The Holiday Bowl is iconic to San Diego, not just for the football game but what it does for the San Diego economy.
Washington State and Syracuse will play in the Holiday Bowl Friday at Snapdragon Stadium, the first time the Mission Valley site has hosted the game.
2024 Holiday Bowl:
Since 1978, in its 45 years of existence, the Holiday Bowl has generated more than $1 billion of economic impact in San Diego.
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"That's why we do this," Mark Neville, Holiday Bowl CEO told NBC 7 Thursday morning. "This is to drive economic benefits for San Diego."
On average, the Holiday Bowl annually pumps between $15-20 million into the local economy, with visitors all over San Diego during what is traditionally one of the slowest times of the year for tourism.
"When people come to San Diego for the game, of course, they’re coming for the football game, but once they're here, there’s not a better bowl destination in the country, period," Neville said. "There’s nowhere else in the country where you can do as many things and see as many beautiful sights," adding, "and there will be millions of eyeballs watching this game and seeing San Diego."
As for the game, the scars are still healing from 2021 when UCLA, citing COVID issues, bailed hours before kickoff, causing the Holiday Bowl to be canceled. This year there was talk of Washington State not playing in the game due to their head coach leaving for a new job, many assistant coaches leaving the team and more than 25 players entering the transfer portal, but last week the Cougars reaffirmed their commitment to the Holiday Bowl and their head coach left no doubt at Thursday's Holiday Bowl press conference.
"You make changes' and you put young men in there that got heart and are going to fight," said Pete Kaligis, interim Washington State head coach."That’s going to be the whole message tonight and tomorrow....It’s your time to shine. It really is."
