After broadcasting the All-American Bowl in San Antonio nearly 15 years, NBC Sports now owns the granddaddy of postseason high school football all-star games. NBC Sports Group has announced it’s becoming the exclusive owner, operator and multi-platform media rights holder for the game that will celebrate its 20th anniversary on January 4, 2020 in the Alamodome.
Over the last two decades, the game has featured 453 NFL players, 159 NCAA All-Americans, 50 Super Bowl champions, and 16 Heisman Trophy finalists.
“We are excited to continue the incredible legacy of the All-American Bowl, and engage the wide-ranging assets of NBC Sports Group and NBC Universal to elevate the game to new heights,” said Gary Quinn, Vice President of Programming, NBC Sports. “From Andrew Luck to Odell Beckham Jr., and Tua Tagovailoa to Trevor Lawrence, the All-American Bowl is synonymous with football excellence, and we look forward to adding this marquee event to our premium roster of owned properties.”
“After 20 years, we are proud and excited to hand-off leadership of the All-American Bowl and its related properties to NBC Sports,” said Douglas Berman, Chairman and CEO of All American Games. “They will be great stewards of the event into the future.”
As part of the acquisition, NBC Sports Group will oversee all day-to-day operations of the All-American Bowl, including the execution of the annual All-American Bowl selection tour process. In addition, the company will oversee the All-American Bowl national combine, which is held every January. The combine allows the country’s top underclassmen to demonstrate their talent and compete against one another in front of high school and college football’s top scouting organizations.
In 2018, the U.S. Army pulled-out as the primary sponsor of the game.
