Texas vs The Nation

Texas vs. the Nation began as an idea to bring a sense of rivalry and teamwork back to the all-star arena. The CEO's of the game previously owned the Hula Bowl in Maui and Honolulu, Hawaii and saw the need in the all-star world for change. After considering locations such as Aruba, the Bahamas, Phoenix, and San Diego, Kenny Hansmire, CEO of Overtime Sports Group, decided that El Paso would be the perfect spot for the game and a theme of Texas pride should be the foundation from which the game was formed.

The inaugural Texas vs. the Nation Challenge kicked-off Friday, February 2, 2007 at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. Texans have always had a sense of pride in their football and the Texas vs. the Nation Challenge provided a venue to feature all-star collegiate seniors from Texas pitted against the best from around the United States. In the inaugural game, Team Nation ultimately came through defeating the Texans 24-20.

In its first year, the Texas vs. the Nation Challenge stood out in the all-star football world setting multiple records for first-year bowls. The 108-man roster saw 79 players sign with the NFL, the highest number of signees ever to come out of a first year all-star game and a top 10 all-time record for signees in an all-star game. 21, 548 fans watched Team Nation squeeze by Texas breaking an attendance record for first year all-star games.

The Roster was headlined by twelve players selected in the 2007 NFL draft including five 4th round picks, three 6th round picks, and four 7th rounders. Former Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Buddy Ryan put the Nation on the board leading the team to a victory over Texas. Backed by a coaching staff with nearly 100 years of combined NFL coaching experience, Ryan defeated UTEP Head Coach Mike Price and Team Texas to give the Nation bragging rights.

In 2008, Texas vs. the Nation partnered with El Paso based oil and refinery company Western Refining as the game's title sponsor. Led by legendary Alabama Head Coach Gene Stallings, team Texas took a victory to tie the all time record at 1-1. In front of a crowd of 26, 821, Texas took an early lead and dominated team Nation winning 41-14. The 2nd year game also drew attention after the 2008 draft saw 102 players sign NFL contracts, a record number of NFL signees in the all-star arena.

The city and county of El Paso have rallied around Texas vs. the Nation making the west Texas town the ideal sight for the show-down, hopefully for years to come. The 2009 game anticipates an even larger crowd of approximately 38,000 fans will fill the Sun Bowl on January 31^st.