The second invitation to the seventh annual Cricket Celebration Bowl – to be played on Saturday, Dec. 17, at noon ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and aired live on ABC – has been extended to Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) college football champion Jackson State University. The Tigers defeated the Southern University Jaguars 43-24.  Executive Director of the Cricket Celebration Bowl, John Grant, was on-site at the SWAC Championship in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday to present Jackson State University Head Coach Deion Sanders with the official invitation.

“Congratulations to SWAC champion Jackson State University for earning their second trip to the Cricket Celebration Bowl,” said Grant. “Jackson State, led by Coach Sanders, had a record-setting season. We are excited for the Tigers to join us in this championship matchup against the MEAC champion North Carolina Central University Eagles.”

Now its seventh year, the Cricket Celebration Bowl has established itself as a premier bowl game, celebrating the heritage, legacy, pageantry, and tradition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The championship-style game between the MEAC and SWAC champions is televised on ABC.  ESPN Events collaborates with its sponsors, the Divine Nine Greek organizations, and the Atlanta HBCU Alumni Alliance to schedule the game’s ancillary events, which includes a fan experience, community service projects, and more.

Since its debut in 2015, the Celebration Bowl is the only Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision bowl game. It serves as the annual HBCU national championship game between the MEAC and SWAC conferences.

The Celebration Bowl returned in 2021 after a one-year absence in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Celebration Bowl Games (2015-present):
2015 North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn State, 41-34
2016 Grambling State def. North Carolina Central, 10-9
2017 North Carolina A&T def. Grambling State, 21-14
2018 North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn State, 24-22
2019 North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn, 64-44
2020 Did not play due to Covid pandemic
2021 South Carolina State def. Jackson State, 31-10

Fans can purchase tickets to the Cricket Celebration Bowl online at thecelebrationbowl.com or ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. A full list of events surrounding the game are available on the event’s website.

For MEAC fans, a special rate is being offered at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and is available for December 17-18.  Please visit the Celebration Bowl website for more details.

For SWAC fans, a special rate is being offered at the Hilton Atlanta, and is available for December 17-18. Please visit the Celebration Bowl website for more details.

Additional hotel rooms are available at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Atlanta Downtown and Spring Hill Suites. Please visit the Celebration Bowl website for more details.

ESPN Events 
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2022, the 32-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, and a college softball event, which account for approximately 400 hours of live programming, while reaching nearly 64 million viewers and attracting over 800,000 annual attendees. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

– 30 –