Sun Bowl Tickets

As one of college football's historic postseason games, the Sun Bowl has a rich and proud tradition. Sun Bowl tickets have been enjoyed by several generations of fans.

Sun Bowl Tickets: Historical Overview

As a college football postseason event, only the Rose Bowl has been around longer than the Sun Bowl. The first Sun Bowl was held in El Paso back in 1935. Since 1963, the game's venue has been the Sun Bowl Stadium (capacity of 51,500). The first 24 Sun Bowls were played on New Year's Day. Since 1958, the contest has usually been held on New Year's Eve.

Into the early sixties, the game usually featured a regional school that wasn't from a major conference as one of the squads in the matchup. In 1963, the Sun Bowl began to invite more noted programs from bigger conferences to participate in the game. The Southwestern, Southeastern and Big 8 Conferences were heavily represented in the Sun Bowl from the mid-sixties through the mid-nineties.

Since 1995, the game has had a league tie-in with the Pac-12 Conference. In 2010, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) became the other conference tie-in for the Sun Bowl.

Sun Bowl Tickets: Memorable Highlights

In 75 years of action, the Sun Bowl has had plenty of memorable highlights. The hometown UTEP Miners have won the most Sun Bowls with five victories. The host school's last appearance in the game was back in 1967. In terms of appearances, the nearby Texas Tech Red Raiders lead the way with nine trips to the Sun Bowl.

Over the years, several outstanding players have won MVP honors at the Sun Bowl. Bert Jones, Thurman Thomas, Derrick Thomas and Gerald McCoy are just a few of the notable performers that have starred in El Paso.

There have been plenty of exciting finishes at the Sun Bowl. From 1987-91, five consecutive Sun Bowls were decided by a field goal or less. In 1987, the dynamic running back tandem of Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders carried the Oklahoma State Cowboys to a thrilling 35-33 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers.

More recently, the 2006 Sun Bowl was quite memorable. In a shootout, the Oregon State Beavers scored a touchdown and two-point conversion in the final seconds of the game to defeat the Missouri Tigers by a count of 39-38.   

Sun Bowl Tickets: 2011 Season

For the 2011 season, the Sun Bowl will take place on Saturday, December 31st. Sun Bowl tickets are always in high demand - and for good reason!