FRISCO — Scooter’s Coffee is the new title sponsor of the Frisco Bowl, the annual postseason college football game played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco for the last six seasons.
Executives of the game, the company, and ESPN Events held a press conference at Toyota Stadium in Frisco on Monday announcing the change.
“We’re excited to enter into this new partnership that really represents who we are, our franchisees, our employees, [and] our partners,” Scooter’s President Joe Thornton said as he addressed the media.
“With this great partnership with the Frisco Bowl and with ESPN Events, we recognize the work that they all do in the community with leadership, with education, and really celebrating student-athletes.”
Scooters was created in 1998 in Bellevue, Nebraska, and has 700 locations across 28 states, including eight within 15 miles of Frisco. The company prides itself on a “commitment to high-quality drinks, speed of service, and a BIG smile.”
The company has been seeking a bowl-game title sponsorship agreement for quite some time and had the Frisco Bowl circled as a primary target.
“In business, we always talk about inflection points, and we feel like this is one for this brand; for us to start to grow across the country and move out of the Midwest,” Thornton added. “With the presence we already have in Texas, we feel strongly about this opportunity for our brand to show. up…There’s no better place than Frisco, Texas, and there’s no better place than the Frisco Bowl for us to do it.”
“We actually said no to a lot of other opportunities, and when this opportunity came around, we knew it was fate,”
Scooter’s Coffee’s company values mirror the Frisco Bowl’s mission for the experiences it provides to student-athletes.
“When we get a title sponsor to come in and participate in the bowl structure like this, it provides opportunities for student-athletes to participate with their teams, their fans, and the viewing public,” ESPN Vice President of Events Clint Overby explained. “So, title sponsors really do serve as the underpinning of the college football postseason experience.”
“I’ve always been amazed to hear what a good experience that the student-athletes have each year,” FC Dallas and Toyota Stadium President Dan Hunt added. “They come here, we do different things with them, and they have so much fun when they’re here.”
Beginning as the Miami Beach Bowl in 2014, the Frisco Bowl is played in mid-December and features two schools representing the American Athletic, Conference USA, the Mountain West, the Mid-American, or the Sun Belt conferences. The game is entering its seventh season in Frisco, is one of 17 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, and is scheduled to be played on December 19, 2023.
The game was played without an official title sponsor last season, as over 13,000 fans watched Boise State defeat North Texas 35-32, and now turns to its third title sponsor since moving to the DFW area.
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EXTRA POINTS
— The University of North Texas also announced a naming rights deal on Monday. The university has an agreement with DATCU, a local credit union, for its football stadium to change the name from “Apogee Stadium” to “DATCU Stadium.”
— Nebraska defensive back Myles Farmer has been suspended indefinitely.
— An Arch Manning trading card was sold at an auction for $102,500.
— Northwestern is expected to add SKip Holtz to its coaching staff. Holtz, the son of legendary Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz, most recently served as the head coach of the back-to-back USFL champion Birmingham Stallions and has previous head coaching experience at multiple FBS schools. According to ESPN, it is a temporary position, and he will remain with Birmingham during the next USFL season.
— The Preseason Watchlist for the 2023 Maxwell Award (outstanding player in college football) was released on Monday and includes Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and TCU quarterback Chandler Morris among six players listed from Texas colleges.
