 RFK Stadium will host the EagleBank Bowl
The EagleBank Bowl will be played on December 20, 2008 at RFK Stadium and is scheduled for a Noon ET kickoff on ESPN. The contest will be the first post-season bowl game of 2008.
The bowl, which was previously known as the Congressional Bowl prior to securing its new sponsor, was originally slated to be played at Nationals Park but it is believed the expense and logistics of converting Nationals Park, which is home to Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals, from a baseball to football configuration were prohibitive for the fledgling bowl game.
RFK Stadium is the former home of the NFL's Washington Redskins which vacated the facility in 1997 when the team moved to FedEx Field.
EagleBank, which just last week merged with Fidelity & Trust Financial to become the largest community bank in Washington, DC, has signed on as the bowl game's lead sponsor for the next four seasons.
Navy Federal Credit Union and Marriott Hotels have also signed on as secondary sponsors according to Sean Metcalf, one of the principals of the Washington, DC Bowl Committee.
The game is slated to pit Navy, assuming the Midshipmen win at least six games to reach bowl eligibility and the 9th bowl eligible team from the Atlantic Coast Conference. If either the Navy or the ACC cannot provide a bowl eligible team, the bowl game will choose from other available bowl-eligible teams. Army is scheduled to host the 2009 game, again assuming the Cadets reach bowl eligibility.
The Mid-American Conference, while not signing a formal deal with the bowl game, is felt to be among the bowl's unofficial back-up options in such an event. However no comment regarding other tie-ins with the MAC or other conferences was made during today's press conference. |
