Posted December 22, 2016

Reasons to love the Military Bowl

Military Bowl, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways.

Temple football players smiling and celebrating on the field after a big win.
Photography By: 
Betsy Manning
Football players (from left) Isaiah Wright, Randle Jones, Karamo Dioubate and Cortrelle Simpson celebrate after the Owls’ win in the American Athletic Conference championship.

Temple football has a lot going for it (hi, Coach Collins and that shiny new American Athletic Conference championship trophy!). But the season isn’t over. The Owls will face the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest University Tuesday, Dec. 27 in the 2016 Military Bowl.

With the countdown to kickoff on, we’ve compiled a list of reasons we love the Military Bowl, but we strongly encourage you to buy tickets to the game and see for yourself.

  1. The built-in fan base. About 200,000 Temple alumni live within 200 miles of Annapolis, with approximately 89,000 calling the Annapolis/Baltimore/Washington area their home.
  2. Service to service members. The Military Bowl supports the USO, which strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation.
  3. Giving back. It gives you the opportunity to make a donation to fund complimentary tickets to the game for a service member or military family members.
  4. Home field advantage. OK, technically Wake Forest is designated the “home” team, but we can’t help but to feel a bit of home field advantage. We’ve played here. We’ve won here. (See the 2016 American Athletic Conference championship for proof.)
  5. Temple leads the series against Wake Forest. The teams have faced off once before, on Nov. 1, 1930. Temple was victorious, beating the Demon Deacons 36-0.
  6. Clydesdales. The pre-game parade will feature the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales, Medal of Honor recipients, team bands and mascots.
  7. His“T”ory. Temple’s appearance in the Military Bowl marks the first time the program will appear in a bowl game in consecutive years.
  8. Fighter jets. Seriously. If you like a good fighter jet flyover (and who doesn’t?), this is the bowl game for you.
  9. The setting. Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is gorgeous, serves as a living memorial and is dedicated to those who have served—and will serve—as upholders of the traditions and renown of the Navy and Marine Corps of the United States.
  10. Annapolis, Baltimore and Washington. These are great cities to explore while you’re in town for the game.