If you need a sponsor for the Cotton Bowl, who you gonna call? Not AT&T Inc., last year's sponsor.
Try Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. The 79th Cotton Bowl Classic will feature the Michigan State Spartans and the Baylor Bears -- and the Goodyear blimp – on Jan. 1, 2015, at, ironically, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff will begin at 12:45 p.m. EST.
The sponsorship further positions Goodyear as a major corporate brand participant in college football, with the company’s blimp fleet serving as one of the most recognizable sights above stadiums while providing aerial coverage of key games for decades.
“Like many of our customers, we at Goodyear are passionate about college football and are excited to team up with the Cotton Bowl and ESPN in bringing this legendary game to football fans on New Year’s Day,” says Steve McClellan, president of Goodyear North America. “We are thrilled to share in the excitement of the inaugural year of the college football playoff format through support of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.”
The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is a member of the “New Year’s Six” -- the top bowl games included in the College Football Playoff Semifinal rotation. It will host a top matchup annually. This will include a semifinal game on Dec. 31, 2015, as the sponsorship continues.
ESPN Inc. will have exclusive coverage of the 2015 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and the all-new College Football Playoff beginning with the 2014-2015 season. The inaugural playoff features the universities of Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State and Florida State.
“Goodyear and the Goodyear Blimp have been associated with sports for decades,” says Ed Erhardt, president of ESPN global customer marketing and sales. “It only stands to reason that they should help inaugurate this most exciting era of the College Football Playoff.”
To read about Goodyear's relationship with cotton-cord tires, click here.
