AKRON—Goodyear has become the title sponsor of the Cotton Bowl Classic college football game to be played on Jan. 1 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
As a member of the “New Year's Six” — the top bowl games included in the College Football Playoff Semifinal rotation—the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic will host a top matchup annually, including a College Football Playoff semifinal game on Dec. 31, 2015. The company did not disclose the value or length of its sponsorship.
“Like many of our customers, we at Goodyear are passionate about college football and are excited to team up with the Cotton Bowl and ESPN in bringing this legendary game to football fans on New Year's Day,” said Steve McClellan, president, Goodyear North America.
“We are thrilled to share in the excitement of the inaugural year of the college football playoff format through support of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.”
“This is a terrific partnership between two iconic brands,” said Dan Novakov, chairman of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
ESPN Inc. will air exclusive coverage of the 2015 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and the all-new College Football Playoff beginning with the 2014-15 season, featuring the four top teams as ranked by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
“Goodyear and the Goodyear Blimp have been associated with sports for decades. It only stands to reason that they should help inaugurate this most exciting era of the College Football Playoff,” said Ed Erhardt, president, ESPN global customer marketing and sales.
The Cotton Bowl Classic was created in 1937. It has been sponsored by AT&T seven of the past nine years.