53 Las Vegas Bowl

For those who have had a chance to attend either for the state and community leaders, which accounts of the first two Las Vegas Bowls, they found it to be for the success the bowl has experienced. one of the best places in the country to hold such a The driving force behind the bowl's emergence was game. And this year should be no different. Las Vegas Events, the presenter of the bowl, and the The 14th annual post-season football battle be- Las Vegas Convention and Visitor's Authority, the tween the Mid-American Conference and Big West sponsor of the bowl. Conference champions is scheduled for Thursday, Both entities have continued their support of the Dec. 15, at 9 p.m. (EST) in the city they call the "En- bowl the last three years, but beginning in April, tertainment Capital of the World." 1994, DelWilber and Associates, a national sports The Las Vegas Bowl, which will be held in UNLV's marketing company, assumed the day-to-day man- 32,000-seat , will again be tele- agement of the bowl along with both conferences. vised to a national television audience by ESPN. The Las Vegas Bowl and the are the The first two bowl games in Las Vegas have provid- only post-season bowls that annually pit the champi- ed those in attendance and watching at home with ons of two Division I-A collegiate athletic conferences excitement, not to mention a lot of points. against one another. The 1992 game produced one of the most dramatic The Riviera Hotel will once again serve as the games of the year, as Bowling Green headquarters of the Mid-American Conference and fought off a late Nevada rally to win the contest, 35- will be the site of several bowl-related events, includ- 34. ing the kickoff luncheon, the pep rally and the post- On fourth-and-goal, Bowling Green quarterback game party. Erik White threw a three-yard touchdown pass to The Riviera is extending special discounts to MAC split end Dave Hankins with 22 seconds remaining fans, including a comprehensive package that in- to lift the Falcons to the victory. cludes lodging, dining and entertainment opportuni- BGSU jumped out to a 28-3 halftime lead, but Ne- ties. vada stormed back to take a 34-28 lead with 7:13 re- The first 11 meetings between the MAC and Big maining behind the play of quarterback Chris Var- West came in the in Fresno, Calif. gas, the MVP of the game. The MAC has a 5-8 record against Big West oppo- Last season, Utah State built a 21-0 lead at half- nents in the previous 13 bowl games. time and held a 35-17 edge heading into the final 15 minutes. But, MAC champion Ball State scored 16 MAC-Big West Bowl History fourth-quarter points. A fourth quarter interception return by Utah State clinched a 42-33 win for the 1993-Las Vegas Bowl-Las Vegas, Nevada Aggies, who had a 491-314 edge in total offense. Both games were preceded by various Las Vegas Utah State 42, Ball State 33 Bowl activities, including a reception, luncheon, pep 1992-Las Vegas Bowl-Las Vegas, Nevada rally and tailgate party. There were also sightseeing Bowling Green 35, Nevada 34 tours, Las Vegas shows and several other special 1991-California Raisin Bowl-Fresno, California events, in addition to the other attractions the "City Bowling Green 28, Fresno State 21 of Lights" offers. The Las Vegas Bowl has become a source of pride 1990-California Raisin Bowl-Fresno, California San Jose State 48, Central Michigan 24 1989-Californla Raisin Bowl-Fresno, California Fresno State 27, Ball State 6 1988-California Bowl-Fresno, California Fresno State 35, Western Michigan 30 1987-California Bowl-Fresno, California Eastern Michigan 30, San Jose State 27 1986-Califomia Bowl-Fresno, California San Jose State 37, Miami 7 1985-California Bowl-Fresno, California Fresno State 51, Bowling Green 7 1984-California Bowl-Fresno, California UNLV 30, Toledo 13 1983-California Bowl-Fresno, California Northern Illinois 20, Cal State Fullerton 13 1982-California Bowl-Fresno, California Fresno State 29, Bowling Green 28 1981-California Bowl-Fresno, California Toledo 27, San Jose State 25