Heritage Bowl (Corsicana)
Annual American NCAA Division II college football bowl game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Heritage Bowl is an annual American NCAA Division II college football bowl game held at Community National Bank & Trust Stadium in Corsicana, Texas.
United States
| Heritage Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot | |
| |
| Stadium | Community National Bank & Trust Stadium |
| Location | Corsicana, Texas United States |
| Operated | 2017–present |
| Conference tie-ins | At-large picks from GAC, LSC, or MIAA |
| Website | heritagebowl.org |
| Sponsors | |
Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot | |
| Former names | |
Corsicana Bowl (2017–2018) | |
Currently, the Heritage Bowl is one of three Division II sanctioned bowl games, along with the Albanese Candy Bowl and First Americans Bowl. The participants are selected on an at-large basis from teams of the Lone Star Conference (LSC), Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), and Great American Conference (GAC) that do not qualify for the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs.[1]
History
The game was established in 2017 by Antwone "Tony" Taulton. Since 2018 the bowl has operated under the non-profit Corsicana Area Foundation, and proceeds from the game go to local Corsicana and Navarro County charities.[2] Initially called the Corsicana Bowl, the game was given its current name in 2019.[3] After the game was not played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fun Town RV served as title sponsor from 2021–23. On May 31, 2024, Riot Platforms was named the presenting sponsor and the game rebranded as the Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot.
Throughout its existence, the Heritage Bowl has been unique among Division II bowl games in having no fixed conference tie-in. This feature enabled bowl organizers to secure ten different teams for the first five games, and fourteen for the first eight games. Emporia State, invited in 2018 and 2023, and UT Permian Basin, in 2021 and 2024, are the only repeat participants thus far. The game has included each of the three possible combinations of the participating conferences. An LSC-GAC matchup has been the most common (four times), followed by LSC-MIAA (twice) and GAC-MIAA (twice).
Game results
| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2, 2017 | Central Oklahoma (MIAA) | 38 | Tarleton State (LSC) | 31 | 3,422 | [4] |
| December 1, 2018 | Emporia State (MIAA) | 30 | Arkansas–Monticello (GAC) | 22 | 3,900 | [5] |
| December 7, 2019 | Eastern New Mexico (LSC) | 20 | Southern Arkansas (GAC) | 13 | 2,000 | [6] |
| December 4, 2021 | Oklahoma Baptist (GAC) | 24 | UT Permian Basin (LSC) | 21 | 3,576 | [7] |
| December 3, 2022 | East Central (GAC) | 38 | Texas A&M–Kingsville (LSC) | 21 | 2,000 | [8] |
| December 2, 2023 | Emporia State (MIAA) | 55 | Southern Nazarene (GAC) | 24 | [9] | |
| December 7, 2024 | Central Missouri (MIAA) | 39 | UT Permian Basin (LSC) | 37 | 3,500 | [10] |
| December 6, 2025 | West Texas A&M (LSC) | 28 | Arkansas Tech (GAC) | 27 | 4,685 | [11] |
Wins by conference
| Conference | Games | Win | Loss | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-America | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Great American | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 |
| Lone Star | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 |
Appearances by team
| Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Emporia State | 2 | 2–0 |
| West Texas A&M | 1 | 1–0 |
| Central Missouri | 1 | 1–0 |
| Central Oklahoma | 1 | 1–0 |
| East Central | 1 | 1–0 |
| Eastern New Mexico | 1 | 1–0 |
| Oklahoma Baptist | 1 | 1–0 |
| Arkansas–Monticello | 1 | 0–1 |
| Southern Arkansas | 1 | 0–1 |
| Tarleton State | 1 | 0–1 |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | 1 | 0–1 |
| Southern Nazarene | 1 | 0–1 |
| Arkansas Tech | 1 | 0–1 |
| UT Permian Basin | 2 | 0–2 |