SIAC and CIAA CANCEL 2014 PIONEER BOWL
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
released a joint statement canceling this year's Pioneer Bowl
ATLANTA -- The SIAC and CIAA have announced the cancellation of the Pioneer Bowl for 2014.
SIAC commissioner Gregory Moore and CIAA commissioner Jacqie McWilliams gave affirmation issuing the following joint statements:
"After much consideration, the SIAC and the CIAA Division II Conferences have decided the Pioneer Bowl will not be played this year.
While the Pioneer Bowl stands as the longest running bowl game in the history of black colleges and a national showcase for student-athletes, we decided that it is in the best interest of our membership, fans and student-athletes to not hold the game this year. We are currently undecided if we will reinstate the Pioneer Bowl game in the future."
"The CIAA and SIAC agreed that it was important to explore how best to continue conducting the game, but within the context of our strategic initiatives currently underway. The Pioneer Bowl is a unique opportunity for post play for our student-athletes and our members want to assure its presentation reflects the level of excellence and experience our fans and sponsors expect at all of our championship events. As we explore how best to take the Pioneer Bowl to the next level, we will provide further updates in the future."
Founded in 1997, The Pioneer Bowl has been held in five locations since its inception originally in Atlanta, and in 2012 concluded a three-year agreement with the City of Columbus, Ga. The event was not held in 2002, 2008 and 2013.
ABOUT THE SIAC: The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The primary mission and purpose of the SIAC is “to leverage intercollegiate athletics to the benefit of our student-athletes and to advance the overarching strategic interests of SIAC member institutions.” The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Benedict College, Central State University Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Paine College, Spring Hill College, Stillman College, Tuskegee University) which are located within a contiguous six-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors seven men’s and six women’s sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II.
ABOUT THE CIAA: Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first African American athletic conference and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 16 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. Headquartered in Hampton, Virginia, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member-institutions: Bowie State University, Chowan University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine's University, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University and Winston-Salem State University. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.