Previous stadiums Roosevelt Field | ||
 | ||
Stadium Tiger Stadium (2003–present) Location Excelsior Springs, Missouri Operated 1947–1951, 1954–1975,
1992–present Conference tie-ins MIAA (2000–present)
NSIC (2000–present) | ||
The Mineral Water Bowl is an annual American NCAA Division II college football bowl game between teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association hosted in Excelsior Springs, Missouri at Tiger Stadium.
History
From 1947 to 1951, the Mineral Water Bowl was a high school bowl game to showcase the Excelsior Springs High School team; however, this ended when the Missouri High School Athletic Association disallowed non-sanctioned post-season games, and the bowl was put on hold.
In 1954, the game was revived as a small-college game. As of 1957, it was one of 11 NCAA sanctioned bowl games. The bowl game continued until 1975, when declining interest lead to the game being discontinued for a second time.
In 1992 the bowl was again revived, this time as a National Junior College Athletic Association bowl game.
After 1999, the bowl was reclassified as an NCAA bowl game, this time for Division II. Representatives from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association are chosen yearly for the game. The top-placing team in each conference not receiving a bid to the NCAA Division II National Football Championship playoffs receives an invitation to compete.
In 2009 the MIAA announced plans to also compete in the Kanza Bowl in Topeka, Kansas against teams from the Lone Star Conference. Due to financial difficulties and lack of finding a core sponsor, the Kanza Bowl was cancelled for the 2013 season. The Live United Texarkana Bowl and the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl are the only other NCAA Division II bowl game at this time. The Pioneer Bowl in North Carolina was suspended following the 2012 game. The Dixie Rotary Bowl in Utah was suspended in 2009.