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KRAFT FIGHT HUNGER BOWL
New Year's Eve afternoon contest @ AT&T Park

By Doug Kelly

Four sellouts in the last five years. A tradition of high-profile teams, including past national champions USC and Miami, plus Florida State, UCLA, Cal and Boston College, to name a few. And it's the only bowl game that has directly associated itself with a social cause.

Rechristened the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in 2010, San Francisco's college football postseason game finds itself in its most enviable position ever.

Title-sponsored by Kraft Foods Inc., the world's second-leading food producer, this year's contest will feature Army [if bowl-eligible] against a selection from the Pac-12 Conference.

The upcoming matchup, on Dec. 31 at AT&T Park, will again serve as the centerpiece of Kraft's nationwide Huddle to Fight Hunger campaign, in which Kraft teams up with the Feeding America hunger-relief charity and college football to fight hunger across America.

Last year, Kraft's goal was to provide 20 million meals to families in need. That goal was met and exceeded prior to the inaugural Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl game. This year Kraft has upped its commitment to 25 million meals.

This year's game will be played on college football's traditional day, Saturday, and will offer fans in attendance and those watching at home the opportunity to see it in its entirety with no disruption of New Year's Eve plans. ESPN will carry the game nationally, with a 12:30 p.m. PST kickoff.

In last year's game, the No. 15 Nevada Wolf Pack sealed a school record 13-1 campaign with a 20-13 decision over Boston College. More than 25,000 Wolf Pack fans descended upon San Francisco and provided the impetus for the game's third straight sold-out contest.

"We're thrilled to continue our sponsorship of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl," said Stephen Chriss, senior director, Consumer Engagement and Marketing Partnerships, Kraft Foods North America. "The game provides a big stage for us to raise awareness about the issue of domestic hunger, as well as celebrate the culmination of our ambitious efforts to help donate 25 million meals to Feeding America through the Huddle to Fight Hunger campaign."

Gary Cavalli is the game's co-founder and the only executive director in its nine-year history.

"Partnering with Kraft Foods represents a major sea change in our game's perception nationally and elsewhere," Cavalli said. "Ours is the only game to be directly connected with a social cause. We are proud and excited to partner with Kraft in the fight against hunger."

Doing its part locally, the Bowl donated 120,000 meals to its three Bay Area-based partnership groups, Glide Memorial Church, St. Anthony's Kitchen and the San Francisco Food Bank.

In just nine years, the game previously known as the Emerald Bowl has established itself as a prime time star in the college football bowl lineup. The 2009 game set a ratings record of 5.3 and attracted viewership in almost 5.3 million households around the country.

The game's ascending track of both 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 4.5 TV rating.

The 2008 game featured hometown California and nationally recognized Miami. A standing-room-only crowd of 42,268 filled AT&T Park, producing the game's second sellout in three years. With over 4.5 million households tuned in, the Cal-Miami game was the eighth-most-watched bowl game in ESPN history.

Cavalli, his staff and a cadre of talented volunteers have nurtured and grown the game to remarkable prominence in such a short amount of time.

Following a four-year run with teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference against Pacific-10 opposition, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl maintains the coveted affiliation with what is now the Pac-12 Conference through 2013.

Navy, which played in San Francisco in 2004, is scheduled for a 2012 return, and BYU, now an independent after several years in the Mountain West Conference, is signed to appear in the 2013 contest.

"Having the Pac-12 as our anchor conference helped establish the game in prior years and will now serve to heighten the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl's stature and visibility on a national scale," Cavalli said.

"We are also very pleased about our partnerships with Army, Navy and BYU," he continued. "These agreements guarantee a high-quality matchup for Kraft Foods, our fans and television viewers across the country.

"This combination of opponents provides a perfect blend of local and national appeal, top-notch football and pageantry."

According to research by San Francisco Travel (formerly the S.F. Convention and Visitors Bureau), the game has generated a total economic impact in excess of $120 million for the city.

"It is a powerful economic event for our region," said Joe D'Alessandro, the organization's President and Chief Executive Officer. "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 collegiate programs have comprised the game's participants. Boston College is the lone school to participate more than one time, in 2003, 2009 and again last year.

Known as the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl its first two years, the inaugural game was played December 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. The Hokies rallied for a 20-13 victory.

Boston College and Colorado State met in the second contest, with BC taking a 35-21 decision. In the 2004 game, renamed the Emerald Bowl, 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 compete 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 that will lead up to the Kraft Fight Hunger 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; a rally in scenic Union Square, all provide for an incredible week of lifetime memories for players, coaches, fans and Bowl officials.