Inside the I-Bowl Newsletter: February 2024

FEBRUARY 2024

COMMUNITY EVENTS

JUNIOR TENNIS CLASSIC RETURNS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019!

For the first time since 2019, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Junior Tennis Classic will return to the Shreveport-Bossier area. Tournament play will hit the courts Saturday, April 6 through Monday, April 8.

The Junior Tennis Classic is a USTA Southern Level 5 Open tournament featuring singles and doubles format for boys and girls 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s. Matches will be played primarily at Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club in Shreveport.

Registration for the Junior Tennis Classic is open now, and applicants can register online at RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com/communityevents.

The USTA Southern Section comprises the following nine states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. For the 2018 and 2019 Junior Tennis Classics, players and their families flocked to Shreveport-Bossier from all nine states.

The singles draw will feature up to 16 entries for each age group, and doubles will have up to eight teams in each. Singles will be a “modified feed-in consolation” format, while doubles will be single elimination. Boys and girls 12s and 18s will be played on hard courts, while Boys and Girls 14s and 16s will be played on clay.

Every year in late April, Independence Bowl Foundation members enjoy an afternoon of crawfish, music and fun!

The 2024 Annual Member Crawfish Boil is on Saturday, April 20, from 11 AM to 2 PM at Hurricane Alley in the East Bank District in Bossier City!

Foundation members and a guest are invited for all-you-can-eat crawfish and jambalaya from Shaver’s Catering.

the Independence Bowl Foundation to secure your tickets for all-you-can-eat crawfish and jambalaya!

INDEPENDENCE BOWL & CFP FOUNDATION DONATE $11,000 TO LOCAL TEACHERS

The Independence Bowl Foundation partnered with the College Football Playoff Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers to donate to local teachers following the 2023 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl with their initiative Touchdown for Teachers, and a total of $11,000 was donated to 23 local teachers through Touchdown for Teachers.

The College Football Playoff Foundation donated $1,000 for each touchdown scored in the 2023 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl – totaling $6,000, and the Independence Bowl also donated $5,000 through Touchdown for Teachers. This was the second part of donations to local teachers through Extra Yard for Teachers, as the Independence Bowl Foundation and College Football Playoff Foundation partnered to donate $6,780 to local teachers in the fall of 2023. Between the two rounds of donations, a grand total of $17,780 was donated to teachers in the Shreveport-Bossier area by the Independence Bowl Foundation and College Football Playoff Foundation.

In partnering with the College Football Playoff Foundation, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl has donated over $85,000 to local teachers and schools since 2021.

I-BOWL ALUMNI IN THE NFL

FOUR FORMER INDEPENDENCE BOWL PLAYERS CROWNED SUPER BOWL LVIII CHAMPS

On the biggest stage in the sporting world in Las Vegas, four former Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl players were crowned Super Bowl LVIII champions as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco Giants, 25-22, in overtime

The four Chiefs players that have played in Shreveport-Bossier’s annual college football bowl game are starting cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (Louisiana Tech, 2019), tight end Noah Gray (Duke, 2018), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (Florida State, 2017) and safety Deon Bush (Miami, 2014). Sneed, Gray and Bush are now two-time Super Bowl champions, with the Chiefs winning back-to-back Super Bowls, and Nnadi has now hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy three times.

Sneed started at cornerback in the game, tallying three total tackles and one pass deflection. Gray also started the game alongside superstar tight end Travis Kelce and hauled in both of his targets for 22 yards. Nnadi and Bush were active but did not record any stats in the contest.

On the San Francisco side, Jon Feliciano (Miami, 2014) started at right guard, and linebacker Oren Burks (Vanderbilt, 2016) stepped in to play significant snaps after starting linebacker Dre Greenlaw exited due to injury. Burks racked up five total tackles in the game.

In addition to the four former Independence Bowl players crowned Super Bowl LVIII champions, three coaches from the 1988 UTEP staff – including future Pro Football Hall of Famer Andy Reid – won their third Super Bowl. Reid, Chiefs’ special teams coordinator Dave Toub and Chiefs’ outside linebackers coach Ken Flajole were all on the 1988 UTEP staff that took on Brett Favre and Southern Miss in the 1988 Independence Bowl.

EIGHT INDEPENDENCE BOWL ALUMNI INVITED TO NFL SCOUTING COMBINE

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is the premier scouting event in the NFL Draft process, and the best prospects are invited to participate in the four-day event in Indianapolis.

The 2024 Combine kicks off on Thursday, February 29, and eight of the 321 prospects invited have played in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl.

The eight players invited to the combine represent six Independence Bowl teams (Texas Tech, Cal, Houston, Louisiana, UAB and BYU) and three match-ups. Texas Tech and Houston have two representatives, while the other teams have one apiece.

Below is the list of Independence Bowl alumni to watch for at the NFL's premier scouting event:

Tyler Owens (DB – Texas Tech, 2023)

Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (DB – Texas Tech, 2023)

Patrick McMorris (LB – Cal, 2023)

Nelson Ceasar (Edge – Houston, 2022)

Patrick Paul (OT – Houston, 2022)

Nathan Thomas (OL – Louisiana, 2022)

Jaylen Key (S – UAB, 2021) *Transferred from UAB to Alabama

Ryan Rehkow (P – BYU, 2021)

L'Jarius Sneed

Dadrion Taylor-Demerson