TORONTO - The long wait is finally over and the Inaugural International Bowl will take place on Jan. 6 in Toronto. Both teams, Western Michigan and Cincinnati, have prepared, schemed and game-planned for this match up and it will all be determined over 60 minutes in the Rogers Centre.
THE GAME ? The Inaugural International Bowl will be played on Jan. 6, 2007 in the Rogers Centre in Toronto. It is the first bowl game to be played on foreign soil since the 1937 Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba.
BOWL HISTORY ? Western Michigan's bowl history consists of just two games. The Broncos appeared in the Inaugural Aviation Bowl in 1961 in Dayton, Ohio. WMU fell to New Mexico, 28-12. The Broncos had to wait 27 years for another shot at a bowl game and it came on Dec. 10, 1988. Western Michigan took on Fresno State in the Eighth Annual California Bowl. The Bulldogs, playing in their home stadium for the game, emerged victorious, 35-30. A complete list of WMU bowl statistical leaders can be found on page 12 of this guide.
TELEVISION ? The International Bowl will be televised live on ESPN2 at noon on Jan. 6. Western Michigan alumn John Saunders will call the play-by-play. He will be joined by Craig James (analysis) and Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie (analysis) in the booth. Todd Harris will report from the side line. The game will air simultaneously on The Sports Network (TSN) in Canada as well.
RADIO ? This and all Western Michigan football games will be broadcast live on the Bronco Radio Network, which includes its flagship station, WFAT - 96.5 FM, as well as WZUU - 92.3 FM in the Kalamazoo market. Robin Hook (play-by-play) and Monty Porter (analysis) will have the call as they have together for the past eight seasons.
SERIES IN BRIEF ? This will be only the third meeting between Western Michigan and Cincinnati. UC has a 2-0-0 lead in the series, having taken both the 1949 meeting and the 1950 meeting by the identical score of 27-6.
THE COACHES ? Bill Cubit (Delaware, 1975) is in his second season as the head coach of Western Michigan. The Sharon Hill, Pa., native led the Broncos to the biggest turnaround in Mid-American Conference history with five conference wins. Cubit served as offensive coordinator for WMU from 1997-99.
Brian Kelly (Assumption, 1983) assumed the post of head football coach the University of Cincinnati on Dec. 4, 2006. It was announced on Dec. 5, 2006 that Kelly would coach the Bearcats in the Inaugural International Bowl in Toronto on Jan. 6, 2007. Kelly spent three seasons as the head coach at Central Michigan where he led the Chippewas to their first Mid-American Conference title since 1994.
