Hyundai Signs Four Year Deal To Serve As Title Sponsor Of Sun Bowl

The Brut Sun Bowl is out. The Hyundai Sun Bowl is in.

And that means El Paso’s biggest annual event is safe for the next four years.

The Sun Bowl, previously known as the Vitalis and Brut Sun Bowl, will now be the Hyundai Sun Bowl. But some things with the big game never change. “Every one of our title sponsors has had local ties to the community,” said Bernie Olivas, executive director of the Sun Bowl Association.

For the past six years, it was Helen of Troy’s Gerald Rubin who carried the ball for the Sun Bowl. Now, the quarterback of the new tie between Hyundai and the Sun Bowl was Oscar Leeser, president of Hyundai of El Paso.

“It makes our company look just that much bigger and it makes the Sun Bowl look that much bigger…I’m really, really, really excited!” said Leeser.

The decision by Leeser and Hyundai to take the ball and run keeps the Sun Bowl from having to search nationally for a sponsor. “A nationwide search would probably have cost us a lot of money and talking to other bowls would probably have wound up with nothing,” said Olivas.

Neither Sun Bowl nor Hyundai officials would disclose the financial terms of this new deal. However, due to tough economic times, one source close to the Sun Bowl told ABC-7 this new title sponsorship is for less than the previous title sponsorship.

The Helen of Troy deal was for nearly one million dollars a year. But whatever the terms of this new deal, the Sun Bowl’s future has been secured.

“We will be around for at least four more years and hopefully longer after that,” said Olivas.

In addition to a new title sponsor, the 77-year-old Sun Bowl also recently secured a new TV deal, as well as new deals with the Pac Ten and Atlantic Coast Conferences.

One other note: Leeser handed the keys for a brand-new 2010 Hyundai to Olivas. He told him he didn’t want the Sun Bowl’s executive director driving anything but a Hyundai for the next four years.

(Press release follows below)

The Sun Bowl Association (SBA), together with Hyundai Motor America, announced today that the nation?s second oldest postseason college football game will be renamed the Hyundai Sun Bowl, effective immediately. The SBA and Hyundai also unveiled the official new logo to be used at the 77th Hyundai Sun Bowl.

?The Sun Bowl Association is proud to partner with fine corporate citizens like Hyundai Motor America and our local dealership ? Hyundai of El Paso,? said Amen Ayoub, SBA president. ?We are indebted to Helen of Troy, the makers of Brut and Vitalis, for serving as our title sponsor the last six years and excited with the prospect of Hyundai?s support and the addition of its image and prestige to our game as we move forward.? The Hyundai Sun Bowl replaces the Brut Sun Bowl name, which has been in place since 2006. Hyundai Motor America has signed a four?year contract to serve as the game?s title sponsor for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

?As a child growing up in El Paso and never having the opportunity to attend the Sun Bowl, it is now like a dream come true to be part of the title sponsorship of the Hyundai Sun Bowl,? said Oscar Leeser, president of Hyundai of El Paso. ?Locally, it is a great opportunity for the City of El Paso to have Hyundai Motor America, which is one of the fastest growing car companies worldwide become part of not only the Sun Bowl but also the El Paso community. Bringing big corporate dollars will ensure the growth and stability of our city.?

The 77th annual Hyundai Sun Bowl is slated for Dec. 31 at noon (MST) at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso. The game with feature a new era in the bowl?s history as the Pac?10 Conference third pick after the BCS will face either the runner?up of the Atlantic Coast Conference or the ACC third pick after the BCS. This year will mark the first year of a four?year relationship with the Atlantic Coast Conference. The SBA has been aligned with the Pac?10 since 1995 and has extended through 2013.

?Hyundai Motor America is extremely pleased to be affiliated with the Sun Bowl as the event’s title sponsor for the next four years. It is yet another sign of our expanding brand influence in the United States and we believe this prestigious game provides an excellent venue for continuing to communicate the great Hyundai story,? said Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Vice President of National Sales. ?Our association with one the most well established Bowl game traditions based in one of Hyundai’s fastest growing markets seemed like a very natural marriage to us.?

Helen of Troy, which initially signed a four?year agreement to sponsor the Sun Bowl in 2004, extended its partnership through 2009. During Helen of Troy?s six?year tenure as the game?s corporate sponsor, the Sun Bowl had its most attended era in the game?s history.

?It was a pleasure to be associated with El Paso?s biggest event,? said Gerald J. Rubin, president and CEO of Helen of Troy. ?At Helen of Troy, we strive to be good corporate citizens and for the last six years we have been a part of a special era of the Sun Bowl, which is a proud symbol of this great city and its residents.?

The Hyundai Sun Bowl annually generates close to $15 million in direct spending in the El Paso metropolitan area, making the largest single event in terms of annual economic impact in El Paso.

?We are very excited to see Hyundai make a commitment to the Sun Bowl and the City of El Paso,? said Bernie Olivas, executive director of the Sun Bowl Association. ?With this four?year partnership Hyundai has helped secure the future of El Paso?s game.?

Helen of Troy, which initially signed a three?year agreement to sponsor the Sun Bowl in 2004, extended its partnership through 2009. During its six?year tenure as the game?s title sponsor, the Sun Bowl had its most attended era in the game?s history.

Hyundai, which was founded as Hyundai Auto Service in Korea in 1946, has established an American presence and over half the cars Hyundai sells in the U.S. are made in the U.S. Hyundai has a technologically sophisticated manufacturing facility in Montgomery, Ala., engineering facilities in Michigan, plus design, research and testing grounds in California. All of which provides around 5,000 jobs for American automotive workers. Add to this more than 20,000 employees at Hyundai dealerships and 6,000 workers employed by Hyundai?s various vendors, and it has created a micro?economy.

The Sun Bowl is one of the oldest college football bowl games in the nation. First played in 1935, the Hyundai Sun Bowl matches teams from the ACC and Pac?10 conferences. Through the years, the Sun Bowl has featured many college football stars that went on to outstanding pro football careers. The list includes such stalwarts as Merlin Olsen, Tony Dorsett, Barry Sanders, Don Maynard, Jesse Whittenton, Billy Stevens, Charlie Johnson and current NFL stars Carson Palmer (Cincinnati Bengals) and LaDainian Tomlinson (New York Jets).

Over the past 76 years, the Sun Bowl has drawn more than two million fans through its gates and has averaged 49,874 fans a year over this past decade, including three sellouts in 2004 (51,288), 2005 (50,426) and 2009 (53,713).

The Sun Bowl has a legacy of providing top quality entertainment and exciting college football games. In 2009, Oklahoma outlasted Stanford, 31?27 in front of a Sun Bowl Stadium record crowd of 53,713 fans. The 2010 Hyundai Sun Bowl is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 31 at noon (MST) at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. CBS Sports will broadcast the 77th annual Hyundai Sun Bowl for the 43rd consecutive year.

The Sun Bowl Association produces additional major community events, such as the FirstLight Federal Credit Union Sun Bowl Parade, the Bank of the West Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Sun Bowl International Soccer Tournament, the Sun Bowl Fan Fiesta and the Western Refining College All?America Golf Classic. Each year, a Sun Queen and Sun Princesses are crowned to serve as ambassadors to the Sun Bowl Association, as well as to the city of El Paso.

ABOUT HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through almost 800 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program which now includes the 5?year/60,000?mile fully transferable new vehicle warranty, Hyundai’s 10?year/100,000?mile powertrain warranty and 5?year complimentary Roadside Assistance in addition to the highly acclaimed vehicle return policy introduced in early 2009. For more details on Hyundai Assurance, please visit www.HyundaiAssurance.com.