Bowl History

The Cricket Celebration Bowl is a postseason HBCU Football National Championship featuring the conference champions from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The event’s mission is to provide the players, alumni, fans, viewers, and sponsors with a first-class bowl experience while showcasing the contributions, excellence and impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. It is managed by ESPN Events, a subsidiary of ESPN, which owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide, including 17 postseason bowl games. John Grant serves as the Celebration Bowl’s Executive Director.

The Cricket Celebration Bowl was announced at the College Football Hall of Fame in March of 2015. The event got off to a rousing start in its inaugural year as North Carolina A&T defeated Alcorn State 41-34 in front of over 35,000 fans at the Georgia Dome. An additional 14.8 million people (2.56 million average) watched around the country on ABC.

In 2016, the event was viewed by even more people as average viewership eclipsed a 2.71 million average. In addition, Grambling State’s 10-9 victory over North Carolina Central was seen by service men and women around the world in over 140 countries on the Armed Forces Network.

The 2021 game hosted 48,653 fans at Mercedez-Benz Stadium, an event record. That figure represented the 12th largest crowd of all bowl games that year.