| National Bowl Game | |
| Stadium: | Celebration Stadium |
| Location: | Celebration, Florida |
| Years: | 2011–present |
| Sponsors: | East Preps LLC |
| Prev Matchup Year: | 2016 |
| Prev Matchup Season: | 2016 |
| Prev Matchup Teams: | American vs. National (American, 16–9) |
| Next Matchup Year: | 2017 |
| Next Matchup Season: | 2017 |
| Next Matchup Teams: | American vs. National (American, 48–13) |
| Next Matchup Date: | --> |
The National Bowl Game is an American independently operated post-season college football all-star game played annually since 2011, most often in December. The game showcases NFL draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and the NAIA. Since 2014, the game has been played as a doubleheader with the FCS Bowl.
The National Bowl Game was first played in April 2011 at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Subsequent games have been held in December, and in 2013 the game moved to Riccardo Silva Stadium on the campus of Florida International University (FIU).[1] After three years at FIU, the game moved to Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida. It has subsequently moved to other locations in Florida.
The game has been organized by East Preps LLC, who operate the game independently.[1] As of 2023, the game is branded as the College Football Alumni Association (CFBALL) National Bowl.[2]
The game and an associated scouting combine provide opportunity for players from smaller colleges to get exposure with scouts from various professional leagues, including the NFL and CFL.[3] Organizers report that 26 players from the December 2015 games (National Bowl Game and FCS Bowl) reached the NFL in some capacity.[4] At the December 2016 game, 14 NFL teams were represented, with over 30 scouts in attendance.
| No. | Date | Winning team | Losing team | Stadium | City | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 10, 2011 | Blue Nation | 10 | Red Nation | 7 | [5] | |||
| 2 | December 4, 2011 | Blue Nation | 34 | Red Nation | 31 | [6] | |||
| 3 | December 9, 2012 | Red Nation | 35 | Blue Nation | 21 | [7] | |||
| 4 | December 8, 2013 | Red Nation | 40 | Blue Nation | 26 | ||||
| 5 | December 7, 2014 | Blue Nation | 14 | Red Nation | 7 | ||||
| 6 | December 6, 2015 | American | 16 | National | 9 | [8] | |||
| 7 | December 4, 2016 | American | 16 | National | 9 | [9] [10] | |||
| 8 | December 10, 2017 | American | 48 | National | 13 | [11] | |||
| 9 | December 9, 2018 | American | 16 | National | 13 | [12] | |||
| 10 | December 8, 2019 | National | 31 | American | 29 | [13] | |||
| 11 | January 20, 2024 | National | 27 | American | 6 | Celebration Stadium | [14] | ||
Overall MVPs of each game are listed below. Some additional awards not listed are also given, for offensive and defensive player of each team, special teams player, lineman, and the James Pratt Courage Award.
| Year | MVP | Pos. | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 (Apr.) | Beau Reed | TE | Fairleigh Dickinson University | |
| 2011 (Dec.) | Jordan Griffin | SB | Glenville State College | |
| 2012 | Scott Pillar | WR | Albright College | |
| 2013 | QB | Ohio Wesleyan University | ||
| 2014 | Bobby Brown | QB | Buena Vista College | |
| 2015 | Travis Sparks | RB | University of La Verne | |
| 2016 | Michael Everett | CB | Southwest Minnesota State University | |
| 2017 | Patrick O'Brien | QB | ||
| 2018 | Trent White | QB | Westminster College (MO) | |
| 2019 | Matt McDonald | RB/KR | Upper Iowa University |