| First Responder Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Servpro First Responder Bowl | |
 | |
| Stadium | Gerald J. Ford Stadium |
| Location | University Park, Texas |
| Previous stadiums | Cotton Bowl (2011–2018) |
| Previous locations | Fair Park, Dallas, Texas (2011–2018) |
| Operated | 2011–present |
| Conference tie-ins | AAC, ACC, Big 12, C-USA |
| Previous conference tie-ins | Big Ten |
| Payout | US$824,545 (2019)[1] |
| Sponsors | |
| Former names | |
Dallas Football Classic (2011, working title) TicketCity Bowl (2011–2012) Heart of Dallas Bowl presented by PlainsCapital Bank (2013–Jan 2014) Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dec 2014–2017) | |
| 2023 matchup | |
| Texas State vs. Rice (Texas State 45–21) | |
| 2024 season matchup | |
| (January 3, 2025) | |
The First Responder Bowl is an NCAA post-season college football bowl game played annually in the Dallas, Texas, area. The bowl was first held on January 1, 2011, and since 2014 has been contested in late December. The bowl was held at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park in Dallas through the 2018 game. Since the Cotton Bowl was being used for the 2020 NHL Winter Classic and was not available, the 2019 edition of the bowl was played at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in nearby University Park, Texas. The stadium has since become the permanent home of the game.
Originally commissioned as the Dallas Football Classic, it has undergone name changes due to changes in sponsorship. From 2011 to 2012, it was named the TicketCity Bowl after sponsor TicketCity. It was then known as the Heart of Dallas Bowl when PlainsCapital Bank (2013) and Zaxby's (2014–2017) were its sponsors. Since 2018, the game has been sponsored by Servpro and officially known as the Servpro First Responder Bowl.[2][3]
- ^ "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ "New SERVPRO First Responder Bowl to be played at Cotton Bowl Stadium". Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ "Heart of Dallas Bowl to be rebranded by ESPN as vote to keep game in the city looms". Retrieved August 13, 2018.