The Salute to Veterans Bowl (formerly the Camellia Bowl) is an annual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sanctioned FBS college football bowl game played in Montgomery, Alabama, at the Cramton Bowl. The bowl has tie-ins with the Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The game was announced in August 2013 and was first played in December 2014. It is owned and managed by ESPN Events.
Sponsorship The bowl was sponsored at its inception by Raycom Media, a major owner of television stations in the southeastern United States with heavy involvement in college sports broadcasting, and was officially known as the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. In June 2018, Gray Television announced its intent to acquire Raycom. The acquisition was completed in January 2019,"Gray Completes Acquisitions for Raycom Media and Related Transactions" , Gray Television, 2 January 2019, Retrieved 2 January 2019 and the 2019 and 2020 editions of the bowl were played without a title sponsor.
On November 24, 2021, TaxAct was named as the new title sponsor of both the Camellia Bowl and the Texas Bowl.
On October 15, 2024, Integrated Solutions for Systems, Inc. (IS4S)—a Huntsville, Alabama-based government and military contractor—was announced as the new sponsor of the game, renaming it the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl.
Game results
Date Game name Winning team Losing team Attendance December 20, 2014 Camellia Bowl Bowling Green 33 South Alabama 28 20,256 December 19, 2015 Camellia Bowl Appalachian State 31 Ohio 29 21,395 December 17, 2016 Camellia Bowl Appalachian State 31 Toledo 28 20,300 December 16, 2017 Camellia Bowl Middle Tennessee 35 Arkansas State 30 20,612 December 15, 2018 Camellia Bowl Georgia Southern 23 Eastern Michigan 21 17,710 December 21, 2019 Camellia Bowl Arkansas State 34 FIU 26 16,209 December 25, 2020 Camellia Bowl Buffalo 17 Marshall 10 2,512 December 25, 2021 Camellia Bowl Georgia State 51 Ball State 20 7,345 December 27, 2022 Camellia Bowl Buffalo 23 Georgia Southern 21 15,322 December 23, 2023 Camellia Bowl Northern Illinois 21 Arkansas State 19 11,310 December 14, 2024 Salute to Veterans Bowl South Alabama 30 Western Michigan 23 12,021 December 16, 2025 Salute to Veterans Bowl Jacksonville State 17 Troy 13 15,721 Source:
MVPs The bowl's MVP receives the Bart Starr Most Valuable Player Award; Starr was born and raised in Montgomery, where the game is played. Year MVP Team Position2014 James Knapke Bowling Green QB2015 Marcus Cox Appalachian State RB2016 Taylor Lamb Appalachian State QB2017 Darius Harris Middle Tennessee OLB2018 Shai Werts Georgia Southern QB2019 Omar Bayless Arkansas State WR2020 Kevin Marks Buffalo RB2021 Darren Grainger Georgia State QB2022 Justin Marshall Buffalo WR2023 Rocky Lombardi Northern Illinois QB2024 Jeremiah Webb South Alabama WR2025 Caden Creel Jacksonville State QB Source:
Most appearances Updated through the December 2025 edition (12 games, 24 total appearances).
Teams with multiple appearances RankTeamAppearancesRecord 1 Arkansas State 3 1–22 Appalachian State 2 2–0 Buffalo 2 2–0 Georgia Southern 2 1–1 South Alabama 2 1–1
Teams with a single appearance Won (5): Bowling Green, Georgia State, Jacksonville State, Middle Tennessee, Northern Illinois
Lost (8): Ball State, Eastern Michigan, FIU, Marshall, Ohio, Toledo, Troy, Western Michigan
Appearances by conference Updated through the December 2025 edition (12 games, 24 total appearances).
ConferenceRecordAppearances by seasonGamesWLWin pct.WonLost Sun Belt 11 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024 2014, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2025 MAC 9 2014, 2020, 2022, 2023 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2024 CUSA 4 2017, 2025 2019, 2020
Game records TeamRecord, Team vs. OpponentYearMost points scored (one team)51, Georgia State vs. Ball State2021Most points scored (losing team)30, Arkansas State vs. Middle Tennessee2017Most points scored (both teams)71, Georgia State vs. Ball State2021Fewest points allowed10, Marshall vs. Buffalo2020Largest margin of victory31, Georgia State vs. Ball State2021Total yards537, South Alabama vs. Western Michigan2024Rushing yards331, Georgia Southern vs. Eastern Michigan 2018Passing yards393, Arkansas State vs. FIU2019First downs 31, Arkansas State vs. FIU2019Fewest yards allowed217, Troy vs. Jacksonville State2025Fewest rushing yards allowed74, Ball State vs. Georgia State2021Fewest passing yards allowed33, Eastern Michigan vs. Georgia Southern2018IndividualRecord, Player, TeamYearAll-purpose yards 182, Jeremiah Webb (South Alabama) 2024Touchdowns (all-purpose) 2, multiple players—most recently:Jeremiah Webb (South Alabama) 2024Rushing yards 162, Marcus Cox (Appalachian State) 2015Rushing touchdowns 2, multiple players—most recently:Shai Werts (Georgia Southern) 2018Passing yards 393, Layne Hatcher (Arkansas State) 2019Passing touchdowns 4, Layne Hatcher (Arkansas State) 2019Receiving yards 182, Jeremiah Webb (South Alabama) 2024Receiving touchdowns 2, multiple players—most recently:Jeremiah Webb (South Alabama) 2024Tackles 18, Maleki Harris (South Alabama) 2014Sacks 2, shared by:Bryan Thomas (Bowling Green)Eric Black (Buffalo)Jamil Muhammad (Georgia State) 201420202021Interceptions 2, BJ Edmonds (Arkansas State) 2017Long PlaysRecord, Player, TeamYearTouchdown run 50 yds., Bishop Davenport (South Alabama) 2024Touchdown pass 79 yds., Joshua Thompson from Kyle Vantrease (Georgia Southern) 2022Kickoff return 94 yds., Darrynton Evans (Appalachian State) 2016Punt return 25 yds., Corey Jones (Toledo) 2016Interception return 55 yds., Antavious Lane (Georgia State) 2021Fumble return 54 yds., D. J. Sanders (Middle Tennessee) 2017Punt 61 yds., shared by:Cody Grace (Arkansas State)Robert LeFevre (Marshall)Anthony Venneri (Buffalo) 201720202022Field goal 52 yds., José Borregales (FIU) 2019 For all-purpose yardage, the bowl's record book lists Murray's 179 yards (76 receiving, 103 kickoff return) despite Webb having 182 yards (all receiving).
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Media coverage The bowl has been televised by ESPN since its inception.
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