Tony The Tiger Leaves UTEP’s Sun Bowl Stadium

Since 1986, when the first corporate sponsor joined the Sun Bowl Association, UTEP's stadium has actually had 6 different sponsors that held various names. With the news that Kellogg's contract with the Sun Bowl Association has ended, most are wondering who could possibly be replacing the iconic Tony the Tiger and what name will sit on the Sun Bowl next. But before then, lets dive in to the history of all the names The Sun Bowl has ever held!

John Hancock Financial 1986-1993

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The Sun Bowl's first official corporate sponsor was John Hancock Financial in 1986, who held the title at the stadium until 1993. During this time, technically the Sun Bowl had two names. Initially it was called the John Hancock Sun Bowl, but John Hancock Financial wasn't happy that most people continued calling it the Sun Bowl. So in 1989 until the group left, the name was changed to The John Hancock Bowl but it didn't stop people from calling it The Sun Bowl.

The Sun Bowl 94-95

No name held the title during 1994 which is kind of funny because the 1994 Sun Bowl game, Longhorns v. Tar Heels, was actually voted the greatest Sun Bowl game of all time.

Norwest Bank - Wells Fargo 1996-2003

This era of the Sun Bowl stadium included many name changes and a transition when Norwest Bank was merged into Wells Fargo in 1999. Starting as The Norwest Bank Sun Bowl, the name changed quickly in 1997 to remove one word and become The Norwest Sun Bowl before the merger. The stadium remained the Wells Fargo Sun Bowl until this contract ended in 2003.

Helen of Troy Limited 2004-2009

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In 2004, a local corporation joined The Sun Bowl Association under two other names. El Paso corporation Helen of Troy Limited took over first under the name of one of their brands, The Vitalis Sun Bowl until 2005. The second brand under Helen of Troy, Brut, took over the Sun Bowl until Helen of Troy would leave in 2009.

Hyundai 2010-2018

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The longest run at The Sun Bowl goes to Hyundai by 1 year. The Hyundai Sun Bowl era actually contains the only noted overtime win in Sun Bowl history. The 2011 Utah v. Georgia Tech game, 30-27.

Kellogg 2019-2025

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That brings us to the present where we have the icon, Tony The Tiger branded all over the stadium. The Sun Bowl Association just announced that the contract with W.K. Kellogg is officially over so Tony will be leaving as The Sun Bowls friendly face. But the new sponsor is about to be announced. Technically, Kellogg actually lost 1 year because the 2020 Sun Bowl game was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic.