The Outback Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at
Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
The game
was originally started by the Tampa Sports Authority but after two years
was incorporated as a 501C3 organization and since then has been managed
by the Tampa Bay Bowl Association.
It was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and became the
Outback Bowl in 1996. The name "Outback" comes from the
game's title sponsor, Outback Steakhouse.
The Hall of Fame Bowl had been held at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977-1985. In the spring of 1986, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame decided to relocate the game to Tampa, first at Tampa Stadium (later Houlihan's Stadium) from 1986 until 1998 and then into "The New Sombrero" beginning in 1999. The game became the first bowl in Tampa since the Cigar Bowl from 1947-1954. Since 1996, the game has contracts with the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten Conference.
