BYU Accepts Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Invitation

Brigham Young University has accepted an invitation to compete in the 2011 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. The Cougars are scheduled to meet a school from Conference USA in the postseason college football bowl game on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 at 11 a.m. (CST). The game will be televised on ESPN from SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

“We are pleased to officially extend this invitation to BYU,” said Brant B. Ringler, executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. “Our goal is always to attract schools with a national presence to help us honor the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, and BYU is a great fit as it is a nationally-recognized institution with an outstanding fan base.”

Playing an independent schedule in 2011, BYU is currently 7-3, winning six of their previous seven games. The Cougars defeated Idaho State 56-3 in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 22 to become bowl eligible. Their most recent win was a 42-7 victory over the Idaho Vandals.

“With the great year that Conference USA is having, the 2011 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl should be a terrific match up,” said BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe. “BYU is excited to return to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to face a tough C-USA team. We are also honored to play in a game that pays tribute to the brave men and women of our armed forces.”

BYU will be playing in its second Texas bowl game after the Cougars won the 1997 Cotton Bowl by defeating Kansas State 19-15 to finish with a No. 5 national ranking. One of college football’s top programs with over 500 wins and 29 bowl appearances, the Cougars are coached by Bronco Mendenhall.

Mendenhall, who has a 63-24 record to date in six-plus seasons at BYU, has now led the Cougars to seven-straight bowl appearances as the school has won four of its previous six postseason appearances.

BYU has five Texans on its 2011 roster, including redshirt freshman wide receiver Ross Apo (Arlington Oakridge School), senior wide receiver McKay Jacobson (Southlake Carroll), junior linebacker Brandon Ogletree (McKinney), redshirt sophomore lineman Manaaki Vaitai (Euless Trinity) and redshirt freshman lineman Michael Yeck (Keller).

Apo (25 catches for 332 yards and five touchdowns) and Jacobson (20, 238, 1) are second and third, respectively, in pass receptions for the Cougars. Ogletree is BYU's top tackler with 54 total stops, including 26 unassisted tackles. He has 2.5 tackles for losses with one fumble recovery, one pass interception and two forces fumbles. Yeck is a backup at left offensive tackle.

Led by 1990 Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer of San Antonio, BYU boasts 11 consensus and 31 Academic All-Americans. BYU, which was crowned the 1984 national champions after a perfect 13-0 season, has also had seven Sammy Baugh, three Davey O’Brien, two Outland and one Doak Walker Trophy winners.

Legendary LaVell Edwards (2004), a two-time national coach of the year honoree, headlines BYU College Football Hall of Fame inductees. Other Cougars in the hall of fame include quarterbacks Gifford Nielsen (1994), Marc Wilson (1996), Jim McMahon (1998), Steve Young (2005) and Gordon Hudson (2009).

Armed Forces Bowl Ticket Information

Tickets may be ordered online at byutickets.com or by calling the ticket office at 801-422-2981.
Tickets are $45 which includes a $5 ticket fee.
Cougar Club and Season Ticket holders will be given first priority through December 11th.
Orders will be sent via FedEx overnight on or before December 21st.
Children age 24 months and older require a ticket.
No refunds or exchanges.

Owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl has featured a military theme since 2006. Patriotic overtones recognizing all five branches of the military are prevalent throughout the game. Past Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowls have included fan-fest areas showcasing military hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military's top skydiving teams; the awarding of a custom home to a wounded warrior; on-field induction ceremonies; military bands and honor guards; and the awarding of the annual "Great American Patriot Award" (GAPA) presented by Armed Forces Insurance. For additional information about the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, please visit www.ArmedForcesBowl.com, www.Facebook.com/ArmedForcesBowlor www.Twitter.com/ArmedForcesBowl.

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, joined the bowl on August 23, 2006, as the title sponsor of the postseason college football game formerly known as the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl (2003-2004) and the Fort Worth Bowl (2005). The 2006 season marked the first year of the adoption of the “Armed Forces Bowl” name, making the official title the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Bell Helicopter has twice exercised its option for title sponsorship of the game. The current agreement was signed in September 2009 to continue the Sponsorship for the 2010 and 2011 games with a two-year option for 2012 and 2013.

Bell Helicopter-Textron
Bell Helicopter-Textronis an American manufacturer of commercial and military helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft with its headquarters in Fort Worth. Bell Helicopter provides the United States Armed Forces with the world’s best military helicopters, including the V-22 Osprey, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters. A sister company, Textron Systems, produces the new M1117 Armored Security Vehicle, which is designed for speed and for deflecting rocket-propelled grenades and land mines.

ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television(ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football, basketball and Olympic sports, NHRA and professional and amateur golf, accounting for more than 3,400 live and/or original hours of programming. ERT’s owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.

In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events: