Live United Bowl full of thrills and fun
Excitement high as longtime Oklahoma rivals meet in game
Blue was the color to wear Saturday— whether you were out supporting Southwestern Oklahoma State University Bulldogs or University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos at Texarkana’s third annual Live United Bowl in Razorback Stadium.
UCO’s Bronchos took the game, 38-21, but all the players will bring back an experience to last a lifetime, according to Allen Brown, chairman of the committe for the Live United Texarkana Bowl, which benefits the United Way of Greater Texarkana to support various nonprofit groups in the area.
Brown said SWOSU was chosen to represent the Great American Conference.
“We get the highest-placing GAC team that doesn’t go to the playoffs,” Brown said.
“When we saw that we got SWOSU, UCO was one of their rivals that they hadn’t been able to play since they changed conferences (in 2011).
“It was very intriguing to us, and we thought it would make a great matchup,” he added.
Both Oklahoma universities brought with them a slew of parents and fans—not to mention more than 240 exceptionally talented band members, Brown said.
At Razorback Stadium, the crowd went wild as UCO’s Stampede of Sound band converged on the field at half-time, showcasing its outstanding rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” before their Palm Team performed a dance number to cheering fans.
SWOSU’s Pride of the Great Southwest’s take on the Tower of Power classic “What is Hip” won’t soon be forgotten, nor will their performance of jazz classic “Sing Sing Sing,” as they kicked it into high gear for the whistling crowd.
“It’s been incredible,” said Caroline Quam, freshmen SWOSU cheerleader. “This is such an amazing experience, and I’m just so happy to be a part of it.”
Brown and his wife, Shelby Brown, have helped organize the Live United Bowl for the past three years. Allen Brown credits local insurance salesman and longtime friend Jeff Roberson as the founder of the event.
“(Jeff) had a dream one day that he and I created a bowl game,” Allen Brown said. “He said there shouldn’t be any reason why we can’t do this for our community and put on a bowl game.”
SWOSU and UCO played each other the first time in 1905 and became rivals, but haven’t played one another since 2011, when SWOSU changed conferences. The game offered the teams an opportunity to compete again and marked their 88th time meeting on the field.
“Some of the best stories over the last several years that we have are from our players that participate in this event, the parents that participate in the event,” Allen Brown said. “They tell us it’s unbelievable.”
Both teams were divided up over the weekend and bused to five different organizations around Texarkana that would benefit from the game through the United Way, according to Allen Brown. Players and parents got to visit Harvest Texarkana, Texarkana Resources for the Disabled, Pride Academy at College Hill Middle School, Opportunities Inc. and Runnin’ WJ Ranch—a therapeutic center for autistic children that uses horse riding to help improve muscle tone.
Allen Brown said Live United Bowl officials wanted to show players from both Oklahoma teams, as well as their parents, what they were playing for and who would benefit. He said they were not only playing to win and take home a trophy, but also to help promote a community and support these nonprofit organizations. Allen Brown said players from both teams were very touched by their visits to these organizations, especially players who were able to help lead the horses around at the ranch.
“I asked them today, ‘Would you guys come back to Texarkana?’ and it was just overwhelming their response,” Allen Brown said. “It makes it worthwhile for us—we are making a call and doing something for our community, and we are very proud of that.”
According to Allen Brown, being able to do something positive for the community and nonprofits is very gratifying, but having hotels and restaurants full in Texarkana is also great for the town’s economy, he said.
A banquet was put on at Texarkana Convention Center for the teams, according to the committee chairman. It featured more than 600 people, speeches from football players, and what he called a “good, old-fashioned collegiate pep rally” and celebration of the Live United Bowl.
Children were able to play games at the edge of the field Saturday, including kicking around soccer balls and jumping on bouncy houses. Food sold at the concession stand also benefited united way, and raffle tickets were sold for fire pits to be given away in the fourth quarter.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Allen Brown said. “Those guys, their experience in our community this weekend has been phenomenal.”
Phillip Stell, sophomore trombone player for SWOSU’s Pride of the Great Southwest said he enjoyed being a part of the bowl game, especially the chance to compete against their old rivals at UCO.
“It’s really interesting,” Stell said. “We haven’t been to a bowl game in 20 years. Of all the schools we could have played, we were matched with our rivals.”
Allen Brown said he felt the event was a total success.
“It couldn’t have been a better day for us, our community, the United Way and those kids,” he said.