| Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot | |
| Stadium: | Community National Bank & Trust Stadium |
| Location: | Corsicana, Texas United States |
| Years: | 2017–present |
| Current Champion: | Emporia State Hornets |
| Conference Tie-Ins: | At-large picks from GAC, LSC, or MIAA |
| Sponsors: | Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot |
| Former Names: | Corsicana Bowl (2017 - 2018) |
The Heritage Bowl is an annual American NCAA Division II college football bowl game held at Community National Bank & Trust Stadium in Corsicana, Texas. The game was established in 2017 by Antwone "Tony" Taulton. Since 2018 the bowl has operated under the non-profit Corsicana Area Foundation, and proceeds from the game go to local Corsicana and Navarro County charities.[1] Initially called the Corsicana Bowl, the game was given its current name in 2019.[2] Fun Town RV served as title sponsor from 2021–23. On May 31, 2024, Riot Platforms was named the presenting sponsor and the game rebranded as the Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot.
The Heritage Bowl is one of three Division II sanctioned bowl games. The others are the America's Crossroads Bowl and Florida Beach Bowl. The two participants are selected on an at-large basis from teams of the Lone Star Conference (LSC), Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), and Great American Conference (GAC) that do not qualify for the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs.[3]
Throughout its existence, the Heritage Bowl has been unique among Division II bowl games in having no fixed conference tie-in. This feature enabled bowl organizers to secure ten different teams for the first five games. Emporia State, invited in 2018 and 2023, is the only repeat participant thus far. The game has also included each of the three possible combinations of the participating conferences. An LSC-MIAA matchup in the inaugural game was followed by a GAC-MIAA contest in 2018, before three consecutive LSC-GAC games in 2019, 2021, and 2022 (the 2020 game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The 2023 contest featured a GAC-MIAA matchup for the first time in five years. The 2024 contest featured a LSC-MIAA matchup for the first time since the inaugural game.
| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2, 2017 | (MIAA) | 38 | Tarleton State (LSC) | 31 | 3,422 | [4] | |
| December 1, 2018 | Emporia State (MIAA) | 30 | (GAC) | 22 | 3,900 | [5] | |
| December 7, 2019 | (LSC) | 20 | (GAC) | 13 | 2,000 | [6] | |
| December 4, 2021 | Oklahoma Baptist (GAC) | 24 | UT Permian Basin (LSC) | 21 | 3,576 | [7] | |
| December 3, 2022 | East Central (GAC) | 38 | Texas A&M–Kingsville (LSC) | 21 | 2,000 | [8] | |
| December 2, 2023 | Emporia State (MIAA) | 55 | Southern Nazarene (GAC) | 24 | [9] | ||
| December 7, 2024 | UT Permian Basin (LSC) | vs. | Central Missouri (MIAA) | ||||
| Conference | Games | Win | Loss | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-America | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Great American | 5 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Lone Star | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Team | Appearances | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2–0 | ||
| 1 | 1–0 | ||
| 1 | 1–0 | ||
| 1 | 1–0 | ||
| 1 | 1–0 | ||
| 1 | 0–1 | ||
| 1 | 0–1 | ||
| 1 | 0–1 | ||
| 1 | 0–1 | ||
| 1 | 0–1 | ||
| 1 | 0–1 |