Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:1610 W. Church Street
Orlando, Florida
Our Sports Superfan Says:
It has sported more than a few names but, under all of them, the Florida Citrus Bowl has been a major player in the Orlando sports and entertainment scene for some time. In the world of college football, it has played a big part, hosting a number of teams, events, and bowls in its time.
Originally called Orlando Stadium, the arena opened in 1936 and held its first bowl game, then called the Tangerine Bowl, on New Year's Day 1947. The bowl has been held here every year since, except for 1973 when the stadium underwent a major renovation. When the bowls started, the stadium's name also changed to match it, as it took on the name "the Tangerine Bowl." The stadium got back its Orlando Stadium name after the renovation, but it changed to its current moniker when the bowl name was changed to the Citrus Bowl in 1983. In 1990, the Citrus Bowl hosted a national championship game, as undefeated Georgia Tech took the game and a share of the title.
In 2003, the bowl name was changed once again, to the Capital One Bowl, but it remains one of the top bowls in the country, just outside the top tier of Bowl Championship Series games. Furthermore, the stadium got a second bowl game, at first called the Tangerine Bowl and now called the Champs Sports Bowl, in 2001. This game is played about a week before New Year's and, while it doesn't have as big a matchup as the later bowls, the Champs Sports Bowl gets teams from two major conferences – the Big 12 and the ACC.
In addition to bowls, the Citrus Bowl stadium has also hosted assorted college and pro football one-time games, and currently is the home of the yearly contest between Florida schools Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman. In 1994, it hosted World Cup soccer games, and in 1996, hosted Olympic soccer matches. The 70,000-seat stadium also has been the site of national drumline championships, pro wrestling events, monster truck and other auto events, and concerts by many big-name performers, including Paul McCartney, Limp Bizkit, the Rolling Stones, and more.
Due to its age, the stadium was not chosen as a BCS Bowl site, but currently plans are in place to give the Citrus Bowl another facelift in the next few years and put it on par with the venues of the major bowls.
Located in downtown Orlando, the Citrus Bowl holds events throughout the year.