Florida Beach Bowl

NCAA Division II football bowl game

Not to be confused with Miami Beach Bowl or Myrtle Beach Bowl.

College football bowl game

Florida Beach Bowl (defunct)

Stadium| DRV PNK Stadium
Location| Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Operated| 2023
Conference tie-ins| CIAA, SIAC
Website| floridabeachbowl.com
Sponsors

Amerant Bank (2023)

The Florida Beach Bowl was an American college football bowl game contested between NCAA Division II teams from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), two athletic conferences traditionally consisting of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The lone edition of the bowl was played on December 13, 2023, at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. For the 2023 season, the Florida Beach Bowl was one of four Division II sanctioned bowl games, along with the Live United Texarkana Bowl, America's Crossroads Bowl, and Heritage Bowl.

DRV PNK Stadium in November 2021

The game was announced in September 2023 by organizers and officials with Inter Miami CF, operators of the host stadium.[1][2] Urban Edge Network (UEN) was subsequently announced as the broadcaster for the bowl,[3] and Amerant Bank as the official sponsor.[4][5]

The Florida Beach Bowl was intended to revive the CIAA–SIAC postseason matchup of the defunct Pioneer Bowl, contested from 1997 to 2012. Selection standards included a record of at least six wins,[3] for teams not invited to participate in the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs. Victor Robenson, bowl CEO, revealed the ultimate goal of having the game match the champions of the two conferences in a Black college championship for Division II, similar to the way the Celebration Bowl functions as the Black college title game for the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).[6]

On November 4, 2024, sources within the CIAA and SIAC confirmed the Florida Beach Bowl would not be held in 2024, revealing that "funding was an issue as the bowl looked to build off of its inaugural game."[7] Months after the bowl died a quiet death, CIAA commissioner Jacquie McWilliams-Parker offered a post-mortem in which she commented on the problems of HBCU institutions and conferences in dealing with "third-party partnerships" and overly-ambitious promoters.[8] Game organizers had planned six days of events, including a golf tournament, 5k run, prayer brunch, coaches luncheon, and media day, all of which were poorly attended.

## Game results

[edit]

Date played  | Winning team  | Losing team  | notes

|
|
|

December 13, 2023 | Fort Valley State (SIAC) | 23 | Johnson C. Smith (CIAA) | 10 | [9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Scouten, Ted (September 14, 2023). "New Florida Beach Bowl game will feature 2 HBCUs during post-season play in Fort Lauderdale". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
2. ^ "DRV PNK Stadium to Host Inaugural Florida Beach Bowl on Dec. 13". intermiamicf.com. Inter Miami CF Communications Department. October 9, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
3. ^ a b Mosley, Kyle T. (September 11, 2023). "Florida Beach Bowl, UEN Empowers HBCU Conferences With Postseason Football". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
4. ^ "Florida Beach Bowl". Miami Herald. November 2, 2023. p. A19. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
5. ^ "Amerant Bank Inks Partnership as Official Sponsor of Inaugural Florida Beach Bowl". amerantbank.com (Press release). October 30, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
6. ^ Smalls II, C. Isaiah (November 17, 2023). "HBCUs to clash in Fort Lauderdale". Miami Herald. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
7. ^ Gaither, Steven (November 4, 2024). "HBCU football bowl game won't happen this year". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved November 4, 2024. [dead link]
8. ^ "Why Did The Florida Beach Bowl Get Canceled?". HBCU Sports on X. June 10, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
9. ^ Mosley, Kyle T. (December 13, 2023). "Fort Valley State Defeats Johnson C. Smith In the Inaugural Florida Beach Bowl". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 14, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

NCAA Division II bowl games

Active|

* America's Crossroads Bowl
* Heritage Bowl

Defunct|

* C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl
* Dixie Rotary Bowl
* Florida Beach Bowl
* Kanza Bowl
* Live United Texarkana Bowl
* Mineral Water Bowl
* Pioneer Bowl

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