DETROIT – Bowl officials today announced Little Caesars Pizza, the international pizza chain that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, as the title sponsor of the former Motor City Bowl.

The agreement includes name sponsorship of the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, a national promotion and other game week activities.

The 13th annual post-season college football bowl game featuring the Mid-American Conference Champion against a bowl-eligible Big Ten team will take place on Dec. 26 at 1 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit, home to the NFL’s Detroit Lions and Super Bowl XL.

“I’m a life-long sports fan,” said Michael Ilitch, co-founder and chairman, Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. “This bowl is a great opportunity to provide a fun experience for families and college football fans, while supporting college athletics. And what food goes better with football than Little Caesars pizza?”

“Little Caesars is a strong addition to our program,” said Ken Hoffman, chairman and executive director of the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. “With locations in Detroit and coast to coast, we feel that Little Caesars will bring a heightened awareness of our game.”
Little Caesars will enhance its sponsorship of the game by providing customer promotions including the chance to win tickets to national bowl championship games; hotel, airfare and tickets to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl; as well as great Little Caesars products, among other prizes.

There will also be great ticket discounts and giveaways available through Little Caesars stores and a special HOT-N-READY offer on game day.

“We are very excited about this new alliance,” said David Scrivano, president of Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. “We look forward to running promotions in Little Caesars stores across the country to enhance the bowl game experience and provide increased exposure for the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. Pizza and football are a natural combination, and our franchisees are eager to share the bowl experience with our customers.”

Many events are being planned in conjunction with the game, including a Little Caesars pizza party on game day, prizes like Christmas Night dinner with celebrity hosts Lloyd Carr and George Perles, a Detroit Red Wings game for the players, and community service activities featuring the Little Caesars Love Kitchen and participating Little Caesars Pizza Bowl teams.

“Detroit has hosted many premiere showcase events including the Major League All Star Game, Super Bowl XL and the Final Four,” said Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO, Ilitch Holdings, Inc. and also current chairman of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We know from these events that the bowl will not only provide a tremendous economic boost to the city, region and state, but it provides the opportunity to create a positive impression when people experience the city firsthand, which is vitally important.”

“We’ve had a tremendous relationship with this bowl for over a decade and are thrilled to see such a great sponsor as Little Caesars come on board,” said Dave Brown, vice president, ESPN programming and acquisitions. “Little Caesars Pizza has found the perfect partners in Ken and his team, who have done a terrific job of growing the game into a must-see event for college football fans during the bowl season.”

Like Little Caesars, the bowl is committed to giving back to the community. Through its Stocking Stuffer Program, thousands of youngsters from local community, youth, church, and civic groups are given an opportunity to attend the game. Tickets are donated to groups and organizations such as schools, community service organizations, churches, youth groups and others. Players from the two competing teams also partner with the Salvation Army to serve breakfast each Christmas morning to needy people in Detroit.