Plot Synopsis

Originally known as the HUMANITARIAN BOWL, the inaugural event was played on December 29, 1997, in front of 16,289 fans on Bronco Stadium's blue turf. The event was named the HUMANITARIAN BOWL in a partnership with Boise's World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame, pairing the Big West champion with a representative from Conference USA. In 2000, the final season of Big West football, the Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl transitioned to a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) opponent. One year later in 2001, an eight-year association with the Atlantic Coast Conference began. The game secured a new title sponsor in 2004 and was renamed the MPC Computers Bowl. In 2007, the bowl returned to its roots with a new sponsor, Roady's Truck Stops, and the ROADY'S HUMANITARIAN BOWL saw Fresno State beat Georgia Tech, 40-28. A sister company of Roady's, uDrove, took title sponsorship in 2010, when Northern Illinois handed Fresno State a 40-17 setback. Then, the Idaho Potato Commission emerged with a commitment as a long-term sponsor, giving the bowl its new identity, the FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL, beginning in 2011. The 2012 FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL marked the final game of a 13-year association with the WAC, capping the final season of WAC football. The game has tie-ins to the Mountain West Conference and MAC.