Outback Bowl to Celebrate 15th Anniversary

Tampa, FL -- The Tampa Bay Bowl Association celebrates its 15th Anniversary with the upcoming Outback Bowl on January 1, 2001. Known originally as the Hall of Fame Bowl for the first nine years, the game has been a part of the New Year's Day bowl lineup for the past twelve years and features teams from the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten Conference.

Over it's fourteen previous years the nonprofit bowl has contributed $32.8 million to participating teams and their conference members. It has also hosted more than 2,600 players, including at least 336 who have gone on to play in the NFL, and more than 800,000 college football fans.

In addition, the bowl has created an estimated $350 million economic impact on the Tampa Bay region and has generated tens-of-millions of dollars in national and international exposure for the Tampa Bay area.

The 15th Anniversary edition of the Outback Bowl will once again be televised nationally on ESPN TV and will kickoff at 11 A.M. (ET) on New Year's Day. Tampa-based Outback Steakhouse is title sponsor of the game for its sixth year as part of an agreement that runs through the 2002 game.