Bahamas Bowl
Annual U.S. college football game in Nassau, Bahamas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bahamas Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been contested nine times since 2014 in Nassau, Bahamas, at the 15,000-seat Thomas Robinson Stadium.[2] The bowl has tie-ins with the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.
(2014–present)
Mid-American Conference
(2014–present)
| Bahamas Bowl | |
|---|---|
| |
| Stadium | Thomas Robinson Stadium |
| Location | Nassau, Bahamas |
| Operated | 2014–present (not played in 2020 and 2023; not scheduled for 2025) |
| Conference tie-ins | Conference USA (2014–present) Mid-American Conference (2014–present) |
| Payout | US$225,000 (2019)[1] |
| Website | bahamasbowl.com |
| Sponsors | |
| |
| Former names | |
| |
| 2024 season matchup | |
| Buffalo vs. Liberty (Buffalo 26–7) | |
| 2025 season matchup | |
| Not played | |
The game was not played following the 2020 season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nor the 2023 and 2025 seasons, due to stadium renovations.
For the December 2023 edition, the game was replaced by a bowl game at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, due to renovations at Thomas Robinson Stadium. This edition was known as the Famous Toastery Bowl, reflecting the title sponsor of the relocated game.[3][4][5]
The Bahamas Bowl was not played following the 2025 football season; future plans for the bowl are unclear.[6] Instead, the Xbox Bowl was played at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas.
History
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The inaugural edition of the Bahamas Bowl, played in 2014, was the first major (FBS or historical equivalent) bowl game to be played outside the United States and Canada between two U.S. teams since the January 1, 1937, Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba.[7] The game featured teams from the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA;[8] that conference matchup has continued annually.[9] In July 2019, the MAC announced a continuation of its tie-in with the bowl through the 2025–26 football season.[10]
From its inception to 2017, the game was sponsored by the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant franchise and officially known as the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.[11] After Restaurant Brands International acquired Popeyes in 2017, they declined to renew sponsorship. Elk Grove Village, Illinois—"home to the largest industrial park in the United States"—picked up title sponsorship in 2018, with the bowl using the official naming of Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.[12] The name lasted until Elk Grove Village ended its sponsorship in March 2020.[13] On May 25, 2022, it was announced that HomeTown Lenders would be the new title sponsor of the game.[14]
The winning team is presented with a trophy, since 2016 named the Prime Minister's Trophy.[15] The current trophy, in use since the 2018 playing, is approximately 30 inches (76 cm) tall and weighs nearly 30 pounds (14 kg).[15]
On October 2, 2020, the 2020 edition of the bowl was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions.[16]
After a one-year hiatus, the bowl returned to the Bahamas for the edition following the 2024 season, and was played in January for the first time.[17]
In early June 2025, the Bahamas Bowl was not included in the announced lineup of bowls scheduled to follow the 2025 season.[6] Future plans for the bowl are unclear.[6]
Game results
| Date | Bowl name | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 24, 2014 | Bahamas Bowl | Western Kentucky | 49 | Central Michigan | 48 | 13,667 |
| December 24, 2015 | Bahamas Bowl | Western Michigan | 45 | Middle Tennessee | 31 | 13,123 |
| December 23, 2016 | Bahamas Bowl | Old Dominion | 24 | Eastern Michigan | 20 | 13,422 |
| December 22, 2017 | Bahamas Bowl | Ohio | 41 | UAB | 6 | 13,585 |
| December 21, 2018 | Bahamas Bowl | FIU | 35 | Toledo | 32 | 13,510 |
| December 20, 2019 | Bahamas Bowl | Buffalo | 31 | Charlotte | 9 | 13,547 |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[18] | |||||
| December 17, 2021 | Bahamas Bowl | Middle Tennessee | 31 | Toledo | 24 | 13,596 |
| December 16, 2022 | Bahamas Bowl | UAB | 24 | Miami (OH) | 20 | 12,172 |
| 2023 | Not played due to stadium renovations | |||||
| January 4, 2025 | Bahamas Bowl | Buffalo | 26 | Liberty | 7 | 4,610 |
| 2025 | Not played | |||||
MVPs
| Year | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team | Pos. | ||
| 2014 | Brandon Doughty | Western Kentucky | QB | Derik Overstreet | Western Kentucky | DL | [21] |
| 2015 | Jamauri Bogan | Western Michigan | RB | Grant DePalma | Western Michigan | LB | [22] |
| 2016 | Ray Lawry | Old Dominion | RB | TJ Ricks | Old Dominion | LB | [23] |
| 2017 | Dorian Brown | Ohio | RB | Javon Hagan | Ohio | FS | [24] |
| 2018 | Christian Alexander | FIU | QB | Edwin Freeman | FIU | LB | [25] |
| 2019 | Jaret Patterson | Buffalo | RB | Malcolm Koonce | Buffalo | DE | [26][27] |
| 2021 | Nicholas Vattiato | Middle Tennessee | QB | DQ Thomas | Middle Tennessee | LB | [28][29] |
| 2022 | Trea Shropshire | UAB | WR | Michael Fairbanks II | UAB | LB | [30] |
| 2025 | Al-Jay Henderson | Buffalo | RB | Red Murdock | Buffalo | LB | [31] |
Most appearances
Updated through the January 2025 edition (10 games, 20 total appearances).
