Russell Athletic replaces Champs Sports as the title sponsor of the game. Champs Sports has been the sponsor since 2004. Prior to that, the bowl game was sponsored by Blockbuster (1990-93), Carquest (1994-97), MicronPC (1998-00) and Mazda (2002-03).
The 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl has been set for Friday, December 28 at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. The contest will feature teams from the ACC and Big East.
Future Russell Athletic Bowls could include higher profile teams as both Russell and FCS have committed to “boost the profile of the game.”
“As a brand whose heritage is so deeply rooted in college football, it is a natural fit for Russell Athletic to partner with FCSports for the Russell Athletic Bowl,” Gary Barfield, executive vice president, Russell Brands, LLC said in a statement. “We are also excited to extend our “Together We R” brand campaign in new ways and reach even more consumers through all the channels that FCSports provides as part of this relationship.”