Coors Light said today it has signed on as a founding partner of the HBCU Legacy Bowl, a first-of-its-kind all-star game scheduled for February 2022 that will feature 100 of the best football players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Presented by the Black College Football Hall of Fame, the game will be played at Yulman Stadium on the Tulane University campus in New Orleans and be broadcast live on the NFL Network. It aims to showcase the best NFL draft-eligible football players from these schools, which have produced some of the best football players of all time, including Hall of Famers Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and Michael Strahan.
Nearly 10% of all players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame are alumni of HBCUs, but no players from these schools were selected in the 2021 NFL draft. That marks the ninth time in the last 21 NFL drafts that no players from HBCUs have been selected.
“Everyone knows there’s a tremendous amount of talent at HBCUs, but the fact that’s not translating in the draft represents a broader issue of representation,” says Dane Larson, an associate marketing manager for Coors Light. “We believe the HBCU Legacy Bowl presents a great opportunity to truly highlight the talent coming from these schools.”
The brand and other founding partners are joined by pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who along with his foundation, 15 and the Mahomies, announced a partnership and multi-year commitment with the Black College Football Hall of Fame for the HBCU Legacy Bowl earlier this year. Through a long-standing relationship with the NFL MVP, Coors Light continues to support Mahomes in both his personal and charitable endeavors.
“Coors Light has been a great partner to me throughout many of my endeavors and I’m glad to have them on board as a partner of the HBCU Legacy Bowl,” Mahomes says. “It’s imperative we create a platform for HBCU players and help provide an opportunity to continue their career at the professional level.”
Other sponsors include Coca-Cola, Adidas and Riddell, as well as current NFL players Aaron Donald, Jameis Winston and Bobby Wagner.