• Extra Points
  • Posts
  • Here is what I know about the Cincinnati Chili Bowl

Here is what I know about the Cincinnati Chili Bowl

Good morning, and thanks for spending part of your day with Extra Points.

I was born and raised in Ohio. We have the Pro Football Hall of Fame, two NFL teams, eight FBS teams, and some of the best small college and high school programs in the country. My first job as a sportswriter was covering high school games in stadiums that could comfortably fit the entire town. It's a civic religion almost everywhere in the state.

But you know what Ohio didn't have? A bowl game.

As best as I can tell, the Buckeye State hasn't hosted a bowl game since the 1947 Great Lakes Bowl, a forgettable affair between Kentucky and Villanova, played in Cleveland. The Wildcats won, in case you were wondering.

Editor's Note: after publication, a helpful reader reminded me that actually, the 1961 Aviation Bowl in Dayton, between New Mexico and Western Michigan, was the last bowl game in Ohio. I deeply regret the oversight.

But back in the fall, I started to hear whispers that there was a movement to try and bring a bowl game back to Ohio...specifically, in Cincinnati. Various civic and business leaders were making phone calls to potential sponsors, potential broadcast partners, and potential conferences.

Last Friday, those plans became public. The Cincinnati USA Sports Commission announced they're conducting a feasibility study to bring a bowl game back to Buckeye State.

I made some calls, and here's what I know about the effort so far:

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.

Become a paying subscriber of Premium to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.

A subscription gets you:

  • • FOUR newsletters a week
  • • Access to every single article in our archives
  • • Access to Athletic Director Simulator 4000
  • • Free digital copy of the What If? ebook
  • • TWO MONTHS FREE compared to monthly pricing

Reply

or to participate.