FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

01.04.10

I've often said that the three things that distinguish the Emerald Bowl are its match-up, venue and people. All three were in evidence this year and contributed to making our 2009 game a huge success.

Match-up

Our philosophy is to give Bay Area college football fans and the national TV audience a unique match-up between high-profile teams who normally do not play each other. This model has worked well for us in the past and did so again in '09. USC vs. Boston College showcased two great private institutions from opposite coasts. Both brought 8-4 records into the game. The two teams had met on the gridiron only twice before and hadn't played each other in 21 years.

When we invited SC and BC, we anticipated a good crowd and big TV ratings, and we were not disappointed. Despite heavy rain leading up to kickoff, the game attracted 40,121 fans to AT&T Park, marking our third sellout in the last four years.

Before the game, the San Francisco Boys Chorus sang a moving rendition of our national anthem, parachute jumpers landed on cue just as the final stanza was sung, and the rain halted just as Diamond Foods CEO Michael Mendes, Diamond Board Chairman Jack Gilbert and Emerald Bowl Chairman Ron Kovas conducted the toss of the coin. The game itself proved competitive and exciting throughout.

Our TV rating last year for Cal-Miami was a terrific 4.63, the No. 8 all-time bowl audience on ESPN, and our 2006 UCLA vs. Florida State game was No. 19 at 4.48. We'd hoped to approach those numbers this year, but exceeded our expectations with a record 5.34, 5.2 million households and over 8 million viewers. Those ratings make the 2009 Emerald Bowl the second most-watched college football bowl game in ESPN history! 

Venue

We're fortunate to be able to hold our game in the world's most popular city and in a great ballpark that provides a unique setting for football. These factors make the Emerald Bowl a special experience for the competing teams. Unlike many bowls that isolate teams at the airport or miles from the game venue, we deliberately house ours in two top-flight downtown San Francisco hotels--the Westin St. Francis (USC) and Hyatt Regency (BC)--so they can truly experience "the City by the Bay." 

The players' activities in San Francisco were highlighted by a tour of Alcatraz, a Christmas morning stint volunteering in the kitchen at Glide Memorial Church, and kickoff luncheon emceed by Pac-10 announcer Barry Tompkins and ESPN's Joe Tessitore. We also hosted special events for assistant coaches, wives and children, as well as a VIP dinner at Momo's for top officials and coaches from both teams, our Board of Directors and executives from title sponsor Diamond Foods.

People

Perhaps the one thing that most distinguishes the Emerald Bowl is the quality of the people involved. I'm blessed to have not only a terrific staff--assistant director Ryan Oppelt, media services manager Doug Kelly, and star interns Amy Gardner and Erica Pfeiffer--and a world-class Board of Directors and title sponsor, but a tremendous group of volunteers who give up their holidays to work for the Emerald Bowl and make sure that the teams have a great time in San Francisco.

I don't have enough space to detail the contributions and backgrounds of these amazing folks, but let me pay tribute to the key people involved--hospitality chairman Steve Steinhart; team managers Jim Caylor and Chris Johnson; team hosts Evan Combs, DeRonnie Pitts, Robby Snelling and Thomas Wilson; luncheon coordinators Heather Jones and Stacey Warner; band host Shaun Morrison; officials' host Joe Lozano; event hosts Desiree Hemmelgarn. Virginia Caylor, Donna Labriola, Kendra Thomas, Ray Yocke, and Mike Abendroth; and media assistants Sam and Adele Goldman. My heartfelt thanks to all of you, for you are the people who really make the Emerald Bowl.

During the week and after the game, both teams were effusive in their praise of the Emerald Bowl and the experience they had enjoyed. Perhaps Pete Carroll's comments in the post-game press conference summed it up best:

"Playing in this game was a great experience for our players and coaches. Many of our guys had never been to San Francisco, and they had a chance all this week to experience a great city. Jeff Tedford had told me a lot of good things about this bowl, and he was right. I can't say enough about the fantastic job that Gary and his staff did to make this just a great week for us. Everything was first class. This is definitely a real up and coming bowl."

Gary Cavalli

Executive Director