The history of college football bowl games in Tucson

Air Force (9-3) will take on South Alabama (6-6) at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 at Arizona Stadium in the second Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl.

The Arizona Bowl is the latest incarnation of postseason college football played in Tucson. Here’s a look at the bowl games played here through the years.  

1989: Arizona beats North Carolina State 17-10 in the inaugural Copper Bowl, held at Arizona Stadium. The first game is a financial mess: The game’s original title sponsor, Breathless, promised $250,000 to bowl organizers but pulled out before a deal could be reached. The game draws just 37,237 fans despite the UA’s inclusion. 

1990: Domino’s Pizza buys the naming rights, and Cal beats Wyoming 17-15 in front of 36,340 fans on New Year’s Eve. The finish is arguably the best in Tucson bowl history: Wyoming’s Robert Rivers’ 70-yard punt with return with 44 seconds remaining cut Cal’s lead to two points. The Cowboys came up short on a two-point conversion try that would’ve tied the game. 

1991: ESPN broadcasts the Domino’s Pizza Copper Bowl for the first time, and Indiana blanks Baylor 24-0. 

1993: The game has a new sponsor — Weiser Lock — and a sudden surge in popularity. Kansas State beats Wyoming 52-17 in front of 49,075 fans, the largest crowd to watch a bowl game in Tucson. K-State’s Andre Coleman racks up a career-high 283 yards of total offense for the Wildcats, who secure the first bowl victory in program history. 

1995: Texas Tech and Air Force combine for 96 points and 1,142 yards, and the Red Raiders run away with a 55-41 win. Tech’s Byron Hanspard puts up 260 yards and scores four touchdowns in the victory. 

1996: Freshman Ron Dayne runs for 246 yards and three TDs, and Wisconsin beats Utah 38-10 in a game that is sponsor-less for the second time. Dayne’s bowl performance gives him 1,863 rushing yards for the season, the most in Big Ten history. 

1997: Insight.com takes over the naming rights, and Arizona plays in a Tucson bowl game for the second time. Led by little-used quarterback Brady Batten and bruising running back Kelvin Eafon, the Wildcats beat New Mexico 20-14 in front of 49,385 fans. Arizona throws for just 89 yards in the run-first attack. 

1998: Corby Jones throws for 130 yards and runs for 51 as Missouri, coached by former UA boss Larry Smith, beats West Virginia 34-31. The Mountaineers outscore the Tigers 28-10 in the second half, but can get no closer than three points. 

1999: Colorado scores 45 first-half points and rolls to a 62-28 win over Boston College in front of 35,762 fans, Cortlen Johnson runs for 201 yards for the Buffaloes (7-5). 

April 2000: Citing a lack of local interest and sagging attendance numbers, Insight.com Bowl organizers announce that the game will move to Phoenix’s Bank One Ballpark. The game brought between $10 to $14 million annually to the Tucson economy, but couldn’t move the needle among fickle fans.

Shawn Shoefler, the Fiesta Bowl’s director of public relations, tells the media that the decision to move is strictly financial.

“There was nothing wrong with the city or the university,” Shoefler says. “It’s just that the lure of a post-season collegiate bowl game just didn’t seem to be a top priority for the people of Tucson.” 

April 2015: Tucson attorney Ali Farhang and the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission petition the NCAA to add a Tucson bowl game. 

October 2015: The Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl is unveiled, with participating conferences — the Mountain West, Conference USA and the Sun Belt — and a digital-first strategy that makes it unique among postseason matchups. 

December 29, 2015: James Butler scores on a 4-yard run with 1:06 left and Nevada tops Colorado State 28-23 in the first Arizona Bowl. The game between Mountain West Conference opponents drew 20,425 fans to Arizona Stadium.