Inside the I-Bowl Newsletter: April 2024

APRIL 2024

GIVE FOR GOOD

GIVE FOR GOOD ONLINE GIVING OPEN NOW!

Give for Good Day 2024 is Tuesday, May 7, but online giving is open now! This year, the focus of the Independence Bowl Foundation through Give for Good will be the partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers initiative. Each year, the Independence Bowl Foundation partners with Extra Yard for Teachers, which provides funding to local educators for their specific projects submitted on DonorsChoose.org. The College Football Playoff Foundation matches 100% of all donations funded by the Independence Bowl.

Online donating for Give For Good is open now!

TEACHER TUESDAYS AT FLYING HEART BREWING & PUB

We have partnered with Flying Heart Brewing & Pub to expand the philanthropic impact on local teachers. Flying Heart is honoring teachers for “Teacher Tuesdays” for four Tuesdays leading into Give for Good Day, which started on Tuesday, April 16. Flying Heart is donating a percentage of sales from April 16, April 23, April 30 and May 7 from 4-9 p.m. to the Independence Bowl Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers fund. Flying Heart is also providing 10% off all pizzas for teachers with a valid school ID on those days.

Join us at Flying Heart on Tuesday, April 30 and May 7 to support local teachers and our Extra Yard for Teachers initiative!

IN THE COMMUNITY

13th ANNUAL YOUTH CLINIC HITS THE FIELD ON SATURDAY, JUNE 1st!

The 13th annual Independence Bowl Youth Football Clinic hits the field on Saturday, June 1 at Independence Stadium from 8-11 AM! It is FREE for boys and girls aged 5-13 (incoming 8th graders).

In 2023, campers learned from Centenary head coach Byron Dawson and coaches from Louisiana Tech, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, Southern-Shreveport and Southern Arkansas.

Check-in will begin at 7 a.m. on event day at the stadium’s southwest entrance. Participants will receive instruction from regional college coaches, a free t-shirt, and lunch following the clinic!

All participants must fill out an application by clicking the button below and a waiver upon arrival on the day of the event. Email Director of Events and Operations Jennifer Rider (jennifer@ independencebowl.org) with any questions about the clinic!

REGISTER HERE!

WE NEED YOUR HELP! VOLUNTEER FOR THE YOUTH FOOTBALL CLINIC!

Volunteers are what make our events so special and successful! We need your help in providing these kids' day more special at our 13th Annual Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Youth FREE Football Clinic on Saturday, June 1st! Click the button below to volunteer

Volunteer Opportunities

• Greeter (6:30 – 8:30 AM) – Direct participants to registration tables

• Registration (6:30 – 8:30 AM) – Check-in participants & confirm waivers

• Armband Station (6:30 – 8:30 AM) – Hand out armbands to each age group

• Coaches' Assistant (7:30 – 11:00 AM) – Assist regional college football coaches in drills

• Water Station (7:30 – 11:00 AM) – Fill and re-fill water coolers

• Lunch/T-Shirt Distribution (10:30 AM – 12:00 PM) – Pass out lunch and shirts to participants

CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER

IN THE COMMUNITY

131 TENNIS PLAYERS FLOCK TO SHREVEPORT FOR JUNIOR TENNIS CLASSIC

The Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Junior Tennis Classic returned April 6-7 for the first time since 2019, and 131 youth tennis players representing 13 states flocked to Shreveport to compete in the USTA National Level 5 Tournament.

Boys and girls ages 11 to 18 played in the tournament and traveled from various states including Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

The tournament featured singles and doubles draws for Boys and Girls in the 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U age groups. Matches were played at Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club and Bill Cockrell Tennis Center.

FULL STORY & RESULTS

FOUNDATION MEMBERS GATHER FOR ANNUAL

CRAWFISH BOIL

An annual tradition for April, Independence Bowl Foundation members gathered for the Annual Member Crawfish Boil on Saturday, April 20! Members and guests enjoyed all you can eat crawfish from Shaver's Crawfish & Catering. Check out photos from the fun below!

IN THE NEWS

IT'S TIME TO RENEW YOUR TICKETS FOR THE 2024 INDEPENDENCE BOWL!

