Sun Bowl exec Jimmy Rogers Jr. dead at 89
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A man critical to the creation of the Sun Bowl Association has died.
Jimmy Rogers Jr. was 89 when he passed away this weekend.
Rogers has served on the Sun Bowl Association Board of Directors for more than 50 years. During his time on the board, he oversaw the transition of the bowl game from its former location into the Sun Bowl Stadium in 1963. He also worked to secure an expansion for the stadium in 1983. In 1986, he also helped the Sun Bowl become the first bowl game in the country to get a title sponsorship.
Rogers had been a fan of the bowl game since childhood. He attended some of the games in the 1940, and often reflected on those memories in interviews.
Rogers inherited his love for the Sun Bowl from his father, James Rogers Sr., who served as the secretary of the first board of directors in the 1930s. He also passed that passion down to his two sons, Jim III and Mike, who served as president of the Sun Bowl Association in 2011.
