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2021 Celebration Bowl Events, Notes, and Facts

The Celebration Bowl is in its sixth year, the annual college football bowl game featuring champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

The Celebration Bowl is in its sixth year, the annual college football bowl game featuring champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

ESPN and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium signed an agreement to continue to holding the game thru 2026.

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The 2021 Cricket Celebration Bowl will be played this Saturday, Dec. 18, at 12 PM ET as the SWAC champion Jackson State University Tigers will battle the MEAC champion South Carolina State Bulldogs. The game will be televised nationally on ABC.

2021 CELEBRATION BOWL EVENTS

CELEBRATION BOWL HISTORY

The Cricket Celebration Bowl is a postseason college football game featuring the conference champions from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The event’s mission is to provide the schools, alumni, fans, and sponsors with a first-class bowl experience while continuing to celebrate the heritage, legacy, pageantry and tradition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 

It is managed by ESPN Events, a subsidiary of ESPN, which owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide, including 13 postseason bowl games. ESPN partners with The 100 Black Men of Atlanta to manage the game’s ancillary events, which include a Youth Symposium, Robotics Showcase, Gospel Night and Fan Experience. John Grant serves as the Celebration Bowl’s Executive Director.

The Cricket Celebration Bowl was announced at the College Football Hall of Fame in March of 2015. The event got off to a rousing start in its inaugural year as North Carolina A&T defeated Alcorn State 41-34 in front of over 35,000 fans at the Georgia Dome. An additional 14.8 million people (2.56 million average) watched around the country on ABC.

In 2016, the event was viewed by even more people as average viewership eclipsed a 2.71 million average. In addition, Grambling State’s 10-9 victory over North Carolina Central was seen by service men and women around the world in over 140 countries on the Armed Forces Network.

Celebration Bowl Game Results

  • 2015: N.C. A&T def. Alcorn State, 41-34 
  • 2016: Grambling State def. NCCU, 10-9
  • 2017: N.C. A&T def. Grambling, 21-14
  • 2018: N.C. A&T def. Alcorn State, 24-22
  • 2019: N.C. A&T def. Alcorn, 64-44

The MEAC leads the all-time series 4-1 and has won the last three contests.

THE TEAMS

2021 SWAC Champions: Jackson State University Tigers (11-1, 9-0 SWAC)

Head Coach: Deion Sanders

The Tigers (11-1, 9-0 SWAC) defeated the Prairie View A&M Panthers on Saturday, 27-10 to earn the right to play in the 2021 Cricket Celebration Bowl.

Press Conference Quote by Sanders: “That is why God led me to Jackson State University, an HBCU in the SWAC,” Sanders said. “I tried to tell ya’ll … nobody wanted to listen, you thought I was just running my mouth. And it was not that. I truly believe it is going to be change. Everything I’ve done in my life I have provoked change, why not now?

2021 MEAC Champions: South Carolina State Bulldogs (6-5, 5-0 MEAC)

Head Coach: Buddy Pough

The Bulldogs defeated rival Norfolk State on Saturday with a score of 31-21 to earn the invitation.

Press Conference Quote by Pough: “He's been here for one, less than a year, and he's won all the top awards,” Pough said. “I’ve been a coaching for 45 years and haven’t had had some of these accolades. It's been a fun run to see him rise to the top. And he's done a little bit for us all.

WHAT'S ON THE LINE

The HBCU National Champion will be crowned after the completion of the contest.

More HBCU Football Coverage

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