- Teams with multiple appearances
| Team | Appearances | Record | Win pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 2 | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| Middle Tennessee | 2 | 1–1 | .500 |
| UAB | 2 | 1–1 | .500 |
| Toledo | 2 | 0–2 | .000 |
- Teams with a single appearance
Won (5): FIU, Ohio, Old Dominion, Western Kentucky, Western Michigan
Lost (5): Central Michigan, Charlotte, Eastern Michigan, Liberty, Miami (OH)
Appearances by conference
Updated through the January 2025 edition (10 games, 20 total appearances).
- Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in January of the following calendar year.
Game records
| Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 49, Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | 2014 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 48, Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky | 2014 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 97, Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | 2014 |
| Fewest points allowed | 6, Ohio vs. UAB | 2017 |
| Largest margin of victory | 35, Ohio vs. UAB | 2017 |
| Total yards | 647, Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | 2014 |
| Rushing yards | 282, Western Michigan vs. Middle Tennessee | 2015 |
| Passing yards | 493, Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky | 2014 |
| First downs | 29, Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | 2014 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 242, Buffalo vs. Liberty | 2025 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 80, Buffalo vs. Charlotte | 2019 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 77, Charlotte vs. Buffalo | 2019 |
| Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| All-purpose yards | 215, Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan) | 2015 |
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 4, shared by Bogan, Brown, and Davis (see below) | |
| Rushing yards | 215, Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan) | 2015 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 4, shared by: Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan) Dorian Brown (Ohio) | 2015 2017 |
| Passing yards | 493, Cooper Rush (Central Michigan) | 2014 |
| Passing touchdowns | 7, Cooper Rush (Central Michigan) | 2014 |
| Receiving yards | 183, shared by: Corey Davis (Western Michigan) Trea Shropshire (UAB) | 2015 2022 |
| Receptions | 9, Yusuf Ali (Middle Tennessee) | 2021 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 4, Titus Davis (Central Michigan) | 2014 |
| Tackles | 15, Matthew Salopek (Miami (OH)) 10 (solo), Matthew Salopek (Miami (OH)) | 2022 |
| Sacks | 2, shared by: Derik Overstreet (Western Kentucky) Malcolm Koonce,[32] (Buffalo) Nate Givhan (Toledo) | 2014 2019 2021 |
| Interceptions | 1, by multiple players | |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 74 yds., Dorian Brown (Ohio) | 2017 |
| Touchdown pass | 90 yds., Dequan Finn to Matt Landers (Toledo) | 2021 |
| Kickoff return | 45 yds., Andre Wilson (UAB) | 2017 |
| Punt return | 34 yds., Kylan Nelson (Ohio) | 2017 |
| Interception return | 49 yds., Samuel Womack (Toledo) | 2021 |
| Fumble return | 27 yds., Tony Annese (Central Michigan) | 2014 |
| Punt | 68 yds., Ethan Duane (Buffalo) | 2025 |
| Field goal | 52 yds., Upton Bellenfant (Buffalo) | 2025 |
Source:[33]
Media coverage
The bowl has been televised by ESPN since its inception.