Ticket renewals have been sent out, and it is time to renew your seats for the 2024 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl! To secure your seats for this year's game, tickets must be renewed by July 31 .

Public tickets will go on sale in mid-August, and at that point, all un-renewed tickets will be release to the public. Click the button below to contact Ticketing Director Avrielle Steward with any questions.

TICKET QUESTIONS?

WINNING TEAM SELECTED FOR THE 2023-2024 INNOVATION BOWL

The 2023-24 Radiance Technologies Innovation Bowl has come to a close with teams from Utah and Louisiana Tech presenting their final projects in person to a panel of Radiance Subject Matter Experts at Radiance’s Headquarters in Huntsville on April 9.

This year’s topic dealt with the challenges of increased thermal loads within microelectronics packaging as the number of ‘chiplets’ within a package increases to improve overall performance. Both teams focused on innovative designs for effectively cooling these advanced, complex chip packaging designs and developed working prototypes of their solution.

Team Cooler U from Utah, consisting of students Trevor Whitaker and Branden Webb, and faculty advisor Sameer Rao, won the $25,000 grand prize for their project titled, “Thermal and Hydraulic Performance of Supercritical CO2 in an Additively Manufactured Cold Plate.” Their innovative approach, while still in the research phase, identified a potential method with many attractive features, most notably the use of supercritical carbon dioxide as a cooling medium which results in a significant reduction in the required pumping power.

ALUMNI IN THE NFL

TUNE INTO THE INSIDE THE I-BOWL PODCAST!

The Inside the I-Bowl Podcast, presented by the Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate, is the official podcast of the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl and Independence Bowl Foundation. We keep you updated on all the I-Bowl news throughout the year, as well as college football news. We also talk to former players and coaches of the bowl, featuring their stories on their I-Bowl and college football experiences. Finally, it highlights our proud Independence Bowl Foundation volunteers and sponsors who work hard to make the bowl and our events as great as they are. Click the buttons to subscribe and listen!

FOLLOW US @INDYBOWL ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA!

The best way to keep up with all the latest Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl news and updates is by following the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl on Instagram, X and Facebook! Follow @IndyBowl on all platforms! You will also get access to special promotions and offers!

ALUMNI IN THE NFL

2024 NFL DRAFT: SIX FORMER INDEPENDENCE BOWL PLAYERS SELECTED

The 2024 NFL Draft is in the books, and a new crop of Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl alumni have achieved their dreams by being drafted to the National Football League. Six former Independence Bowl players were selected in the seven-round draft.

The highest-selected player was offensive tackle Patrick Paul, who played for Houston in the 2022 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. Paul was taken in the second round, 55th overall, by the Miami Dolphins. At 55th overall, Paul is the highest-selected Independence Bowl alumni since edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie (Temple, 2019) was selected` 38th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The six players selected span across each of the last three Independence Bowls and represent five of the past Independence Bowl teams – California, Texas Tech, Houston, Louisiana and UAB. Two teams, the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals, selected two Independence Bowl alumni.

As is customary for the NFL Draft, the final player selected is deemed Mr. Irrelevant, and this year, Mr. Irrelevant is an Independence Bowl alumni. Safety Jaylen Key was chosen with the last pick by the New York Jets. Key played for UAB in the 2021 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl before transferring to Alabama after the 2022 season.

Listed below are the former Independence Bowl players who were drafted:

Patrick Paul (OT – Houston, 2022) – 2nd round (55th overall) to the Miami Dolphins

Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (SAF – Texas Tech, 2023) – 4th round (104th) to the Arizona Cardinals

Tejhaun Palmer (WR – UAB, 2021) – 6th round (191st) to the Cardinals

Patrick McMorris (SAF – California, 2023) – 6th round (198th) to the Dolphins

Nathan Thomas (OT – Louisiana, 2022) – 7th round (233rd) to the Dallas Cowboys

Jaylen Key (SAF – UAB, 2021) – 7th round (257th) to the New York Jets

Adding the six drafted players and 11 UDFA signees increases the number of Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl alumni on NFL rosters or practice squads to over 120.

Patrick Paul