Armed Forces Bowl
Navy outlasted OU in last year's game.
TCU Chancellor Emeritus Victor J. Boschini Jr. has a new job.
Boschini and TCU athletic director Mike Buddie have accepted invitations to become members of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl’s Executive Council, a group made up of key leaders from across the Fort Worth community.
Mike Buddie
“Not only has TCU been an incredible partner since day one, but both men have personal histories with our bowl game,” said Brant Ringler, executive director of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, in a press release. “Victor has been an ardent supporter of the bowl for more than two decades and truly understands its importance to the city of Fort Worth. Meanwhile, Mike gained firsthand experience of the significance of our mission and the city’s greatness previously as the Army athletics director.”
Boschini became TCU’s chancellor in 2003 and has long been a vocal proponent of college athletics. His community involvement extends well beyond campus, serving on the board of the Van Cliburn Foundation and as an emeritus board member of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.
“I am honored and really looking forward to taking more of an active role in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl,” Boschini said. “I have enjoyed attending it and watching it grow over these past many years.”
Buddie joined TCU as athletics director in January after more than five years at the United States Military Academy at West Point. During his tenure there, Army West Point earned a dramatic victory in the 2021 bowl, defeating Missouri 24–22 on a last-second field goal.
“As a former participant in the ‘Bowl for the Brave,’ I know firsthand the positive impact the game and surrounding festivities have on the young men playing in the game, and the tremendous opportunity the bowl offers to showcase the incredible community of Fort Worth,” Buddie said
TCU
Victor Boschini
TCU has hosted the Armed Forces Bowl since its launch in 2003, with the exception of the 2010 and 2011 games, which were moved during the renovation of Amon G. Carter Stadium.
The Armed Forces theme was adopted in 2006, making the bowl the first to feature all three U.S. Military Academy teams. The 2024 matchup marked the 14th time in 18 years that an academy team participated, with regular appearances by Air Force, Army and Navy.
Navy defeated Oklahoma, 21-20, last year.
The 23rd edition of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl will be played Jan. 2, with kickoff scheduled for noon on ESPN. This year’s game is the third played in January (2015, ’20).
Studies have shown that the bowl, one of 17 owned and operated by ESPN Events, has an economic impact of about $10 million locally.