Report: Cactus Bowl returning to D-Backs' Chase Field for three seasons
The TicketCity Cactus Bowl is reportedly getting a change of venue.
By
Jerry Hinnen
•
1 min read
Sun Devil Stadium's temporary loss will be Chase Field's gain.
ESPN reported Monday that the Arizona Diamondbacks' downtown Phoenix venue will once again play host to the Cactus Bowl, the postseason game played in Arizona -- Tucson, Phoenix and Tempe -- under a variety of names since 1989. Then called the Insight Bowl, the game was played at Chase Field -- itself formerly known as Bank One Ballpark -- from 2000-05.
The game has been played at Arizona State's Sun Devil Stadium since 2006, but with that venue undergoing a blockbuster $260 million renovation, a solution was needed. Per ESPN, the bowl has an "option" to extend the arrangement beyond 2017 if it prefers to remain in Phoenix rather than Tempe.
If the name "TicketCity Cactus Bowl" sounds unfamiliar, that's because it's only been in place for one season after Buffalo Wild Wings dropped its sponsorship following the 2013 edition. The most recent game -- won by Oklahoma State over Washington -- also inaugurated a new Big 12 vs. Pac-12 tie-in pairing, replacing several years of Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchups.
And now, for no real reason -- well, other than the Chase Field tie-in and the immortal lyric, "It's a fact, Jack, I back, you back, we back the D-Backs" -- here is the old Roger Clyne-penned Diamondbacks' fan song "D-Backs Swing:"
