Hurricanes to play Wisconsin in Champs Sports Bowl
Dec. 6, 2009
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami football team has accepted an invitation to play the University of Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 29 in Orlando. The game will be played at the Citrus Bowl and will be televised live on ESPN at 8 p.m.
Miami (9-3, 5-3 ACC) will be playing in its 35th bowl all-time and the second under third-year head coach Randy Shannon. It will be UM’s third appearance in the game but its first since it moved from Miami to Orlando in 2001 and its first since Champs Sports became the title sponsor in 2004.
“The University of Miami is excited to be playing so close to home in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando,” Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. “I’d like to thank Steve Hogan and the Florida Citrus Sports Foundation. Our fans are going to have a great opportunity to come out and support our team against a formidable opponent in Wisconsin. I encourage our fans to come cheer on the Hurricanes.”
Wisconsin (9-3, 5-3 Big Ten) finished the regular season in a tie for fourth in the Big Ten Conference. The Hurricanes are 2-1 all-time versus the Badgers, with the last meeting coming in 1989 when UM defeated Wisconsin, 51-3, in Madison.
The Hurricanes closed out their regular season with a 31-10 win at USF on Nov. 28. Wisconsin won its regular season finale at Hawai’i, 51-10, on Saturday.
Miami has a 19-15 record in 34 previous bowls and is 7-3 in the last 10 bowls. The Hurricanes are one of seven ACC teams playing in a bowl this season.
“We are thrilled for the opportunity to play Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl,” head coach Randy Shannon said. “It’s a great opportunity for our fans throughout the state of Florida to come and see an exciting football game played between two great teams.”
This year’s Champs Sports Bowl marks the ninth season the game will be played in Orlando. The `Canes are 2-0 in the bowl, defeating Virginia in 1996 when it was named the Carquest Bowl and NC State in 1998 when it was named the Micron PC Bowl.
Since 2001, the bowl has been operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group which also organizes the Capital One Bowl and Florida Classic.
The game has featured an ACC team versus a Big Ten team since 2006. In last year’s game, Florida State defeated Wisconsin, 42-13.
Tickets for the game can be purchased for $63 by visiting www.hurricanesports.com or by calling 1-800-GO-CANES.
For official bowl travel please visit www.hurricanesportstravel.com.
