Doesn’t Get Much Bigger Than Outback

Posted Dec 26, 2006 by Tom McEwen

Updated Dec 28, 2006 at 02:12 AM

What began as a pain-in-the-neck, half-baked event important only in the eyes of few — like the guy who would not let go of the idea — the postseason college game played in Tampa has become among the best of a few college bowl games.

It is in the Top Three. It is a major event for New Year’s Day. It’s fun to all. It’s big time. Those involved, those supportive have to be proud — got to be proud.

I think it was the late Marcelino Huerta, the former University of Tampa (and Wichita) head football coach who hung in there during the formative years, during the it-might-not-make-it years. Chelo Huerta, a bomber pilot in World War II, hung in there as if he were on a mission over Europe. Of course he was shot down. Made it out, of course.

Once it was called the Cigar Bowl — not bad, really, then.The history is long, including the stepping stone time as the Hall of Fame Bowl with Jimmy McDowell as a friend and spokesman, and it has been full of uncertainties, but it has made it as the classy, significant Outback Bowl that it is now. It is coming up folks, On New Year’s Day like the Rose and the other bigs. It’s right here in River (the Hillsborough) City, in grand Raymond James Stadium, matching two great and traditional powers, Tennessee and Penn State, on ESPN starting at 11 a.m. before a sold-out crowd of almost 70,000 live and who knows now many including the television eyes. The big bands will be there to play and march and the kids to hoot and holler, the players to play and the coaches to coach, you and me to honor them all by being there because we think it is worth our $60 for a ticket. Don’t know what they used to cost, but remember years ago they were $4 at Florida.

No, this is not for the college championship, that game is out in Arizona, but there is plenty of interest in it — the Florida Gators, Tennessee’s Southeastern Conference cousins – are there to play Penn State’s league pals, Ohio State. The Gators were here a year ago and beat Iowa 31-24. Ohio State was here in the Outback Bowl in 2002, and was beaten by South Carolina.

Penn State, prepared by legendary coach Joe Paterno, aching from old bones broken on the sidelines recently, and Tennessee by old Tampa friend, Coach Phillip Fullmer, who loves the Gator-Vol rivalry. It’s a pip.

Now the winner of this game will advance in the final national standings a bit, and receive all of whatever they prefer to eat and drink in Outback Town. It will get the rides at Busch Gardens, find out what Ybor City is and how to pronounce it, swim in the Gulf and be made to feel as important as champion athletes can, then watch as the Bowl’s Jim McVay, a might builder of this event, will hand them $3 million promised for spending a week in paradise and displaying their talents Sunday before the sellout crowd and on the magic tube. It probably was more like $3 before the modern marketers got hold of it. Ah, hah, they will, unlike the other bowl teams, get to play in the stadium (Raymond James) voted by the NFL players (who play there against the Buccaneers) the best in their conference and on the best turf in the NFL, another elected distinction.  It is truly a fine facility with fine parking, for such a fine game.

The game really stepped into the bigtime with the arrival of the new stadium, the McVay generated deal that worked the bowl as the place to host the third finishing teams in the SEC and the Big Ten conferences. It wasn’t easy and it didn’t happen overnight. The arrival of the Outback Restaurant group as title sponsors was an incomparable boost. The Outback franchise in Jacksonville did agree to work with the Gator Bowl and did for awhile. But, you and I know that the three founders of Outback — Chris Sullivan, Bob Basham and Tim Gannon - live here in Tampa, know that they conceived their restaurant theme here, built their first Outback Steak House here on Henderson Boulevard, and have been, after they made their first cash money, lead supporters of the Tampa Bay area — big, generous, faithful supporters in money, kind, promotion, indeed by all means. Got a bigtime golf tournament they sponsor, coming up, too.

But, this is about the Outback Bowl and boy, did the deal with the SEC and the Big Ten tied to the restaurant contract make the future unlimited. It has.

Go see for yourselves. Make someone with tickets, or a lounge box take you. It is one of our premier events in Tampa now, indeed, in college football. Ever here of a college football player who didn’t want to have unlimited steaks to eat? That happens, too, to those lucky galoots, while they are here — several different times.

Outback hereabouts has come to be synonymous with steak, and the full game is Outback Steak House Bowl.

I mean if you can call a bowl the Weedeater Bowl, why not the Outback Steak Bowl?

By the way, this game starts at 11 a.m., so if you are a guest of the sponsors, forgive yourself and eat steak for breakfast.