this so that we’ve got hundreds of volunteers that are passionate about this game.
“They dedicate time and money to this game. They’re invested in making Tucson a greater place and putting a spotlight on our community, which was one of the pillars of why we did this game in the first place.”
ARIZONA BOWL MATCHUPS
Annual results of the Arizona Bowl. Five games decided by a touchdown or less with three games going to overtime.| Date | Winner | Loser | Score | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/29/2015 | Nevada | Colorado State | 28-23 | 20425 |
| 12/30/2016 | Air Force | South Alabama | 45-21 | 33868 |
| 12/29/2017 | New Mexico State | Utah State | 26-20 (OT) | 39132 |
| 12/29/2018 | Nevada | Arkansas State | 16-13 (OT) | 32368 |
| 12/31/2019 | Wyoming | Georgia State | 38-17 | 36892 |
| 12/31/2020 | Ball State | San Jose State | 34-13 | 0 (COVID-19) |
| 12/31/2021 | Canceled | COVID-19 | Restrictions | |
| 12/30/2022 | Ohio | Wyoming | 30-27 (OT) | 27691 |
| 12/30/2023 | Wyoming | Toledo | 16-15 | 30428 |
| 12/28/2024 | Miami (Ohio) | Colorado State | 43-17 | 40076 |
The Arizona Bowl has drawn a total of 220,084 fans (an average of 27,600) in the eight games that have been played. The 2021 game that was to include Boise State and Central Michigan was canceled because of a COVID-19 breakout involving Boise State’s program.
The attendance record is the 39,132 for the game in 2017 when New Mexico State, from nearby Las Cruces, N.M., played in its first bowl game in 57 years.
That record has the potential to be broken with the hype surrounding this year’s event with Snoop Dogg in attendance (whether he will perform has yet to be announced).
The most important element for Southern Arizona: the Arizona Bowl is thriving.
It is the only bowl game in the country that gives all of its net proceeds to non-profit organizations.
Tucson is fortunate that people such as Farhang and Adair, all the community luminaries involved, and the numerous volunteers make the game possible now and deep into the future.
“You build traditions over time,” Farhang said. “Since 2015, we’ve built this tradition one year at a time. Nobody really asks me, ‘What’s the Arizona Bowl?’ anymore.
“Now with the partnership with Snoop Dogg, the most renowned popular pop-culture figure in the world, I think not all eyes will be on us just in Tucson, but in the country, maybe the rest of the world.”
++++++++++
We’re Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Bound
We’ll head to Tucson to take on Miami, OH December 28th!
See you in AZ, Rams! #Stalwart x #RamGrit pic.twitter.com/3bl4aV8IEu
— Colorado State Football (@CSUFootball) December 8, 2024
Colorado State coach Jay Norvell will return to the Arizona Bowl after coaching Nevada to a 16-13 overtime victory over Arkansas State in the 2018 game.
The Rams (8-4) will make their first postseason appearance since 2017. They finished 6-1 in Mountain West play.
“I’m so excited to be heading back to the Arizona Bowl,” Norvell said in a Colorado State press release. “It’s a great venue and fantastic hospitality. It will be a lot of fun for our fans and our team. It’s a great reward for seniors and we’re excited to finish our season with a bowl win and gain great momentum going into 2025.
“It’s been our goal from the start to be a bowl team year-in and year-out and this is a great springboard for our program for the future.”
Colorado State scored 29 fourth-quarter points to rally for a 42-37 win in their regular-season finale against Utah State at Fort Collins, Colo.
The Rams won six of their last seven games and posted the program’s highest win total since 2014.
Bowling in AZ
The RedHawks will face Colorado State at the Arizona Bowl sponsored by Snoop Dogg on December 28 #RiseUpRedHawks | pic.twitter.com/p1n2o8nPM9
— Miami Football (@MiamiOHFootball) December 8, 2024
Miami of Ohio (8-5) will play in a bowl game for the fifth consecutive season.
The RedHawks won their final seven games of the regular season to advance to the MAC Championship Game in Detroit, where they lost 38-3 to Ohio.
Colorado State and Miami have played twice with the RedHawks winning both; the last meeting in 2010 in Oxford, Ohio.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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