Emerald Bowl
ACC, Pac-10 Clash Again In Prime Time Matchup

"I'll tell you this. The Emerald Bowl is one game that does things the right way. It's an outstanding bowl with great people behind it."

That high praise came from California head coach Jeff Tedford, who has taken his Golden Bears to six straight bowl appearances, including a 24-17 decision over Miami in the 2008 Emerald Bowl.

In only seven years, the Emerald Bowl has established itself as a prime time star in the college football bowl lineup. For the fourth consecutive year, this season's clash between Pac-10 and Atlantic Coast Conference teams will be televised in prime time by ESPN on Saturday, Dec. 26, at 5 p.m. PST.

The 2008 Emerald Bowl recorded both the largest in-stadium attendance and highest TV rating in the game's history. A standing-room-only crowd of 42,268 filled AT&T Park, marking the game's second sellout in three years. The game's 4.63 television rating was the ninth-highest of all 34 postseason games and ranked second among the 23 televised by ESPN. With over 4.5 million households tuned in, the 2008 Emerald Bowl was the eighth-most-watched bowl game in ESPN history.

The ascending track of Emerald Bowl attendance and television records started with the breakthrough 2006 game, when UCLA and Florida State met on the gridiron for the first time. The sellout game attracted 40,331 spectators and earned a 4.48 TV rating.

The game's co-founder and only executive director, Gary Cavalli, his staff and a cadre of talented volunteers have nurtured and grown the Emerald Bowl to unusual prominence in such a short amount of time.

"The matchup we've created between the Pac-10 and the ACC has proven very attractive to football fans in the Bay Area and television audiences throughout the country," Cavalli said. "The Emerald Bowl's Saturday prime-time slot is a reflection of the game's growth and increasing popularity. Our three-and-a-half-hour telecast provides tremendous exposure for our teams, our title sponsor and the great city of San Francisco."

Title sponsor Diamond Foods has been with the game since its inception in 2002.

"The Emerald Bowl has established itself as a rising star on the bowl landscape, and we are very pleased to be the lead sponsor again for 2009," said Michael J. Mendes, Diamond's president and chief executive officer.

According to research by the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, the event has generated a total economic impact of over $83 million for the city. "The Emerald Bowl has grown into a powerful economic event for our region," said the bureau's president and CEO, Joe D'Alessandro. "From direct visitor spending to the television coverage on ESPN, the game has an impact well beyond what happens inside AT&T Park."

Several of the nation's best-known collegiate programs have participated in the Emerald Bowl.

Known as the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl its first two years, the inaugural game was played Dec. 31, 2002, and featured Virginia Tech, then of the Big East and now of the ACC, and the Air Force Academy from the Mountain West. Virginia Tech rallied for a 20-13 victory.

Boston College and Colorado State met in the second contest, with BC taking a 35-21 decision. The game was renamed the Emerald Bowl in 2004. The U.S. Naval Academy marched into the City by the Bay and ground out a 34-19 victory over New Mexico. Among those watching the telecast that day was Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush.

In 2005, Utah became the fourth Mountain West team to play in the Emerald Bowl and the first to emerge victorious, with a 38-10 romp over Georgia Tech. Florida State, coached by the legendary Bobby Bowden, defeated UCLA 44-27 in the 2006 contest, and Oregon State edged Maryland 21-14 in '07.

The events leading up to the Emerald Bowl are as anticipated as the game itself. Visiting Alcatraz and boating underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, a first-class Kickoff Luncheon at the historic Westin St. Francis Hotel and a rally in Union Square all provide for an incredible week of lifetime memories for players, coaches, fans and game officials.