Sports
Sports

New Atlanta bowl game names executive director

By
Aug 28, 2015

The Celebration Bowl, Atlanta’s new college football postseason game, Friday announced local businessman John Grant as its executive director.

The game will match the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference, two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) leagues. The inaugural game is scheduled for noon Dec. 19, live on ABC.

Grant has been CEO of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta organization for 14 years.

The MEAC and SWAC announced in March a six-year agreement to play the Celebration Bowl here: the first two years in the Georgia Dome and the next four in the new Falcons stadium, which opens in 2017 and this week was officially named Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Celebration Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, which like ABC is part of the Walt Disney Co.

About the Author

Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.

Follow Tim Tucker on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Georgia State dropped to 1-10 on the season with its eighth straight loss, falling 31-19 to Troy on Saturday.

Credit: Stan Awtrey

Georgia State losing streak reaches eight

Georgia State lost its eighth game in a row to Troy, 31-19. The Panthers trailed by five points midway through the fourth quarter, but couldn't get closer.

Odom’s record-setting day leads Kennesaw State to wild win over Missouri State

Amari Odom found Chase Belcher for a go-ahead 14-yard touchdown with 27 seconds remaining and Kennesaw State beat Missouri State 41-34.

UAB plays after 2 players stabbed hours before kickoff

UAB opted to go ahead with its scheduled 3 p.m. game against South Florida on Saturday just hours after a stabbing incident at the Blazers' football facility.

The Latest

Georgia State dropped to 1-10 on the season with its eighth straight loss, falling 31-19 to Troy on Saturday.

Credit: Stan Awtrey

Georgia State losing streak reaches eight

Odom’s record-setting day leads Kennesaw State to wild win over Missouri State

UAB plays after 2 players stabbed hours before kickoff

Featured

Tracy Woodard from InTown Cares (left) and Lauren Hopper from Mercy Care organization work with residents at the Copperton Street encampment in August 2024. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez

‘Worst nightmares come true.’ Atlanta confronts shift in homelessness funding.

Trump’s overhaul threatens permanent housing for an estimated 600 Atlanta households and 170,000 people nationwide, advocates warn.

Microsoft’s newest AI ‘superfactory’ opens at sprawling Fayetteville campus

One of the largest data center campuses under construction in Georgia has its first operational tenant, and it’s one of the most recognizable names in technology.

Atlanta officials quietly rebrand city’s DEI office

The city of Atlanta office overseeing diversity, equity and inclusion is getting a rebrand amid assaults at the federal level on such initiatives.