Prominent Huntsville-based mortgage lending company Hometown Lenders (HTL) has been named title sponsor of the Bahamas Bowl, which has been owned and operated by ESPN Events since 2015.
The HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl is presently college football’s only bowl game played outside the United States. The event, which is the longest-running international bowl game in college football history, has been featured seven years and counting.
In a statement announcing the multi-year sponsorship, Bahamas Bowl executive director Lea Miller-Tooley hailed the deal it had inked with the North Alabama lending company.
“We are looking forward to a long relationship with HomeTown Lenders, a marquee enterprise lending company with proven success,” said Miller-Tooley. “We will continue to make the Bahamas Bowl a once-in-a-lifetime experience with their support, positively impacting the lives of so many student-athletes, coaches and fans for years to come.”
Recently, HTL was unanimously chosen as the winner of the Capstone Enterprise Award at the 2022 Nexus Awards, an honor bestowed upon enterprise lenders for their success in the residential mortgage market.
HTL founder and CEO Billy Taylor expressed excitement over the company’s opportunity to sponsor the ESPN Event bowl game.
“HomeTown Lenders is excited to reach this agreement to sponsor the Bahamas Bowl,” stated Taylor. “This internationally televised college football bowl game is played at one of the most beautiful host sites, and the HTL family is honored to now have our name be associated with this outstanding event.”
He continued, “This sponsorship will help our team of mortgage lending professionals reach even more hometowns and families across the United States. We look forward to being on-hand when the Prime Minister’s Trophy is presented to the winner of this year’s Bahamas Bowl in December.”
ESPN Events vice president Clint Overby touched on the multinational sporting event promoter’s goal of presenting a unique postseason fan experience.
“We are delighted to have HomeTown Lenders as our new title sponsor,” noted Overby. “The bowl’s picturesque host location in the nation of the Bahamas coupled with the support of HomeTown Lenders as our new sponsor offers a perfect collaboration as part of our ongoing commitment to reward schools, student-athletes and fans with an outstanding postseason experience.”
The HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl is played annually in Nassau’s Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium and is televised on ESPN. This year’s game date will be announced at a later time.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL