By Erik Evenson, Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Director of Media and Community Relations
The Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl extended the first bowl invitation of the 2020-2021 Bowl Season to Army West Point on Saturday, and the Black Knights accepted the bid, securing their first trip to Shreveport since 1996.
“We want to thank the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, Chairman Frank Auer and the entire bowl committee for this incredible opportunity to play in this outstanding bowl game,” said Army West Point Director of Athletics Mike Buddie. “We are very excited to accept the first bowl invitation of the 2020-2021 season and to make our first trip to Shreveport since 1996.”
The invitation extended from the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, which was subsequently accepted by the Army West Point Black Knights, is the first bowl invitation of the 2020 Bowl Season.
The Black Knights have enjoyed a great start to their seventh season under head coach Jeff Monken, as they now sport a 6-1 record after a 49-3 win over the Mercer Bears on Saturday.
Army has five games remaining on their schedule. The 2020 Radiance Technologies Bowl will be their fourth bowl game in the Monken era and their fourth in the last five years.
“We are absolutely delighted to extend a bowl invitation to the Army West Point Black Knights football team,” remarked 2020 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Chairman Frank Auer.
“The Independence Bowl celebrates the independence and freedoms we enjoy in America, and we are well aware that those freedoms are protected by our Army and the other armed forces. We deeply appreciate the role they play in our national landscape and will roll out the red carpet for them for their trip to Shreveport.”
The Black Knights are slated to face an opponent from the Pac-12 Conference, who will begin their truncated football season on Saturday, Nov. 7.
This year is the first of three primary tie-ins with Army and the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl over the next six years, as the bowl and university reached an agreement for a primary tie-in for the years 2020, 2022 and 2024.
Army has only one previous Independence Bowl appearance in their program’s history – a 32-29 loss to the Auburn Tigers in 1996. The Black Knights are off to their best start since they began that historic 1996 season with nine consecutive victories.
2020 is the 45th anniversary of the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, and the game will be broadcast on an ESPN network for the 29th consecutive year.
ESPN and the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl recently announced a six-year extension to televise the game from 2020 through 2025. The date and time of the 2020 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl will be announced at a later date.
