by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
The NFL draft may be over, but the Gator Bowl Association is still on the clock.
It set a deadline of July 1 to find a title sponsor for the 2012 Gator Bowl after insurance company Progressive did not renew its sponsorship of the college football game, usually played New Year’s Day. The 2012 game will be played on Jan. 2.
After signing on as the title sponsor of the 2011 Gator Bowl, Progressive had exclusive rights to negotiate a new contract until March 15. The deadline passed, but Progressive remains interested.
“Our consultant has notified us that four companies are interested in the title sponsorship, which includes Progressive,” said Rick Catlett, president and CEO of the Gator Bowl Association.
“We are in the second round of discussions with those four companies. Two of the companies are interested in sponsoring the Gator Bowl and our consultant is negotiating with them, and two others are looking for a bigger buy than just the Gator Bowl and our broadcast partner, ESPN, is working with them,” he said.
Catlett did not reveal the others and said negotiations are ongoing.
The revenue generated by securing a title sponsor contributes to the payout the Gator Bowl can offer to attract top tier teams. The total payout to Mississippi State University and the University of Michigan was $5.4 million for their New Year’s Day performance.
If a title sponsor is not under contract by July 1, the Gator Bowl Association will adjust its budget to be able to maintain the attractive payout, said Catlett.
The association was prepared to do just that for the 2011 game, but Progressive was signed two weeks before the game.
Though the title sponsorship may be the biggest individual piece of the pie for Gator Bowl funding, it has numerous local sponsors that contribute to Jacksonville’s annual New Year’s holiday tradition.
Jacksonville-based W.W. Gay is a presenting sponsor and is joined by nearly 100 other local sponsors, including Acosta Sales & Marketing and Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.
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