First Responder Bowl

This article is about the annual bowl game formerly known as the Heart of Dallas Bowl. For the regular season game played in 2013, see Heart of Dallas Classic.

College football bowl game

First Responder Bowl

Servpro First Responder Bowl
Stadium| Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Location| University Park, Texas
Previous stadiums| Cotton Bowl (2011–2018)
Previous locations| Fair Park, Dallas, Texas (2011–2018)
Operated| 2011–present
Conference tie-ins| AAC, ACC, Big 12, C-USA
Previous conference tie-ins| Big Ten
Payout| US$824,545 (2019)[1]
Sponsors

TicketCity (2011–2012)
PlainsCapital Bank (2013)
Zaxby's (2014–2017)
Servpro (2018–present)

Former names

Dallas Football Classic (2011, working title)
TicketCity Bowl (2011–2012)
Heart of Dallas Bowl presented by PlainsCapital Bank (2013–Jan 2014)
Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dec 2014–2017)

2021 matchup
Air Force vs. Louisville (Air Force 31–28)
2022 matchup
Memphis vs. Utah State (Memphis 38–10)

The First Responder Bowl is an NCAA post-season college football bowl game played annually in the Dallas, Texas, area. The bowl was first held on January 1, 2011, and since 2014 has been contested in late December. The bowl was held at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park in Dallas through the 2018 game. Since the Cotton Bowl was being used for the 2020 NHL Winter Classic and was not available, the 2019 edition of the bowl was played at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in nearby University Park, Texas. The stadium has since become the permanent home of the game.

Originally commissioned as the Dallas Football Classic, it has undergone name changes due to changes in sponsorship. From 2011 to 2012, it was named the TicketCity Bowl after sponsor TicketCity. It was then known as the Heart of Dallas Bowl when PlainsCapital Bank (2013) and Zaxby's (2014–2017) were its sponsors. Since 2018, the game has been sponsored by Servpro and officially known as the Servpro First Responder Bowl.[2][3]

## History[edit]

The game was tentatively called the Dallas Football Classic until TicketCity, an online reseller of sports and entertainment tickets, became the first title sponsor,[4] renaming the game as the TicketCity Bowl. This game physically replaced the Cotton Bowl Classic, which moved from its longtime eponymous home to AT&T Stadium in nearby Arlington in 2010.[5] In the 2011 edition, the inaugural playing of the bowl, Texas Tech of the Big 12 Conference defeated Northwestern of the Big Ten Conference.

After its first two playings, the bowl was renamed as the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The 2013 edition, the first to be so named, saw Oklahoma State of the Big 12 defeat Purdue of the Big Ten. PlainsCapital Bank was the title sponsor in 2013, followed by Zaxby's as the title sponsor from 2014 to 2017.[6]

The 2018 edition was the first to be named the First Responder Bowl, with Servpro as the title sponsor. That game was cancelled due to severe weather with 5:08 remaining in the first quarter, and is considered a no-contest for the teams involved; Boise State of the Mountain West Conference and Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[7]

After having been played on January 1 or January 2 for its first four editions, the game moved to a late December date beginning with the 2014 season.

## Stadium[edit]

Main article: Cotton Bowl (stadium)

2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl banner over the Cotton Bowl entrance

The Cotton Bowl stadium opened in 1932. Originally known as the Fair Park Bowl, it is located in Fair Park, site of the State Fair of Texas. Due to the immense crowds that SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s, the stadium became known as "The House That Doak Built." The Cotton Bowl Classic called the stadium home from the bowl's inception in 1937 until the 2009 game, after which it moved to what is now AT&T Stadium. The stadium also served as the original home of Dallas' first, ill-fated National Football League franchise in 1952. Later, and far more successfully, the NFL's Dallas Cowboys called the Cotton Bowl home for 11 years, from the team's formation in 1960 until 1971, when the Cowboys moved to Texas Stadium. The American Football League's Dallas Texans likewise began play at the Cotton Bowl in 1960, but were unable to compete successfully financially with Cowboys and after only three money-losing seasons moved to Kansas City, where they became quite successful on and off the field as the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 2019 edition was held at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas, to accommodate the 2020 NHL Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl.[8]

The First Responder Bowl continues to be at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, as of 2022.

## Tie-ins[edit]

For the bowl's first four editions, the Big Ten Conference was contracted to send a team each season, with alternating appearances from the Big 12 Conference in even-numbered seasons and Conference USA (C-USA) in odd-numbered seasons. For the bowl's next six editions, C-USA was contracted to provide a team, which would face either a Big Ten or Big 12 team in an alternating manner.

