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 Citrus
Bowl
Orlando, FL
The Citrus Bowl, home of the
Central Florida Golden Knights, is the host of two annual bowl games,
the Capital One Bowl and the Champs Sports Bowl. Originally known as
the Florida Citrus Bowl, the Capital One Bowl has been played at the
Citrus Bowl since 1983. This game usually pits a team from the SEC and
Big Ten Conferences against each other. The Champs Sports Bowl has
been played at the Citrus Bowl since 2001 and matches teams from the
ACC and the Big 12.
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The Citrus Bowl dates back to the mid 1930s when federal
grants allowed for various projects. Nearly $115,000 was allotted for
a new stadium in the Orlando area. Originally known as Orlando
Stadium, it was renamed the Tangerine Bowl by the time it hosted its
first football game in 1947. The inaugural first game has since
become an annual tradition, and known as the Citrus Bowl was
between Catawba and Maryville on January 1, 1947. The stadium had an
original seating capacity of 10,000, but five years later it was
increased by 2,000. Over the years, there have been numerous additions
to the stadium. In 1968, the seating capacity was increased by 5,000
to 17,000 and a modern pressbox was constructed. The next expansion to
the stadium came between 1974 and 1976 when the capacity increased to
seat nearly 52,000 fans. The Tangerine Bowl was renamed Orlando
Stadium in 1977, and then received its current name of the Citrus Bowl in
1983. A $30 million expansion project in 1989 saw the addition of the
upper decks to the stadium, giving the Citrus Bowl its current
capacity of just over 65,000. This expansion also included 30 luxury
suites and a new pressbox. In 1999, a new video/scoreboard was added
to the facility. Over the years, the Citrus Bowl has been the home of
the UCF Golden Knights football, the World Cup and Olympic soccer.
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