Third Time’s a Charm for Popeyes Bahamas Bowl

Old Dominion Wins Historic Game

People often say the third time’s a charm. That adage certainly rang true for the third edition of the 2016 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, which saw a huge increase in international media coverage and in the number of fans that witnessed the nail-biting match-up between the Old Dominion Monarchs and the Eastern Michigan Eagles.

Old Dominion University beat Eastern Michigan 24-20 in a game that was historic for both teams.  The game was carried live on ESPN and over 50 media covered the event.

The win gave Old Dominion its first bowl victory in the school’s eight-year-old football program, and capped off an amazing season.

Old Dominion Coach Bobby Wilder called the victory "a dream come true."

“It is an unbelievable team effort,” he said shortly after Old Dominion players poured a cooler of ice and water on him.

Addressing the media in a Popeyes Bahamas Bowl championship shirt, the overjoyed coach added, “This is one of the best days of my life.”

“I feel like I’m living the dream. We just had so much fun together. We never get too down. We’re a pretty excitable group. We dance a lot; we sing a lot so that’s how we feel right now. We’re living the dream and to be here in The Bahamas, it’s a really big deal. We’re so grateful and appreciative of being in this country, the way we’ve been treated – I’m talking about everywhere we’ve been in Nassau – we’ve just been treated with so much respect, the people have been unbelievable and I’m definitely coming back.”

Old Dominion team captain TJ Ricks was emotional when he was awarded the trophy for the defensive players of the game.

Ricks said he is proud of his team is going to miss being on the field with them once he graduates. He added that the win in The Bahamas will be a cherished memory.

Old Dominion Linebacker Shadow Williams said after Friday’s historic win, The Bahama now has a special place in his heart.

“I love The Bahamas,” Williams said. “I love the Bahamian people. We had a great experience. I hope to come back. I love it.”

Eastern Michigan Eagles said while the team had a great experience in The Bahamas, the players are deeply disappointed in the loss.

This was the Eagles first bowl appearance in 29 years.

Each team had over 1,000 fans travel to support them.

Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe, who awarded Ricks his trophy, said the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl was a great success.

“The exposure that we received from ESPN and all of the other media outlets have been great,” he said. “This is a wonderful event. The truth is that The Bahamas got massive exposure.   We couldn’t pay for this type of promotion. The number of visitors attending the event has increased tremendously. Popeyes Bahamas Bowl is catching on. And what a game it was; this was a wonderful display of athleticism. I congratulate Old Dominion and Eastern Michigan. Both teams deserved to be here. Today’s game proves that bowl games are indeed better in The Bahamas.”