The Alamo Bowl announced today that Valero Energy Corporation has agreed to become the title sponsor of the Valero Alamo Bowl through the 2009 game. Valero, which has been a sponsor of the Alamo Bowl since its inception in 1993, committed to a three-year title sponsor contract starting with the 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl on Saturday, December 29. ?Valero has been a long-time supporter of the Alamo Bowl, and we have a long and proud history of stepping up in support of big-name sporting events here in San Antonio,? said Valero Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Mike Ciskowski, who is a member of the Alamo Bowl Board of Directors. ?Now that we?ve become the title sponsor of this great event, we couldn?t be happier.? Valero is a part-owner of the San Antonio Spurs franchise, stepping in to help organize a bid when the franchise was being pursued by out-of-town buyers who, potentially, could have relocated the team. Valero has also been the title sponsor of the Valero Texas Open since 2002. In that time, the tournament has gone from the bottom of the PGA TOUR in terms of charitable fundraising to raising more for charity than any other event in PGA TOUR history. Valero will bring that same energy to the Alamo Bowl. ?We plan to make the Alamo Bowl an event that all of San Antonio can be proud of,? Ciskowski said. The 2006 Alamo Bowl broadcast between Texas and Iowa earned a 6.0 rating and averaged over 5.5 million households making it the most-watched college bowl game in ESPN history surpassing the previous record held by the 2005 Alamo Bowl between Nebraska and Michigan. ?Valero has been a terrific partner since our first year, and we are ecstatic with their decision to upgrade to title sponsor,? said Derrick Fox, President/CEO of the Valero Alamo Bowl. ?Valero is a San Antonio-based corporation that is a respected and admired industry and community leader, and this partnership is a great way to kick off our 15th anniversary year.? The length of Valero?s sponsorship matches the deals the Alamo Bowl has with the Big Ten Conference, the Big 12 Conference and ESPN. ?Valero is a perfect fit with its Fortune 25 ranking and headquarters in San Antonio,? said John Yantis, Chairman of the 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl. ?Our bowl game is now affiliated with two of the premier football conferences in the Big Ten and the Big 12, the number one sports network in ESPN and one of the nation?s most successful companies in Valero through 2009. We look forward to growing the game with help from these tremendous partners.? Since aligning with the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences in 1995, the Alamo Bowl is tied with the Holiday Bowl for the highest average rating (4.7) of all the post-season bowl games ESPN has televised. Alamo Bowl broadcasts now account for eight of the 25 most-watched bowl games in ESPN history. “We are proud to be the broadcast partner of the Alamo Bowl and welcome Valero as the title sponsor,” said Dave Brown, ESPN vice president, programming and acquisitions. “We look forward to working with the Valero Alamo Bowl to continue the incredible growth the game has experienced in a very short time. With the incredible ratings the bowl has put up over the last two years, they have firmly established themselves as an anchor of our Capital One Bowl Week lineup.” ?Our long-term relationship with the Alamo Bowl and San Antonio has been nothing short of tremendous,? said Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany. ?We consider the Alamo Bowl a great partner and are pleased to welcome Valero in its new role as title sponsor of the Valero Alamo Bowl.? ?The Alamo Bowl and San Antonio are very important to the Big 12 Conference,? said Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg. ?We appreciate Valero supporting college football and the Alamo Bowl as a title sponsor.? Valero is the fourth title sponsor in Alamo Bowl history. Builders Square was the title sponsor for the first six Alamo Bowl games from 1993-1998, SYLVANIA titled the game from 1999-2001 and MasterCard was presenting/title from 2002-2005. The Alamo Bowl did not have a title sponsor for the 2006 game. This year, the Alamo Bowl will also host the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at 7 p.m. CST on ABC. When the Big 12 Championship was played in the Alamodome in 1997 and 1999, capacity crowds attended the games to see the Texas A&M vs. Nebraska and Texas vs. Nebraska match-ups, respectively. Tickets for the 2007 Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship Game and 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl are on sale statewide at all Ticketmaster outlets and at the Alamodome Southwest Box Office. Ticket can also be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (210) 224-9600 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Since its inception, the Alamo Bowl has hosted 947,000 spectators at 14 bowl games and two Big 12 Football Championships. With half of these fans coming from out-of-town, the games have resulted in a $231 million direct economic impact on San Antonio. The games have resulted in another $22 million in measurable media exposure from the 100 million viewers of the national television broadcasts. To view or download the new Valero Alamo Bowl logo, please go to the following link: http://alamobowl.com/media/logos.php. For more information, please call Rick Hill at the Valero Alamo Bowl at (210) 704-6388 or (210) 226-2695, or call Bill Day at Valero at (210) 345-2927. You can also visit the Valero Alamo Bowl?s website at www.alamobowl.com. About Valero: Valero Energy Corporation is a Fortune 500 company based in San Antonio, with approximately 22,000 employees and 2006 revenues of more than $90 billion. The company owns and operates 18 refineries throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.3 million barrels per day, making it the largest refiner in North America. Valero is also one of the nation?s largest retail operators with approximately 5,800 retail and branded wholesale outlets in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean under various brand names including Valero, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock, Ultramar, and Beacon. Please visit www.valero.com for more information ALAMO BOWL HISTORY 2006 Alamo Bowl: Texas 26, Iowa 24, TV Rating ? 6.0* *No. 1 most-watched college bowl game in ESPN History 2005 MasterCard Alamo Bowl: Nebraska 32, Michigan 28, TV Rating ? 5.4** **No. 2 most-watched college bowl game in ESPN History 2004 MasterCard Alamo Bowl: Ohio State 33, Oklahoma State 7, TV Rating ? 4.3 2003 MasterCard Alamo Bowl: Nebraska 17, Michigan State 3, TV Rating ? 4.2 2002 Alamo Bowl presented by MasterCard: Wisconsin 31, Colorado 28 (OT), TV Rating ? 4.4 2001 SYLVANIA Alamo Bowl: Iowa 19, Texas Tech 16, TV Rating ? 3.8 2000 SYLVANIA Alamo Bowl: Nebraska 66, Northwestern 17, TV Rating ? 3.8 1999 SYLVANIA Alamo Bowl: Penn State 24, Texas A&M 0, TV Rating ? 5.2 1998 Builders Square Alamo Bowl: Purdue 37, Kansas State 34, TV Rating ? 4.9 1997 Builders Square Alamo Bowl: Purdue 33, Oklahoma State 20, TV Rating ?3.9 1996 Builders Square Alamo Bowl: #21 Iowa 27, Texas Tech 0, TV Rating ? 3.8 1995 Builders Square Alamo Bowl: #19 Texas A&M 22, #14 Michigan 20, TV Rating ? 6.3 1994 Builders Square Alamo Bowl: #24 Washington State 10, Baylor 3, TV Rating ? 3.8 1993 Builders Square Alamo Bowl: California 37, Iowa 3, TV Rating ? 2.4
