2017 Alamo Bowl Activities

Stanford next week will play in our first Alamo Bowl, and expectations for our experience are sky-high. The reports each spring at the annual Pac-12 meetings have consistently given this bowl rave reviews, including the hospitality and the location. Our team hotel is on the River Walk, San Antonio's most popular attraction. Culture, history, food and vistas will all be within arm's reach as our players explore the River Walk's pathways and arched stone bridges.

A pinnacle experience of the week will be Dec. 26 at the Alamo Bowl Pep Rally. The teams and bands of both Stanford and TCU will arrive via grand entrances on river boats. On stage, Peter Kalambayi, Justin Reid and Dalton Schultz will take the microphone, in addition to David Shaw. The event will transform into a Texas BBQ fiesta for the two teams. Before the Cardinal and Horned Frogs meet on the field, they will battle on stage for a talent show including singing, juggling and Rubik's cubes.

Stanford's players will have chances to explore the Alamo and other San Antonio destinations throughout the week. While our other bowl game experiences have featured more structured schedules, this week includes Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. A lot of players' families will be coming to town, so we built the schedule of this week to allow a maximum amount of free time the evening of the 24th and the morning of the 25th.

Our coaches families will have Christmas trees in their hotel rooms, as we spend the holiday away from home for the first time in our nine-year run of bowl games. Santa might bring something for our players as well, should they stay on his "nice" list. On Christmas morning, the entire team with players and coaches will enjoy a Christmas Breakfast feast.

The day before the game, the Cardinal squad will attend the highly spirited Kickoff Luncheon. ESPN's broadcast talent will emcee the event, head coaches from both teams will speak, and the bands and cheer squads will perform.

When game day arrives on the 28th, we have a unique decision to make. The Alamodome is located a fraction of a mile from our hotel. Never have we been located so close to our stadium, and the option exists for the Stanford team to walk to the game.

When kickoff arrives, our players will take the field under a dome for the first time in their college career. The Alamodome has undergone $60 million in renovations, making this 25th anniversary Alamo Bowl a highly anticipated experience. The locker rooms have been upgraded, the concourses have been expanded and technology has been updated with new video displays and a revamped sound system.

San Antonio has never sounded better, and the Cardinal can't wait to get our Alamo Bowl week started this Friday.