The 2015 college football season is in full swing, and the countdown to the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl is underway.
Our game, which again will highlight our great city live to the nation on ABC-TV on a Saturday afternoon in December, has become not just a high-profile annual sporting event but also an economic boon to the local economy — the Las Vegas Bowl attracts $25 million to $30 million in revenue during what traditionally is a slow time of year on the Strip.
When a group of city leaders, led by Rossi Ralenkotter, worked with the NCAA to bring a matchup of champions from the old Big West and Mid-American conferences here in the early 1990s, few would have predicted the game would become one of the biggest annual events in a place so well known for big doings.
A decade and a half ago, the Las Vegas Bowl was intriguing enough to become the first game acquired by ESPN Events, which now owns 13 college bowl games. And since it began featuring Pac-12 and Mountain West conference teams, it has become common to see ranked teams playing in front of sellout crowds at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Over the years, we have gained a reputation for offering an exciting “Vegas-style” bowl week for players, coaches and fans, and world-class accommodations with host hotels such as Mandalay Bay and Hard Rock Hotel. Events include trips to the Fremont Street Experience, taking in Cirque du Soleil’s “Zarkana,” city views from the High Roller and the satisfaction of working with Opportunity Village and the Goodie Two Shoes Foundation.
Behind the scenes is the Las Vegas Bowl executive committee, a volunteer group of business leaders who help promote and sell the game throughout the year. Using a collegiate sporting event to help show off their city is good for business — and is a whole lot of fun.
And it’s not just college players who benefit, as our committee sponsors a free one-day youth football clinic at UNLV. This year’s July outing attracted a record 600 boys and girls ages 6-14.
The bowl game’s longevity has opened the door for an array of collegiate sporting events to call Las Vegas home. Over time, we proved that fans love coming here to cheer their schools, while student-athletes gain a one-of-a-kind experience on and off the field of play.
The 2015 Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl will be 12:30 p.m. Dec. 19 at Sam Boyd Stadium. The game will feature the top choice from the Mountain West or BYU against the sixth pick from the Pac-12. Tickets are available at lvbowl.com.
John Saccenti is executive director of the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. He has worked in sports in Las Vegas for almost two decades, starting as the mascot for the Las Vegas Thunder hockey team.