Charlotte is known for its southern hospitality, warm charm and hybrid culture — that of rural and urban. Its nightlife and restaurants mesh well with its lakes and parks allowing a comfortable experience for people with different interests. The Belk Bowl calls Charlotte home and provides the opportunity to combine pride in some of college football’s greatest teams from the SEC and ACC with the rich and welcoming culture of Charlotte, North Carolina. When you’re in town to cheer for your favorite team, be sure to make time for Charlotte’s many different attractions, walking trails, shopping areas, lakes, restaurants, parks, nightlife and more. Aside from the bowl game, Charlotte is a place for families to make memories that will last a lifetime and provide you with an experience that is BIGGER THAN THE GAME.
HISTORY
| YEAR |
TEAM |
SCORE |
TEAM |
SCORE |
| 2016 |
Virginia Tech |
35 |
Arkansas |
24 |
| 2015 |
Mississippi State |
51 |
NC State |
28 |
| 2014 |
Georgia |
37 |
Louisville |
14 |
| 2013 |
North Carolina |
39 |
Cincinnati |
17 |
| 2012 |
Cincinnati |
48 |
Duke |
38 |
| 2011 |
North Carolina State |
31 |
Louisville |
24 |
| 2010 |
South Florida |
31 |
Clemson |
26 |
| 2009 |
Pittsburgh |
19 |
North Carolina |
17 |
| 2008 |
West Virginia |
31 |
North Carolina |
30 |
| 2007 |
Wake Forest |
24 |
Connecticut |
10 |
| 2006 |
Boston College |
25 |
Navy |
24 |
| 2005 |
North Carolina State |
14 |
South Florida |
|
| 2004 |
Boston College |
37 |
North Carolina |
24 |
| 2003 |
Virginia |
23 |
Pittsburgh |
16 |
| 2002 |
Virginia |
48 |
West Virginia |
22 |
MEMORABLE GAMES
2006: Navy only had to run out the final two minutes to secure a victory over Boston College, but Reggie Campbell fumbled a pitch with 1:43 left and BC’s Jolonn Dunbar recovered at the Navy 40. The Eagles, out of time outs, got a 16-yard pass from Matt Ryan to tight end Ryan Pruvis, setting up walk-on kicker Steve Aponavicius for a career-long 37-yard field goal on the final play for the 25-24 victory. The win extended Boston College’s bowl-winning streak to seven games. 2009: Pittsburgh kicker Dan Hutchins kicked his fourth field goal of the game, a 33-yarder with 52 seconds left, to boost Pitt to a 19-17win over home-state favorite North Carolina. Pitt freshman tailback Dion Lewis rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown while breaking the Panthers’ single-season freshman rushing record held by Tony Dorsett. T. J. Yates passed for 183 yards and two scores for UNC, the last late in the third quarter to give the Tar Heels a 17-16 lead. 2008: West Virginia quarterback Pat White and ride out Hakeem Nicks connected eight times for 217 yards and three touchdowns, proving the Hilltoppers with just enough offense to edge North Carolina 31-30. 2012: With the game tied at 34-34 and Duke driving for a likely winning score, Blue Devil running back Josh Snead fumbled at the Cincinnati 5 with 1:20 left. Bearcat quarterback Brendon Kay hit tight end Travis Kelce with an 83-yard touchdown pass with 0:44 left, and Nick Temple had a 55-yard interception return for a TD with 14 seconds left as Cincinnati took an improbable 48-34 win.
STANDOUT PLAYERS
Wali Lundy, RB, Virginia, 2002 Scored four touchdowns, two on rushes and two on receptions from Marques Hagans and Matt Schaub, in leading Virginia to a 48-22 win over West Virginia in the inaugural bowl. Luny rushed for 127 yards and had 76 receiving yards. Pat White, QB, West Virginia, 2008 Threw for 332 yards in becoming the first quarterback in NCAA history to win four games as a starter. Dan Hutchins, K, Pittsburgh, 2009 Kicked a bowl-record four field goals, the last one coming from 33 yards away with only 0:52 left, to give Pittsburgh a 19-17 win over North Carolina Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina, 2008 Set a bowl record with eight catches for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Brendon Kay, QB, Cincinnati, 2012 Set a bowl record with four touchdown passes, all of 25 yards or more, and the last one was an 83-yarder to Travis Kelce with 0:44 left to break a tie and lead the Bearcats to a 48-34 win over Duke.
MORE
Nine players who were taken in the first two rounds of the 2011 NFL draft had played in the Belk Bowl, including first–round picks Robert Quinn of North Carolina (St. Louis Rams) and Jonathan Baldwin of Pittsburgh (Kansas City Chiefs). Raycom Sports president and CEO Ken Haines was scheduled to make the formal Charlotte pitch for a bowl game to the NCAA Bowl Certification Committee on Sept. 11, 2001 in Philadelphia. But just before that 10:45 a.m. scheduled meeting, the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C. took place, and Haines was the one that informed the group of athletic directors and NCAA staffers of the attacks. After a few brief comments, that meeting was cancelled, and it wasn’t until May of the following year that he made what was a successful presentation. Bids to the first Belk Bowl were not extended until Sunday, Dec. 8, to Virginia and West Virginia. In one week, the game was sold out and 73,535 — still the second- largest in bowl history – was in attendance. The sellout is believed to be the fastest ever for a first-year bowl game.
CONFERENCE AFFILIATION
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TRAVEL
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