IN THE COMMUNITY
HALL OF FAMER MACK BROWN TO BE 2025 KICKOFF DINNER SPEAKER
Mack Brown is a college football legend – a College Football Hall of Famer, two-time Coach of the Year and BCS National Champion – and will be the featured speaker at the 15th Annual Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Kickoff Dinner on Monday, August 18.
Brown has been a staple of the college football coaching world over the past 47 years with five stops in 36 years as head coach at four different universities – Appalachian State (1983), Tulane (1985-1987), North Carolina (1988-1997 and 2019-2024) and Texas (1998-2013). During his 36-year head coaching career, Brown compiled a 288-155-1 record. His 288 wins rank him seventh on the FBS all-time wins list. He is a two-time National Coach of the Year – winning the 2005 Paul W. “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year Award and the 2008 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year Award. He won the 2005 BCS National Championship with the Longhorns in one of the most memorable games in college football history.
Individual tickets to the event are on sale for $50 apiece, and a table of eight is $400. Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or calling the Bowl office at (318) 221-0712. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for a cocktail hour and dinner buffets will open at 6:15 p.m. The program will begin at 7 p.m. with a Q&A to conclude.
IN THE NEWS
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
FOUNDATION RECEIVES OVER $10,000 IN DONATIONS THROUGH GIVE FOR GOOD 2025
Give for Good Day was Tuesday, May 7, which supports the nonprofit community of Northwest Louisiana, and the Independence Bowl Foundation raised $10,833 in donations during Give for Good 2025.
The Independence Bowl Foundation’s focus with the Give for Good 2025 funding will be the bowl’s Extra Yard for Teachers initiative, which benefits local educators. The Independence Bowl partners with the College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers initiative each year, and the bowl has donated $112,000 to local educators and education projects since 2021 through this partnership. The College Football Playoff Foundation matches 100 percent of all donations funded by the Independence Bowl each year.
Extra Yard for Teachers Week 2025 is September 13-20, and the Big Day is Tuesday, September 16. The Independence Bowl and College Football Playoff Foundation also donated $10,000 to Starbase Louisiana in March 2025.
The Independence Bowl Foundation partnered with Flying Heart Brewing & Pub for the second consecutive year to help support the bowl’s Give for Good campaign. Flying Heart hosted three Teacher Tuesdays on April 8, April 22 and Give for Good Day on May 6, from which Flying Heart is donating a portion of their proceeds to the Independence Bowl Foundation. Due to inclement weather in the area, Flying Heart is hosting an additional Teacher Tuesday on Tuesday, June 17 from 4-8 p.m. and will be donating a portion of their proceeds from that night in addition to the other three nights. Flying Heart also provides teachers with a valid school ID a 10 percent discount on pizzas on each Teacher Tuesday. The amount of funding donated to the Independence Bowl Foundation by Flying Heart will be announced on June 17.
The Community Foundation of North Louisiana hosts Give for Good annually as part of its mission to increase local philanthropy and enhance the quality of life in North Louisiana. It is CFNLA’s gift to the nonprofit community and receives zero proceeds from the event. Give for Good 2025 raised $2.54 million from 4,207 donors for 222 nonprofits.
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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 Independence Bowl news throughout the year, as well as college football news and current events. We also talk to former Independence Bowl players and coaches, sharing their college football and Bowl Season stories, as well as their experience in Shreveport. Click the buttons on the right to subscribe and listen!
Full episodes of the Inside the I-Bowl Podcast, presented by The Shreveport Bossier City Advocate, and more are on YouTube!
Watch every episode of the podcast on the Bowl's official YouTube channel! WATCH INTERVIEW NOW
IN THE NEWS
EIGHT INDEPENDENCE BOWL ALUMNI SELECTED IN 2025 NFL DRAFT
The 2025 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl was highly represented throughout the weekend festivities, as eight Independence Bowl alumni were selected in the seven-round draft – including five players in the first three rounds.
The first Independence Bowl alumni came off the board in the first round, as former Houston wide receiver Matthew Golden was selected No. 23 overall by the Green Bay Packers. Golden, who caught two passes for 17 yards in the 2022 Independence Bowl before transferring to Texas, was the first former Independence Bowl player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Gregory Rousseau in 2021.
On day two of the NFL Draft, Independence Bowl alumni heard their names four times. Former Louisiana cornerback Trey Amos was selected in the second round with the 61st overall pick by the Washington Commanders. Amos started for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the 2022 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl before transferring to Alabama and then to Ole Miss. He was followed by three former Independence Bowl players in the third round – cornerback Nohl Williams, defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell and offensive lineman Caleb Rogers.
The draft concluded with three Independence Bowl alumni being selected in rounds four through six. Safety Craig Woodson was selected in the fourth round; defensive back Mac McWilliams was selected in the fifth round; and running back Tahj Brooks was selected in the sixth round.
The full list of Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl alumni drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft is as follows:
• Matthew Golden (Houston, 2022 – finished college career at Texas) – 1st round (23rd overall) by the Packers
• Trey Amos (Louisiana, 2022 – finished career at Ole Miss) – 2nd round (61st overall) by the Commanders
• Nohl Williams (Cal, 2023) – 3rd round (85th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs
• Jamaree Caldwell (Houston, 2022 – finished career at Oregon) – 3rd round (86th overall) by the Los Angeles Chargers
• Caleb Rogers (Texas Tech, 2023) – 3rd round (98th overall) by the Las Vegas Raiders
• Craig Woodson (Cal, 2023) – 4th round (106th overall) by the New England Patriots
• Mac McWilliams (UAB, 2021 – finished career at UCF) – 5th round (145th overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles
• Tahj Brooks (Texas Tech, 2023) – 6th round (193rd overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals
Green Bay, WI – April 24, 2025 – Lambeau Field: Mark Murphy and Roger Goodell with Matthew Golden selected by the Green Bay Packers during the 2025 NFL Draft.
(Photo by Al Powers / ESPN Images)
GET INVOLVED
OUR NEW MEMBERS TO THE INDEPENDENCE BOWL FOUNDATION!
Our bowl spans over six decades, and the Independence Bowl Foundation is the main catalyst for our success! The Independence Bowl Foundation is an organization consisting of numerous volunteer committees, which carry out all of its functions, drawing upon its more than 350 members. Memberships are open for anyone who would like to become a part of the 11th most-historic bowl game in college football and start as low as $200.
Welcome to our new Independence Bowl Foundation members!
YMCA NWLA
