Texas vs The Nation was an American college football all-star bowl game played from 2007 to 2013.[1] Originally played at the Sun Bowl Stadium, the format of the game pitted 50 top-rated college seniors who played college or high school football in Texas against a squad of 50 top-rated seniors from the other 49 states.[2] In its first year, 73% of players who participated in the game were signed by National Football League (NFL) teams.[3] In 2011, the game moved from El Paso to San Antonio, and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) became the named sponsor of the game.[4] In 2012, the NFLPA began its own all-star game, the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl,[5] and the Texas vs The Nation game was not held.[3] The game was revived in 2013 at Eagle Stadium in Allen,[6] but did not return in 2014.
| Texas vs The Nation (defunct) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stadium | Eagle Stadium (2013) Alamodome (2011) Sun Bowl Stadium (2007–10) |
| Location | Allen, Texas (2013) San Antonio, Texas (2011) El Paso, Texas (2007–10) |
| Operated | 2007–2011, 2013 |
Game results
| Date | Winning team | Score | Team Texas coach | Team Nation coach | Site | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2, 2007 | Team Nation | 24–20 | Mike Price | Buddy Ryan | Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX | 21,528 | [3][7] |
| February 2, 2008 | Team Texas | 41–14 | Gene Stallings | Buddy Ryan | 26,821 | [3][8] | |
| January 31, 2009 | Team Nation | 27–24 | Gene Stallings | Howard Schnellenberger | 42,387 | [3][9] | |
| February 6, 2010 | Team Texas | 36–17 | Bill Bates | Howard Schnellenberger | 26,041 | [3][10][11] | |
| February 5, 2011 | Team Texas | 13–7 | Bill Bates | Jerry Glanville | Alamodome San Antonio, TX | [12][13] | |
| February 2, 2013 | Team Nation | 24–13 | Bill Bates | Howard Schnellenberger | Eagle Stadium Allen, TX | [14][15][16] |
Game MVPs
| Year | Name | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Ryan Moore | WR | Miami (FL) | [17][18] |
| 2008 | Xavier Omon | RB | Northwest Missouri State | [8] |
| 2009 | Frantz Joseph | LB | Florida Atlantic | [9] |
| 2010 | Cornelius Brown | CB | UTEP | [11] |
| 2011 | Taylor Potts | QB | Texas Tech | [19] |
| 2013 | Ryan Griffin | QB | Tulane | [14] |