EMERALD BOWL
Marquee Matchup Set For December 28

"I mean it sincerely when I say we had as fine a time at your Bowl as any Bowl we have ever attended."

Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden knows something about Bowl game experiences. His Seminoles have been to 25 consecutive postseason bowls and defeated UCLA 44-27 in Emerald Bowl V last December. Bowden's San Francisco experience was highlighted by the players' and coaches' annual visit to Alcatraz, "The highlight of my week other than winning the ball game," Bowden said.

In only five years the Emerald Bowl has established itself as a prime time star among the 32-contest bowl lineup. This year's clash between the Pacific-10 and Atlantic Coast Conference teams will be carried, again in prime time, by ESPN on Friday, December 28 with kickoff set for 5:30 [PST], 8:30 [EST].

Last year's ultra-attractive Seminoles-Bruins game was a megahit, both at the AT&T Park box office and on ESPN. The two teams combined for 864 yards total offense, 71 total points [38 in the second half] and six lead changes. The contest attracted a Bowl record 40,331 standing-room-only spectators. Nationally, the Emerald Bowl placed ninth overall [a 4.48] in TV ratings when all 32 games were factored in. Only the five BCS games and three longer-tenured non-BCS games had higher ratings than the Emerald. Of the 21 bowls on ESPN, the Emerald ranked third.

The Bowl's only Executive Director, Gary Cavalli, his two-person staff and a cadre of talented board members and volunteers, have nurtured and grown the Emerald Bowl to unusual prominence in a short amount of time.

"Having our game on Friday evening and in prime time certainly reflects the high regard in which ESPN holds our game," Cavalli says. "ESPN likes our conference affiliations, our location and the reputation the game has established nationally.

"Last year proved that the late afternoon kickoff was more desirable for fans at the game and those watching around the country."

The Emerald Bowl's title sponsor, Diamond Foods, Inc., has been with the game since its inception and is in the second year of a four-year extension which runs through the 2009 game. "Last year's game far exceeded our expectations in securing interest on a national level," said Michael J. Mendes, Diamond's President and Chief Executive Officer.

"We are very pleased to continue our partnership with the Emerald Bowl to the end of this decade."

The Bowl's agreement with the Pacific-10 calls for the No. 4 Pac-10 finisher to make plans to come to San Francisco. ACC guidelines for its various bowl obligations mean that the Emerald will receive a middle-tier representative from a conference that in 2006 sent eight teams to postseason play.

According to research by the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau, last year's Emerald Bowl had a total economic impact of over $18 million to greater San Francisco. "Since generating tourism revenue for the city of San Francisco was one of our goals when we created the Bowl, we are very pleased with these numbers," Cavalli said. .

Several top teams and players had already written considerable game history before Florida State and UCLA's assault on the Bowl records section.

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