BOCA RATON, Fla. – The 2016 Boca Raton Bowl will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 20, as announced by executive director Doug Mosley. The game will be televised on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET from FAU Stadium, located on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

“The community has rallied around the Boca Raton Bowl as one of Palm Beach County’s holiday traditions and we are pleased that our 2016 game day and time falls in line with what has been successful the first two years,” said Mosley. “We believe this day and time makes participating in the events around the Boca Raton Bowl very accessible for families, businesses and visitors as they plan their holiday season activities, including what has become tabbed as ‘Boca’s Biggest Annual Outdoor Party’. We are looking forward to another great event this year.”

The inaugural game was played on Tuesday, December 23, 2014, when Marshall University, the champion of Conference USA, defeated Northern Illinois University, the champion of the Mid-American Conference 52-23. The 2015 game brought a defensive battle to Boca Raton which ended with the University of Toledo defeating No.24 Temple University 32-17.

“We are proud that the Boca Raton Bowl is quickly becoming a tradition for Boca Raton,” said Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie. “From the moment the game date is announced we look forward to finding out which teams will play and we enjoy all of the excitement that comes with their arrival and game day.”

The 2016 Boca Raton Bowl will have primary tie-ins for teams from Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference. Bowl week activities will begin with the arrival of the participating teams on Friday, Dec. 16. The team from Conference USA will make its headquarters at the Boca Raton Resort and Club and the American Athletic Conference team will be at PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens. Dates, times and sites for the team welcome parties, beach parties, luncheon, pep rallies and other bowl week activities will be released at a later date.

“We are excited to know the Boca Raton Bowl will continue for the third year to be hosted on the Tuesday before the Christmas Holiday here in Palm Beach County” said Glenn Jergensen, Executive Director of the County Tourist Development Council. “Continuing as a night game, the week before season officially kicks off in the Palm Beaches, is welcomed news to the hoteliers, restaurants and tourism partners, added to the prime-time television coverage on ESPN, makes this a winner for all parties.”

The Boca Raton Bowl is one of 13 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. In addition to Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference, the bowl has a tie-in with the Mid-American Conference.  For more information on the Boca Raton Bowl, see its web site at TheBocaRatonBowl.com or follow through social media on Facebook (Facebook.com/BocaBowl) and Twitter (@BocaBowl).

ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; 13 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

Collegiate Football
AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (Houston); Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Camping World Kickoff (Orlando, Fla.); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); Marmot Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Orlando, Fla.); Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); St. Petersburg Bowl (Florida); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta) and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Collegiate Basketball

AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu); DIRECTV Wooden Legacy (Orange County, Calif.); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s  Classic presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic presented by Corona (TBD); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan) and State Farm Champions Classic (New York City)

For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

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ESPN Media Contact: Rachel Margolis Siegal at 860-766-2798 or [email protected]