Florida Beach Bowl

Not to be confused with Miami Beach Bowl or Myrtle Beach Bowl.

Florida Beach Bowl
Stadium	DRV PNK Stadium
Location	Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Operated	2023 (paused)
Conference tie-ins	CIAA, SIAC
Website	floridabeachbowl.com
Sponsors
Amerant Bank (2023)

The Florida Beach Bowl is a currently paused American college football annual bowl game contested between NCAA Division II teams from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), two athletic conferences traditionally consisting of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The Florida Beach Bowl is one of three Division II sanctioned bowl games, along with the America's Crossroads Bowl and Heritage Bowl.

The first edition of the bowl was played on December 13, 2023, at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On November 4, 2024, the CIAA and SIAC revealed that the game would not be held in 2024, but did not address whether it would resume in future years.

History

DRV PNK Stadium in November 2021

The bowl was announced in September 2023 by organizers and officials with Inter Miami CF, who operate the host stadium.^[1][2] Urban Edge Network (UEN) was subsequently announced as the broadcaster for the bowl,^[3] and Amerant Bank as the official sponsor.^[4][5]

The 2023 Florida Beach Bowl revived the CIAA–SIAC postseason matchup of the defunct Pioneer Bowl, contested from 1997 to 2012. Selection standards included a record of at least six wins,^[3] for teams not invited to participate in the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs. Victor Robenson, bowl CEO, revealed the ultimate goal of having the game match the champions of the two conferences in a Black college championship for Division II, similar to the way the Celebration Bowl functions as the Black college title game for the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).^[6]

On November 4, 2024, sources within the CIAA and SIAC confirmed the Florida Beach Bowl would not be held in 2024, revealing that "funding was an issue as the bowl looked to build off of its inaugural game."^[7]

Game results

Date played	Winning team		Losing team		notes
December 13, 2023	Fort Valley State (SIAC)	23	Johnson C. Smith (CIAA)	10	[8]

References

1. Scouten, Ted (September 14, 2023). "New Florida Beach Bowl game will feature 2 HBCUs during post-season play in Fort Lauderdale". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
2. "DRV PNK Stadium to Host Inaugural Florida Beach Bowl on Dec. 13". intermiamicf.com. Inter Miami CF Communications Department. October 9, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
3. Mosley, Kyle T. (September 11, 2023). "Florida Beach Bowl, UEN Empowers HBCU Conferences With Postseason Football". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
4. "Florida Beach Bowl". Miami Herald. November 2, 2023. p. A19. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
5. "Amerant Bank Inks Partnership as Official Sponsor of Inaugural Florida Beach Bowl". amerantbank.com (Press release). October 30, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
6. Smalls II, C. Isaiah (November 17, 2023). "HBCUs to clash in Fort Lauderdale". Miami Herald. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
7. Gaither, Steven (November 4, 2024). "HBCU football bowl game won't happen this year". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved November 4, 2024. ^{[dead link‍]}
8. Mosley, Kyle T. (December 13, 2023). "Fort Valley State Defeats Johnson C. Smith In the Inaugural Florida Beach Bowl". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 14, 2023.

External links

• Official website