Season  | Contracted tie-ins  | Actual participants

|
|

2010*  | Big Ten  | Big 12  | Big Ten  | Big 12
2011*  | C-USA  | Big Ten  | C-USA
2012*  | Big 12  | Big Ten  | Big 12
2013*  | C-USA  | Mountain West  | C-USA
2014 | C-USA  | Big Ten  | C-USA | Big Ten
2015 | Big 12  | C-USA  | Pac-12
2016 | Big Ten  | C-USA  | Independent
2017 | Big 12  | Pac-12 | Big 12
2018 | Big Ten  | Mountain West  | ACC
2019 | Big 12  | C-USA | MAC
2020 | ACC, Big 12, C-USA; AAC (alt.)  | C-USA  | Sun Belt
Bold font denotes winners; * denotes a game played in January

For the 2013 season, the Big Ten did not have enough bowl-eligible teams, so the selection committee chose an at-large team, UNLV from the Mountain West Conference, to take their place. For the 2015 season, the Big 12 did not have enough bowl-eligible teams, so the selection committee selected the Washington Huskies from the Pac-12 Conference to take its place.[9] For the 2016 season, the Big Ten sent four teams to CFP bowls, so the selection committee chose an at-large team, independent Army, to take its place.[10] In 2017 and 2018, Conference USA was unable to send teams due to not enough members of their conference having bowl eligibility. In 2017, the Pac-12 sent Utah to face West Virginia from the Big 12. In 2018, the Big Ten did not have any remaining bowl eligible teams to send; the matchup, which was not played to completion, pitted Boise State of the Mountain West versus Boston College of the ACC. In 2019, Western Michigan became the first Mid-American Conference (MAC) team invited to the bowl.

In June 2019, the Big 12 renewed its rotating appearance schedule with the First Responder Bowl through the 2025 postseason.[11] In December 2019, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) announced a partial tie-in with the bowl beginning in the 2020 football season; the conference will send a team to one of three bowls (First Responder Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl, or Birmingham Bowl) annually.[12] In May 2020, C-USA reached an agreement whereby it could send one or more teams to a pool of games, including the First Responder Bowl, which are operated by ESPN Events.[13] As of the 2020 football season, the First Responder Bowl has the noted tie-ins with the ACC, Big 12, and C-USA; it also has the American Athletic Conference (AAC or "The American") as an alternate.[14]

## Game results[edit]

Rankings are based on the AP Poll prior to the game being played.

Date played  | Bowl name  | Winning team  | Losing team  | Attendance

|
|
|
|

January 1, 2011 | TicketCity Bowl | Texas Tech | 45 | Northwestern | 38  | 40,121
January 2, 2012 | TicketCity Bowl | 20 Houston | 30 | 24 Penn State | 14  | 46,817
January 1, 2013 | Heart of Dallas Bowl | Oklahoma State | 58 | Purdue | 14  | 48,313
January 1, 2014 | Heart of Dallas Bowl | North Texas | 36 | UNLV | 14  | 38,380
December 26, 2014 | Heart of Dallas Bowl | Louisiana Tech | 35 | Illinois | 18  | 31,297
December 26, 2015 | Heart of Dallas Bowl | Washington | 44 | Southern Miss | 31  | 20,229
December 27, 2016 | Heart of Dallas Bowl | Army | 38 | North Texas | 31 (OT) | 39,117
December 26, 2017 | Heart of Dallas Bowl | Utah | 30 | West Virginia | 14  | 20,507
December 26, 2018 | First Responder Bowl | 23 Boise State N/C Boston College | †
December 30, 2019 | First Responder Bowl | Western Kentucky | 23 | Western Michigan | 20  | 13,164
December 26, 2020 | First Responder Bowl | 16 Louisiana | 31 | UTSA | 24  |  3,512‡
December 28, 2021 | First Responder Bowl | Air Force | 31 | Louisville | 28  | 15,251
December 27, 2022 | First Responder Bowl | Memphis | 38 | Utah State | 10  |  [a]

† The 2018 game was a no-contest; game canceled due to weather.
‡ The 2020 contest featured unusually low crowds due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source:[15]

