Representatives from the Texas Bowl presented a report to the Houston City Council Tuesday afternoon detailing the economic impact that the bowl had on the city. The presentation took place at City Hall prior to the City Council meeting.
Jamey Rootes, president of Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, spoke to the Council on behalf of the Texas Bowl. According to the Houston Convention and Visitors' Bureau, the Texas Bowl generated nearly $30 million in local revenue.
The game produced a crowd of 52,210, the largest for a bowl game in Houston without a Texas team in almost 40 years. 27,000 of those tickets were sold to visitors, generating over $28 million in overall impact to the city, including nearly 30,000 hotel room nights during the traditionally slow week between Christmas and New Year's Day.
Television broadcast partnerships with NFL Network and Fox Sports Network Southwest, radio partnerships with Westwood One Radio Network, Clear Channel Communications and Univision Radio, and print agreements with the Houston Chronicle and Houston Press netted over $2 million in total media value.
Following his presentation, Rootes presented a check in the amount of $50,000 to Tom Bellows, chairman of the board of directors for DePelchin Children's Center. DePelchin Children's Center is the official charitable beneficiary of the Texas Bowl.
"Rutgers won the game, but when you look at it, Houston really won with the Texas Bowl, and DePelchin won, too," Texas Bowl executive director Jamey Rootes said. "The Texas Bowl is a very important initiative for the city of Houston, and we look forward to working with DePelchin Children's Center to realize our full potential."
"We look forward to a long engagement working with them in this," said Curt Mooney, Ph.D., the president and CEO of DePelchin Children's Center. "It was a great day for our kids when both teams came out and had a chance to visit with the children, and it made a huge difference. Thank you to the Texas Bowl and to Lone Star Sports & Entertainment."
Founded in 1892 by Kezia Payne DePelchin, the Children's Center is the largest and most comprehensive provider of children's social and mental health services in the Houston area. DePelchin Children's Center serves 27,000 children and family members annually through 30 programs, including adoption, foster care, counseling and drug and alcohol prevention.
The agency was originally founded to serve as a shelter for orphaned children, and has grown and changed over its century-plus history to continue to meet the needs of the greater Houston community. Today, DePelchin Children's Center has over 60 locations in Harris, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, Ft. Bend and Waller counties.
