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Jan. 15, 2008
Courtesy of the Chick-fil-A Bowl Media Relations Staff
ATLANTA - After 40 years of bowl game tradition in Atlanta, the Chick-fil-A Bowl is really starting to hit its stride. And the proof is in the numbers.
Not only did Clemson and Auburn provide a great match-up of two top-25 teams, but the two Tigers gave the Chick-fil-A Bowl its first overtime game ever and an incredible game for the record 11th straight sellout crowd of 74,413. Auburn finally defeated Clemson 23-20 in a thrilling game won on the final play in the first overtime.
With that attendance, the Chick-fil-A Bowl drew more fans than all other bowls except the BCS National Championship Game and the Rose Bowl. The 74,413 was the third-highest in Chick-fil-A Bowl history. Only the BCS bowls have higher attendance averages and the Chick-fil-A Bowl's string of hard sellouts continues to close that gap.
"These records are a result of the enthusiastic support of college football by Atlanta fans, corporations and volunteers," said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president. "We owe all of them, as well as the passionate fans of Auburn and Clemson, for these outstanding records that have once again proven that the #1 non-BCS bowl in America is the Chick-fil-A Bowl."
Beyond that, the bowl season's only overtime game helped the Chick-fil-A Bowl earn the highest television rating of all ESPN bowls this year and the highest in the Bowl's history (5.09 = 4.92 million households). Over the last four years, the Chick-fil-A Bowl has averaged over a 5.0 in TV ratings.
Other Chick-fil-A Bowl records established this year include an all-time high $5.83 million in total team payout, a record attendance of 35,486 at the Bowl's pre-game FanFest presented by Coca-Cola and a record $1.04 million in charitable and scholarship contributions that nearly doubled last year's record of $531,000.
Chick-fil-A Bowl Records Set in 2007:
Attendance: 74,413 (Third-highest among ALL bowls)
Consecutive Sellouts: 11 (Third-longest in the nation)
ESPN TV Rating: 5.09 (4.92 million households - #1 ESPN rating in 2007)
Team Payout: $5.83 million (Chick-fil-A Bowl record)
FanFest Attendance: 35,486 (Chick-fil-A Bowl record)
Charitable Contributions: $1.04 million (Highest among ALL bowls)
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"This has been a good week - it's like our last family reunion for our seniors," Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville said. "The Bowl volunteers have been great - they're really the ones who do all the work and take care of our families; this Bowl is number-one in regards to players and having a good time."
But, perhaps Auburn's Quentin Groves said it best, "I love it man, this is a great bowl! I spoke to some of my colleagues around college football and they say they like the Chick-fil-A Bowl better than any other bowl. That speaks volumes for the bowl game and the people they have working it. I thank God that we got a chance to even be in this bowl game."
The Chick-fil-A Bowl is the longest-running rivalry series of top-ranked teams from the ACC and SEC and is recognized as one of the most competitive bowl games in college football. The Chick-fil-A Bowl owns exclusive rights to the first selection in the ACC - after the BCS - and is the highest-attended non-BCS bowl game in the country over the last 10 years.
