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Big Ten Bowl Trip: Outback Bowl
Dec. 11, 2007
BIG TEN BOWL TRIP: Rose | Capital One | Outback | Alamo | Champs Sports | Insight | Motor City by Jeff Smith Talk about the ultimate bowl game experience. The city of Tampa Bay and the Outback Bowl are inviting you to travel to the sunny and warm western coast of Florida, relax on the plentiful beaches, shop the vibrant downtown area, take in the incredible New Year's Eve fireworks display on the waterfront, and be a part of the first football game of any kind in the newly crowned calendar year. What more could you ask for? A game featuring two of the nation's most dominant football conferences in the Big Ten and SEC? OK, they'll throw that in there too. Act now and you'll also receive admission to a football stadium that houses its very own pirate ship! This is no special introductory offer and none of these special items will be taken off the table if you don't call within the next 30 minutes. This is just simply what the ultimate bowl game experience should be. "We refer to ourselves as `football in paradise'," said Jim McVay, President and CEO of the Outback Bowl. "There are so many vacation things to do down here, it's the perfect bowl destination. We are packaging the Tampa Bay area and all of its destination places with big-time football which makes it the ultimate bowl game experience." McVay is not only a spokesperson for the Outback Bowl, but he also understands what Midwesterners are looking for when escaping the wintry season in Big Ten Country. He too is a native of the Midwest with a host of Big Ten ties.
His father John McVay starred at Miami (Ohio) under head coaches Woody Hayes of Ohio State lore and Ara Parseghian, before he left for Northwestern. He went on to become an three-year assistant football coach at Michigan State under Duffy Daugherty and ultimately ended up as the San Francisco 49ers' vice president and general manager for 17 seasons, where he was part of five Super Bowl championship teams. "I come from a football family," Jim McVay said. "I also had a brother who was a captain under Lee Corso at Indiana and an older brother who was a free safety with Ron Zook at Miami (Ohio)." Suffice to say, McVay understands what Midwesterners are looking for when they migrate to the South in the winter. It is that fan loyalty that also makes him appreciative of the Outback Bowl's partnership with the Big Ten. "You don't find more passionate fans than those that come out of the Big Ten," McVay said. "The teams play in large stadiums and in front of large a television audience that always brings in big ratings. You typically can't go wrong when you are getting one of the top teams in the Big Ten." McVay goes on to talk about the uniqueness of the Outback Bowl and points out that for at least 30 minutes on New Year's Day, all eyes of football fans nationwide are watching the Big Ten battle the SEC. Officially, the Outback Bowl is the first college football bowl game, or any football game for that matter, to kickoff on January 1st. The 11 a.m. ET start time is something that McVay and the Outback Bowl have grown to be proud of. "It's the first football game of any kind on New Year's Day and we are proud of that spot," he said. It's a prestigious spot; the coaches love it and the players want to play on New Year's Day." The timeslot does tend to force fans to plan out their New Year's celebration, with just 11 hours separating the time one ball drops and another is booted off a tee.
Luckily, downtown Tampa is a thriving area of hotels and entertainment districts where fans can stay out late and still be close to their bed. Rob Higgins, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, notes that although a good full-service to standard-service balance of the 20,000 hotel rooms are located in the Westshore District, just three miles away from Raymond James Stadium and its' famous pirate ship, fans would enjoy staying in the downtown area. Located approximately six miles from the stadium, downtown Tampa offers several lodging options as well as Channelside and Ybor City in the entertainment district. You'll feel a sense of the Latin history of the state when you visit Ybor City (pronounced e-BORE), which is one of only two National Historic Landmark Districts in the state. Founded by Vicente Martinez-Ybor as a cigar-manufacturing center, visitors today can still see a hand-rolled cigar being made as well as dining at a variety of different Spanish, Cuban, Italian, Greek and French cuisines on La Setima, the main street of the Historic District. Several popular and name-brand hotels offer views of the Tampa waterfront and downtown skyline. Most are within a short distance to Channelside, which houses restaurants, shops, the Florida Aquarium and a spectacular New Year's Eve fireworks show on the waterfront where they "Light Up Tampa Bay" before "Howling at the Moon." "(Channelside) is a great location and the Florida Aquarium is something that is great for people because it continues to amaze people of all ages, from kids to senior citizens," said Higgins. "Between the sharks, the penguins, and with us being a waterfront location, it's great to get a look at what is under the water." Higgins also said that it's not uncommon for people to travel from a colder climate and walk through the venue in short sleeves and shorts prior to grabbing a quick snack along the water and one of the numerous eateries, including Bennigan's or Cold Stone Creamery. Getting around downtown Tampa is easy and affordable, all while offering a feeling of nostalgia as well. For less than $5 a day, the air-conditioned TECOline Streetcar will guide you to and from some of Tampa's most popular attractions. Operating every 15-20 minutes, the streetcar will link you to Ybor City, the Florida Aquarium, Garrison Seaport, Tampa Convention Center and the St. Pete Times Forum and Channelside. Should you be looking for an award-winning steak dinner and willing to spend a little, Bern's Steak House is a must. In the mood for an elegant Spanish and Cuban cuisine to go along with your choice of more than 700 wines? Try the Columbia, which was founded in 1905 and has grown to include an inventory of wine exceeding 30,000 bottles. For an extra $6 per person, enjoy the Columbia's dancers performing the flamenco, one of Spain's traditional dances, in one of two 45-minute shows at the restaurant. Should you have the kids along, or did not get back enough money on your semester textbooks to foot the bill at one of the dining hotspots listed above, check out Gameworks in Ybor City where everyone has an opportunity to eat and be merry. Don't want to be confined to arcade games? Take the 15-20 minute drive from downtown to Busch Gardens, a safari setting with several different kinds of animals, education tours, and SheiKra - a ride that this a one-of-a-kind roller coaster. The nation's first "dive" coaster takes you 200 feet up in the air and then 90 degrees straight down before an Immelmann loop and a second vertical dive into an underground tunnel. And the state's tallest roller coaster as recently added a new twist. No floors. The "floorless" cars allow riders an unobstructed view of the safari landscape at 70 miles per hour. Regardless of what you end up doing and no matter how long you stay, you won't see all of what Tampa has to offer. What you will see, said Higgins, is a community wrapping their arms around the Outback Bowl in an effort to make the game and your winter bowl vacation a memorable one. "Certainly we have a championship climate year round, but the warmth is continued by the hospitality the community shows to our visitors," Higgins said. "We have a long-standing tradition of wrapping our arms around big events like the Outback Bowl, which makes it a very special environment. Not to mention an "ultimate experience." Welcome to Tampa Bay! Celebrate this year and help us kickoff a new one! |
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