| Heritage Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot | |
 | |
| Stadium | Community National Bank & Trust Stadium |
| Location | Corsicana, Texas United States |
| Operated | 2017–present |
| Conference tie-ins | At-large picks fromGAC,LSC, orMIAA |
| Website | heritagebowl.org |
| Sponsors | |
Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot | |
| Former names | |
Corsicana Bowl (2017–2018) | |
TheHeritage Bowl is an annual AmericanNCAA Division IIcollege footballbowl game held atCommunity National Bank & Trust Stadium inCorsicana, Texas.
Currently, the Heritage Bowl is one of two Division II sanctioned bowl games, along with theAmerica's Crossroads Bowl. The participants are selected on an at-large basis from teams of theLone Star Conference (LSC),Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), andGreat American Conference (GAC) that do not qualify for theNCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs.[1]
The game was established in 2017 by Antwone "Tony" Taulton. Since 2018 the bowl has operated under the non-profit Corsicana Area Foundation, and proceeds from the game go to local Corsicana and Navarro County charities.[2] Initially called theCorsicana Bowl, the game was given its current name in 2019.[3] After the game was not played in 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,Fun Town RV served as title sponsor from 2021–23. On May 31, 2024, Riot Platforms was named the presenting sponsor and the game rebranded as theHeritage Bowl Powered by Riot.
Throughout its existence, the Heritage Bowl has been unique among Division II bowl games in having no fixed conference tie-in. This feature enabled bowl organizers to secure ten different teams for the first five games.Emporia State, invited in 2018 and 2023, andUT Permian Basin, in 2021 and 2024, are the only repeat participants thus far. The game has also included each of the three possible combinations of the participating conferences. An LSC-MIAA matchup in the inaugural game was followed by a GAC-MIAA contest in 2018, before three consecutive LSC-GAC games in 2019, 2021, and 2022. The 2023 contest featured a GAC-MIAA matchup for the first time in five years. The 2024 contest featured a LSC-MIAA matchup for the first time since the inaugural game.
| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2, 2017 | Central Oklahoma (MIAA) | 38 | Tarleton State (LSC) | 31 | 3,422 | [4] |
| December 1, 2018 | Emporia State (MIAA) | 30 | Arkansas–Monticello (GAC) | 22 | 3,900 | [5] |
| December 7, 2019 | Eastern New Mexico (LSC) | 20 | Southern Arkansas (GAC) | 13 | 2,000 | [6] |
| December 4, 2021 | Oklahoma Baptist (GAC) | 24 | UT Permian Basin (LSC) | 21 | 3,576 | [7] |
| December 3, 2022 | East Central (GAC) | 38 | Texas A&M–Kingsville (LSC) | 21 | 2,000 | [8] |
| December 2, 2023 | Emporia State (MIAA) | 55 | Southern Nazarene (GAC) | 24 | [9] | |
| December 7, 2024 | Central Missouri (MIAA) | 39 | UT Permian Basin (LSC) | 37 | [10] | |
| Conference | Games | Win | Loss | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-America | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Great American | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 |
| Lone Star | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 |
| Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Emporia State | 2 | 2–0 |
| Central Missouri | 1 | 1–0 |
| Central Oklahoma | 1 | 1–0 |
| East Central | 1 | 1–0 |
| Eastern New Mexico | 1 | 1–0 |
| Oklahoma Baptist | 1 | 1–0 |
| Arkansas–Monticello | 1 | 0–1 |
| Southern Arkansas | 1 | 0–1 |
| Tarleton State | 1 | 0–1 |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | 1 | 0–1 |
| Southern Nazarene | 1 | 0–1 |
| UT Permian Basin | 2 | 0–2 |