| Florida Beach Bowl(defunct) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stadium | DRV PNK Stadium |
| Location | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
| Operated | 2023 |
| Conference tie-ins | CIAA,SIAC |
| Website | floridabeachbowl.com |
| Sponsors | |
Amerant Bank (2023) | |
TheFlorida Beach Bowl was an Americancollege footballbowl game contested betweenNCAA Division II teams from theCentral Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) andSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), twoathletic conferences traditionally consisting ofhistorically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The lone edition of the bowl was played on December 13, 2023, atDRV PNK Stadium inFort Lauderdale, Florida. For the 2023 season, the Florida Beach Bowl was one of four Division II sanctioned bowl games, along with theLive United Texarkana Bowl,America's Crossroads Bowl, andHeritage Bowl.
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The game was announced in September 2023 by organizers and officials withInter Miami CF, operators of the host stadium.[1][2] Urban Edge Network (UEN) was subsequently announced as the broadcaster for the bowl,[3] and Amerant Bank as the official sponsor.[4][5]
The Florida Beach Bowl was intended to revive the CIAA–SIAC postseason matchup of the defunctPioneer Bowl, contested from 1997 to 2012. Selection standards included a record of at least six wins,[3] for teams not invited to participate in theNCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs. Victor Robenson, bowl CEO, revealed the ultimate goal of having the game match the champions of the two conferences in a Black college championship for Division II, similar to the way theCelebration Bowl functions as the Black college title game for theDivision I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).[6]
On November 4, 2024, sources within the CIAA and SIAC confirmed the Florida Beach Bowl would not be held in 2024, revealing that "funding was an issue as the bowl looked to build off of its inaugural game."[7] Months after the bowl died a quiet death, CIAA commissioner Jacquie McWilliams-Parker offered a post-mortem in which she commented on the problems of HBCU institutions and conferences in dealing with "third-party partnerships" and overly-ambitious promoters.[8] Game organizers had planned six days of events, including a golf tournament, 5k run, prayer brunch, coaches luncheon, and media day, all of which were poorly attended.
| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 13, 2023 | Fort Valley State (SIAC) | 23 | Johnson C. Smith (CIAA) | 10 | [9] |