## MVPs[edit]

Year  | Player  | Team  | Position  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2011 | Taylor Potts | Texas Tech | QB | [16]
2012 | Case Keenum | Houston | QB | [17]
2013 | Clint Chelf | Oklahoma State | QB | [18]
2014 (Jan.) | Derek Thompson | North Texas | QB | [19]
2014 (Dec.) | Houston Bates | Louisiana Tech | LB | [20]
2015 | Myles Gaskin | Washington | RB | [21]
2016 | Ahmad Bradshaw | Army | QB | [22]
2017 | Julian Blackmon | Utah | CB | [23]
2018 | none selected | –
2019 | Lucky Jackson | Western Kentucky | WR | [24]
2020 | Elijah Mitchell | Louisiana | RB | [25]
2021 | Haaziq Daniels | Air Force | QB | [26]
2022 | Seth Henigan | Memphis | QB | [27]

Source:[28]: 58

## Most appearances[edit]

Updated through the December 2022 edition (13 games, 26 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances
Rank  | Team  | Appearances  | Record

|
|
|

1 | North Texas | 2 | 1–1

Teams with a single appearance

Won (11): Air Force, Army, Houston, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Utah, Washington, Western Kentucky
Lost (11): Illinois, Louisville, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Southern Miss, UNLV, Utah State, UTSA, West Virginia, Western Michigan
No contest (2): Boise State, Boston College

## Appearances by conference[edit]

Updated through the December 2022 edition (13 games, 26 total appearances).

Conference  | Record  | Appearances by season

|
|

Games  | W  | L  | Win pct.  | Won  | Lost  | No contest
C-USA | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0.571 | 2011*, 2013*, 2014, 2019 | 2015, 2016, 2020 |
Mountain West | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | 2021 | 2013*, 2022 | 2018
Big Ten | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0.000 |  | 2010*, 2011*, 2012*, 2014 |
Big 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0.667 | 2010*, 2012* | 2017 |
Pac-12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2015, 2017 |  |
ACC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |  | 2021 | 2018
Independent | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2016 |  |
Sun Belt | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2020 |  |
The American | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2022 |  |
MAC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |  | 2019 |

* The 2018 game, scheduled between ACC and Mountain West teams, was a no-contest due to weather; no win or loss resulting.
* Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in January of the following calendar year.
* Independent appearances: Army (2016)

## Game records[edit]

Team  | Performance vs. Opponent  | Year

|
|

Most points scored (one team) | 58, Oklahoma State vs. Purdue | 2013
Most points scored (losing team) | 38, Northwestern vs. Texas Tech | 2011
Most points scored (both teams) | 83, Texas Tech vs. Northwestern | 2011
Fewest Points Allowed | 10, Memphis vs. Utah State | 2022
Largest margin of victory | 44, Oklahoma State vs. Purdue | 2013
Total yards | 600, Houston vs. Penn State (532 pass, 68 rush) | 2012
Rushing yards | 480, Army vs. North Texas | 2016
Passing yards | 532, Houston vs. Penn State | 2012
First downs | 34, Texas Tech vs. Northwestern | 2011
Fewest yards allowed | 153, Utah vs. West Virginia | 2017
Fewest rushing yards allowed | 22, Washington vs. Southern Miss | 2015
Fewest passing yards allowed | 53, North Texas vs. Army | 2016
Individual  | Performance, Team  | Year
Total offense | 542, Case Keenum (Houston) (532 pass, 10 rush) | 2012
All-purpose yards | 234, Patrick Edwards (Houston) | 2012
Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 4, Myles Gaskin (Washington) | 2015
Rushing yards | 181, Myles Gaskin (Washington) | 2015
Rushing touchdowns | 4, Myles Gaskin (Washington) | 2015
Passing yards | 532, Case Keenum (Houston) | 2012
Passing touchdowns | 4, Taylor Potts (Texas Tech) | 2011
Receiving yards | 228, Patrick Edwards (Houston) | 2012
Receiving touchdowns | 2, most recent:
Eddie Lewis (Memphis) |
2022
Tackles | 15, shared by:
Quentin Davie (Northwestern)
Jeremy Timpf (Army) |
2011
2016
Sacks | 4.5, Houston Bates (Louisiana Tech) | Dec. 2014
Interceptions | 2, most recent:
Sylvonta Oliver (Memphis) |
2022
Long Plays  | Performance, Team  | Year
Touchdown run | 86 yds., shared by:
Eric Stephens (Texas Tech)
Myles Gaskin (Washington) |
2011
2015
Touchdown pass | 80 yds., Cody Sokol to Kenneth Dixon (Louisiana Tech) | Dec. 2014
Kickoff return | 100 yds., Jawhar Jordan (Louisville) | 2021
Punt return | 64 yds., Josh Stewart (Oklahoma State) | 2013
Interception return | 88 yds., Kareem Ali (Western Michigan) | 2019
Fumble return | 37 yds., Daytawion Lowe (Oklahoma State) | 2013
Punt | 65 yds., Quinn Sharp (Oklahoma State) | 2013
Field goal | 53 yds., Connor Coles (Utah State) | 2022

Source:[28]: 59–60

## Media coverage[edit]

Main article: List of First Responder Bowl broadcasters

ESPNU televised the first four games. Since December 2014, the game has aired on ESPN, with the exception in 2020 when the game was aired on ABC.

