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The late Jimmy Rogers, Jr. will be honored at Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl

felix f. chavez, el paso times
·2 min read

Sun Bowl Legend and Sun Bowl Association Chair Emeritus Jimmy Rogers Jr., who passed away in El Paso earlier this year, will be honored at the upcoming Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl between Notre Dame and Oregon State on Dec. 29.

Who is Jimmy Rogers, Jr.

Rogers, who was 89 at the time of his passing, had been a part of the Sun Bowl Association Board of Directors for more than 50 years. He was part of the move from Kidd Field (a 15,000-seat stadium) to Sun Bowl Stadium, which opened in 1963 with a capacity of 30,000. He worked to help get the Sun Bowl Stadium expanded, which was paid for by the University of Texas System in 1983, a process that took a decade.

Rogers had been through the lean years and seen the game flourish, and always cherished giving back to El Paso.

Sun Bowl Legend and Sun Bowl Association Chair Emeritus Jimmy Rogers Jr., left, who passed away in El Paso earlier this year will be honored at this year's game on Dec. 29.
Sun Bowl Legend and Sun Bowl Association Chair Emeritus Jimmy Rogers Jr., left, who passed away in El Paso earlier this year will be honored at this year's game on Dec. 29.

Jimmy’s father, James Rogers, Sr., was the secretary of the first board of directors of the Sun Bowl in 1934. Nearly eight decades later, the game has grown exponentially, and the Rogers family has continued to play a part.

Three generations of Rogers have given their time to El Paso’s biggest event. Jimmy’s sons Jim III and Mike have each followed in the family tradition of giving back. Mike is a past president (2011) of the Sun Bowl Association, and Jim III spent more than a decade volunteering with the Sun Bowl basketball committee.

For many years, Rogers served as the game’s liaison with CBS Sports, a partnership that featured its 54th consecutive broadcast on Dec. 30, 2022. Rogers and others have cultivated the relationship with CBS into the longest running relationship between a bowl and a television network.

Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers

How will Rogers be honored

There will be a video tribute to Rogers during the game and according to Sun Bowl officials, CBS is expected to pay tribute to Rogers as well.

Rogers' name and years he lived are also on the stadium field for people to see above the Notre Dame Logo in the end zone. .

More: Notre Dame football What we learned from Notre Dame football's open practice periods before the Sun Bowl

Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X (Formerly Twitter)

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: The late Jimmy Rogers, Jr. will be honored at Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl