Outback Bowl To Eclipse $100 Million Milestone In Contributions To Education

Tampa, FL – Outback Bowl officials announced today that the organization will surpass the $100 million milestone in contributions to higher education over its history with the upcoming 2012 game. The Bowl will provide a combined $7 million to the twenty-four universities in the Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences this year.

“We are very proud of the contributions we make to universities each year in support of education, in addition to the economic impact and exposure that is generated for the Tampa Bay region,” notes Outback Bowl President/CEO Jim McVay. “This is a tremendous milestone for the Outback Bowl and a testament to our Board of Directors, staff, volunteers and sixteen year title sponsor, Outback Steakhouse, who work very hard each year to make this a truly special event for the participating teams, the fans and our community.

The Outback Bowl is played each year in Raymond James Stadium featuring teams from the SEC and Big Ten Conference and will host its 26th game this season. The Bowl attracts an average of 40,000 out of market visitors from more than 40 states each year. It has generated an estimated $750 million economic impact on the area over its history and generates millions of dollars of free exposure for the community annually. Last year’s Bowl was the fourth most-watch college football game of the season.

The 2012 Outback Bowl will kick-off at 1:00 P.M. ET on Monday, January 2nd. Priority membership seats are currently available through the Outback Bowl office at (813) 874-BOWL or on the bowl web site at www.outbackbowl.com. All other general tickets will go on sale to the public through Ticketmaster beginning October 1st.