In early 1997, the Nashville Sports Council began discussions with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) about hosting a post-season college Bowl game. There were several reasons that factored into the discussions:  Nashville is known as a destination city, its easily accessible to a majority of universities in a number of conferences, and a brand new stadium was being built for a new NFL franchise, the Tennessee Titans.  Furthermore, Nashville is one of the best cities in the country for hospitality and entertainment.  Known as Music City, Nashville has several opportunities to offer the college football fan, university administrator, corporate sponsor, and local resident.  After taking these points into consideration, the Nashville Sports Council and the city of Nashville decided to take on the challenge and Music City Bowl, Inc. was born.  A lot of key partners such as the Mayor's Office, Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce were instrumental in creating the Bowl. 

Later in 1997, the Bowl aligned itself with several partners to ensure its success. The Bowl signed a four-year agreement starting in 1998 with ESPN to broadcast the game nationally. In 1998, a four-year agreement was signed with the SEC. In 1999, the Big East Conference agreed to a three-year deal to send a team to the Music City to take on the SEC.

In 2000, the Bowl took a new direction signing a four-year deal with the BIG TEN Conference to replace the Big East starting with the 2002 game. The SEC further extended their existing contract through the 2005 game.  In 2005, the Bowl announced new conference partnerships with the SEC and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) beginning in 2006 through 2009.  

The Bowl has had some major accomplishments adding to its success and has solidified its position as one of Nashville’s most important events.  Gaylord Hotels (a division of Gaylord Entertainment Company) agreed to serve as title sponsor of the Bowl for multiple years.  Furthermore, Bridgestone, a locally headquartered international company officially became the Presenting Sponsor of the Bowl in 2003.   In addition, the Bowl and ESPN inked an agreement for ESPN to broadcast the Bowl through 2013.  Beginning with the 2008 Bowl, a partnership was created with the Greater Nashville Hotel & Lodging Association and the City of Nashville for the Bowl to receive funding via the Event and Marketing Fund.  These funds are part of a hotel/motel tax created for the purpose of developing Nashville's new state of the art Music City Center.   These new alliances and partnerships should bring more stability to one of the fastest growing Bowl games in America. 

Begininning in 2010 through 2013 the Bowl will transition a new title sponsor as Franklin American Mortgage will become the Music City Bowl's entitlement partner.  Locally based in Nashville, Tennessee Franklin American Mortgage Company is a privately held corporation and is one of the fastest growing companies in its industry.  Gaylord Hotels (title sponsor since 2002) will remain heavily involved with the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl as a major sponsor and official host hotel - Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.

The Bowl, a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization, is a now a part of the fabric of the Nashville community.  Key initiatives such as economic development, tourism impact, quality of life enhancement, a focus on youth, and a commitment to collegiate athletics are all part of the Bowl experience.  The Bowl in just a few short years has turned one of Nashville’s slowest tourism weeks into one of the busiest as well as supported various charitable organizations through ticket donation, special community programs, and much more.  Moreover, the Bowl has one of the most successful youth initiatives in the country with its Youth Football Program.  The Bowl’s Youth Football Program reaches families in eighty communities in Middle Tennessee, southern Kentucky, and northern Alabama.  More than 20,000 participants are part of a unique program that involves players, cheerleaders, and coaches with Nashville’s Holiday Tradition. 

The Bowl's Mission Statement:  The Music City Bowl and the events around it deliver an exceptional entertainment experience for visitors, local fans, student-athletes, conference partners, sponsors, volunteers and the Nashville community. This post-season collegiate football game was created in 1998 to stimulate a positive impact on the Nashville economy, national image, and community pride while showcasing the city as a premier destination with audiences throughout the country.

Finally the bottom line, since the Bowl’s inception, Millions of viewers have watched the event on ESPN; the Bowl has contributed over $24 million in financial payouts to participating universities; and has generated more than $153 million in economic impact for the Nashville community.  Nashville's Bowl game will continue to evolve as a cornerstone event for Music City and the Middle Tennessee region. 

For more information on Nashville’s Holiday Tradition, visit MusicCityBowl.com or call 615.743.3130.   And, be sure to follow the Bowl on Twitter and Facebook.