TEXAS BOWL TICKET SALES SURPASS 60,000

Less than 10,000 tickets remain with a week to go until the game

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 21, 2010) Ticket sales for the 2010 Texas Bowl have surpassed 60,000, the Texas Bowl Committee announced today. With the game eight days away, less than 10,000 tickets remain available for purchase.

The 2010 Texas Bowl will kick off at 5 p.m. CT, Wednesday, Dec. 29. It will be televised on ESPN and can be heard nationally on ESPN Radio and locally on ESPN 97.5 FM. The game will feature Baylor and Illinois in the first year of the bowl’s new matchup between the Big 12 and Big Ten.

Baylor finished the year 7-5 and will be making its first bowl appearance since 1994, while Illinois returns to postseason play for the first time since the 2007 season after a 6-6 season.

The Texas Bowl, which is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), Inc., a subsidiary of ESPN, held the fifth choice among non-BCS bowls in each conference. Baylor will be the designated home team for the game.

Tickets went on sale to the general public on November 1 following an exclusive pre-sale window for those who bought tickets to the 2009 Texas Bowl. Tickets, which start at $30, may be purchased online at TicketMaster.com, on the phone at 832-667-2390 or in person at the Reliant Stadium box office inside Budweiser Plaza.

Game tickets will also grant fans admittance to TexFest, a Texas-sized pregame party featuring a live performance by popular Texas country artist Roger Creager on the Bud Light Stage, as well as “Spirit Walks” when the teams arrive.

The Texas Bowl has been a tremendous success both on and off the field over its first four years. The bowl has generated an average of $25 million per year for the Houston economy. The bowl has over 25,000 season ticket holders and sold over 50,000 tickets before its teams were announced last year.

Over its four-year history, the Texas Bowl has donated over $300,000 and more than $5 million in promotional support and publicity to DePelchin Children’s Center, the bowl’s official charitable beneficiary.