For the December 2023 edition, the game was temporarily moved to Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, due to renovations at Thomas Robinson Stadium. This edition was known as the Famous Toastery Bowl, reflecting the title sponsor of the relocated game.[3][4][5]
History
Prime Minister's Trophy
The inaugural edition of the Bahamas Bowl, played in 2014, was the first major (FBS or historical equivalent) bowl game to be played outside the United States and Canada between two U.S. teams since the January 1, 1937, Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba.[6] The game featured teams from the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA;[7] that conference matchup has continued annually.[8] In July 2019, the MAC announced a continuation of its tie-in with the bowl through the 2025–26 football season.[9]
From its inception to 2017, the game was sponsored by the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant franchise and officially known as the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.[10] After Restaurant Brands International acquired Popeyes in 2017, they declined to renew sponsorship. Elk Grove Village, Illinois—"home to the largest industrial park in the United States"—picked up title sponsorship in 2018, with the bowl using the official naming of Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.[11] The name lasted until Elk Grove Village ended its sponsorship in March 2020.[12] On May 25, 2022, it was announced that HomeTown Lenders would be the new title sponsor of the game.[13]
The winning team is presented with a trophy, since 2016 named the Prime Minister's Trophy.[14] The current trophy, in use since the 2018 playing, is approximately 30 inches (76 cm) tall and weighs nearly 30 pounds (14 kg).[14]
On October 2, 2020, the 2020 edition of the bowl was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions.[15]
On October 26, 2023, it was announced that the 2023 edition would be played at Jerry Richardson Stadium on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte due to ongoing renovations at the host venue, Thomas Robinson Stadium.[3] The game was also temporarily renamed to reflect that it would not be played in the Bahamas.[4] On November 14, 2023, Famous Toastery, a restaurant chain based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was named as title sponsor of the relocated Famous Toastery Bowl.[16]
Elvis Gallegos served as the analyst following the death of Rob Best on 4 October 2020.[36] During the 2021 bowl broadcast, Kyle Wiggs announced that the Bahamas Bowl broadcast booth had been renamed the Rob Best Broadcast Booth as a memorial to Best.[citation needed]
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