Matthews headlines Texas Bowl FCA Breakfast

Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews will be the keynote speaker at the Texas Bowl FCA breakfast.

Bruce Matthews, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2007, will be the keynote speaker at the Texas Bowl Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Breakfast. The breakfast will be held at the JW Marriott hotel on Saturday, Dec. 27 from 9-10:30 a.m. CT.

Tickets for the Texas Bowl FCA Breakfast include a ticket to the game in addition to the breakfast. Fans may purchase a 10-seat table for $500 or $1,000, or individual seats for $50. Guests who purchase a $1,000 table will also be invited to a private reception with Matthews before the breakfast.

Proceeds from the breakfast's ticket sales will go toward the Texas Bowl's donation to DePelchin Children's Center. In 2007, the bowl donated $80,000 to DePelchin. Fans may call 832-667-2390 to purchase tickets.

Matthews starred on the offensive line for Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans from 1983-2001. He was one of the most durable and versatile linemen in football history, playing all five positions on the offensive line and seeing action in a then-record 296 games. Matthews was named to a record-tying 14 consecutive Pro Bowls and was a nine-time All-Pro selection.

The 2008 Texas Bowl will be televised live nationally on NFL Network. The game will also be broadcast nationally by Westwood One radio and locally on KTRH 740 AM.

The Texas Bowl is partnered with the Conference USA and the Big 12 Conference. After the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) pairings have been set, the Texas Bowl holds the third selection among Conference USA-affiliated bowls and the seventh choice among Big 12-affiliated bowls.

TCU defeated the University of Houston, 20-13, on in the 2007 Texas Bowl before a crowd of 62,097. The audience was the third-largest crowd ever to see a college bowl game in Houston. The 2007 Texas Bowl attracted the eighth-largest crowd among non-BCS bowls last year. The Texas Bowl outdrew matchups such as Tennessee vs. Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl, Texas Tech vs. Virginia in the Gator Bowl and Alabama vs. Colorado in the PetroSun Independence Bowl.

The inaugural Texas Bowl was played on Thursday, December 28, 2006 at Reliant Stadium. Rutgers defeated Kansas State, 37-10, before a crowd of 52,210, the largest crowd to witness a bowl game in Houston not involving a Texas team since 1972.