DALLAS — SERVPRO, the title sponsor of college football’s First Responder Bowl since 2018, has agreed to a three-year extension, continuing its commitment through the 2026 bowl game.
“It is such a privilege to continue our sponsorship of the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, honoring those that put their lives on the line for service and community,” SERVPRO Chief Operating Officer John Sooker said. “The heroes we recognize, not only today but every day, wear badges, scrubs and uniforms. This game highlights those heroes in every community across the country.”
SERVPRO Industries, LLC is a leading property restoration and construction franchise company. SERVPRO was recently inducted into Entrepreneur Magazine’s prestigious Franchise 500 Hall of Fame. Named to the Franchise 500 list 38 consecutive years, it was ranked No. 16 in 2023.
“We are thrilled to have SERVPRO’s continued support of the First Responder Bowl as our title sponsor,” said Brant Ringler, the bowl’s executive director. “SERVPRO’s association is a perfect match for our game which honors everyday heroes who are called to deal with extraordinary circumstances.”
In December 2014, the bowl began honoring first responders, including police officers, firefighters, EMS workers, correctional officers, search and rescue, dispatchers, security guards, federal agents, border patrol agents and military personnel who have specialized training and are the first to arrive and provide assistance at the scene of an emergency. In 2018, the game was renamed to reflect the efforts to show appreciation to first responders.
The 2023 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl will be played Tuesday, Dec. 26, at SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Kickoff time is set for 4:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN.
Since 2019, Ford Stadium has served as the host site. The game, previously known as the Heart of Dallas Bowl and TicketCity Bowl, was originally contested at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Previous teams selected for the bowl include Air Force, Army West Point, Boise State, Boston College, Houston, Illinois, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, North Texas, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Memphis, Penn State, Purdue, Southern Miss, Texas Tech, UNLV, Utah, Utah State, UTSA, Washington, West Virginia, Western Michigan and Western Kentucky.
The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl is one of 17 college football bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events. For additional information, please visit FirstResponderBowl.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more information on SERVPRO, visit www.Servpro.com.
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2023, the 33-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, nine college basketball events, a college softball event and the inaugural Band of the Year National Championship, in addition to a new a college gymnastics event coming in 2024. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, while reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. 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, Instagram or YouTube pages.
SERVPRO
For more than 50 years, SERVPRO has been a trusted leader in fire and water cleanup and restoration services, construction, mold mitigation, biohazard and pathogen remediation. SERVPRO’s professional services network of more than 2,200 individually owned and operated franchises spans the United States and Canada, responding to property damage emergencies large and small – from million-square-foot commercial facilities to individual homes. When disaster strikes, homeowners, business owners and major insurance companies alike rely on SERVPRO to make it “Like it never even happened.”