Almost every junior college football player in the country is looking to prove he can compete on the biggest stage in college football.

New for 2012, players from two of the best junior college programs in the nation will get the opportunity to prove just that when they square off in the Brazos Valley Bowl presented by Blinn College.

Kyle Field, home of the Texas Aggies, hosts the first-ever Brazos Valley bowl Dec. 1.The stadium is the 13th-largest venue in the NCAA with an official seating capacity of 82,600. As many as 90,079 fans packed the stadium during a 2010 game against Nebraska.

The capacity easily makes Kyle Field the largest venue for a junior college bowl game in the NJCAA. In fact, the next three largest game sites combined – the Syracuse University Carrier Dome, home to the Carrier Dome Bowl in Syracuse, N.Y.; the UNI Dome, home to the Graphic Edge Bowl in Cedar Falls, Iowa; and Bulldawg Stadium, home of the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl in Copperas Cove, Texas – don’t match the seating capacity available at the Brazos Valley Bowl.

Built in the late 1920s, Kyle Field was named for Edwin Jackson Kyle, who served as Texas A&M’s dean of agriculture and athletic council president. The stadium was expanded in 1967 to include two decks, and the third decks were added in 1980. In 1999, the stadium added the Bernard C. Richardson Zone, increasing the stadium to its current capacity.

“The only way to host a first-class bowl is to hold the game in a first-class venue, like Kyle Field,” said Ted Raspiller, president of Blinn College’s Brazos County campuses. “The Brazos Valley Bowl will give the participating student-athletes an opportunity to play in one of the most tradition-rich football stadiums in the nation, and we think that will be a tremendous draw in allowing us to attract the very best competitors.”

The Brazos Valley Bowl, slated for noon on Dec. 1, was the result of Blinn’s partnerships with community leaders aimed at boosting economic activity in the region during the historically sluggish month of December. Initial funding for the bowl game was provided by the City of College Station through Hotel Occupancy Tax funds.

The game furthers Blinn’s mission to benefit its host communities while informing thousands of potential students of the advantages two-year colleges provide through affordable academic and technical programs. Proceeds from the bowl will be distributed as new scholarships.

For more information on the game, visit: www.brazosvalleybowl.com or see the game’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BrazosValleyBowl.

About the Brazos Valley Bowl
Blinn College, in cooperation with community leaders, will bring the excitement of college bowl season to the Bryan-College Station area with the Brazos Valley Bowl held Dec. 1 at Kyle Field. The Bryan-College Station Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the event could bring $1 million in economic activity to the region while also informing potential students of the advantages two-year colleges provide through affordable academic and technical programs.

NJCAA BOWL GAME STADIUM CAPACITIES

Brazos Valley Bowl Kyle Field College Station, Texas 82,600
Carrier Dome Bowl Syracuse U. Carrier Dome Syracuse, N.Y. 49,250
Graphic Edge Bowl UNI Dome Cedar Falls, Iowa 16,324
C.H.A.M.P.S Heart of Texas Bowl Bulldawg Stadium Copperas Cove, Texas 9,845
Citizen’s Bank Bowl Carnie Smith Stadium Pittsburg, Kan. 8,343
El Toro Bowl Veterans Memorial Stadium Yuma, Ariz. 5,300
Salt City Bowl Gowans Stadium Hutchinson, Kan. 5,000
Mississippi Bowl Biloxi Indians Stadium Biloxi, Miss. 5,000
Valley of the Sun Bowl Maricopa County Phoenix, Ariz. 1,200*

Game hosted by the Maricopa County, Ariz. champion each year. Capacity based on last year’s site – Glendale Community College’s Sartoris Field.