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Attendance for the December 2022 edition of the bowl was not reported.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
2. ^ "New SERVPRO First Responder Bowl to be played at Cotton Bowl Stadium". Retrieved August 13, 2018.
3. ^ "Heart of Dallas Bowl to be rebranded by ESPN as vote to keep game in the city looms". Retrieved August 13, 2018.
4. ^ "Dallas bowl game gets new title sponsor". 8 November 2010.
5. ^ Dallas Football Classic To Debut at Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day, AP via CBSSports.com, 14 October 2009
6. ^ "Zaxby's named title sponsor for Heart of Dallas Bowl". Retrieved October 21, 2014.
7. ^ "First Responder Bowl: Boise State vs. Boston College canceled, ruled no contest due to inclement weather". CBSSports.com. December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
8. ^ Baby, Ben (May 23, 2019). "Conflict with Winter Classic forces First Responder Bowl to move from Cotton Bowl to SMU's Ford Stadium". dallasnews.com. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
9. ^ "College Football News, Videos, Scores, Teams, Standings, Stats".
10. ^ Henry, John (December 4, 2016). "North Texas earns rematch with Army at Heart of Dallas Bowl". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
11. ^ "First Responder Bowl Renews Rotating Partnership with Big 12". firstresponderbowl.com (Press release). June 4, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
12. ^ "ACC Announces Bowl Agreements for 2020-25". firstresponderbowl.com (Press release). July 11, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
13. ^ "C-USA Announces 2020-25 Bowl Lineup". conferenceusa.com (Press release). May 28, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
14. ^ Mercer, John David (March 17, 2020). "2020-2021 College Football Bowl Ties, Affiliations For Each Conference". collegefootballnews.com. USA Today. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
15. ^ "SERVPRO First Responder Bowl" (PDF). Bowl/All Star Game Records. NCAA. 2020. p. 16. Retrieved January 3, 2021 - via NCAA.org.
16. ^ Aron, Jaime (January 2, 2011). "Tech's late gamble almost backfires". The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City. AP. p. 5B. Retrieved December 8, 2020 - via newspapers.com.
17. ^ Musselman, Ron (January 3, 2012). "Cougars' Keenum scorches Lions". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. D1. Retrieved December 8, 2020 - via newspapers.com.
18. ^ Davis, Todd (January 1, 2013). "Clint Chelf at heart of Oklahoma State's rout in Heart of Dallas Bowl". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
19. ^ "Derek Thompson sparks North Texas to first bowl win since 2002". AP. January 1, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
20. ^ Isabella, Sean (December 26, 2014). "Tech's Bates wins MVP against former team". thenewsstar.com. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
21. ^ Sabin, Rainer (December 26, 2015). "Heart of Dallas Bowl: Washington RB earns MVP with huge rushing day". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
22. ^ Loveall, Mike (December 29, 2016). "High (Scoring) Cotton: Army Wins Heart of Dallas Bowl". lastwordonsports.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
23. ^ Harris, Drew (December 26, 2017). "Utah halts West Virginia to claim another bowl win". theheartofdallasbowl.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2017 - via Wayback Machine.
24. ^ Pratt, Elliott (December 30, 2019). "Jackson and Darden shine in final game as Hilltoppers". The Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
25. ^ @TDARaginCajuns (December 26, 2020). "MVP of the First Responder Bowl: UL RB Elijah Mitchell (19 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD)" (Tweet). Retrieved December 26, 2020 - via Twitter.
26. ^ @FRBowl (December 28, 2021). "Shocker of all shockers said no one.... @AF_Football QB Haaziq Daniels is the MVP of @FRBowl" (Tweet). Retrieved December 28, 2021 - via Twitter.
27. ^ @JacobHRichman (December 27, 2022). "Seth Henigan is named MVP of the 2022 First Responder Bowl" (Tweet). Retrieved December 27, 2022 - via Twitter.
28. ^ a b "Servo First Responder Bowl Media Guide". 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022 - via publogix.com.

## External links[edit]

* Official website

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