It’s hard to focus too much energy on this game this time of year, with either semifinals or a national championship going on at the same time, but just a reminder that the Aztec Bowl takes place Saturday evening, with kickoff at 7 p.m. ET in Chihuahua, Mexico.
It’s the Division III all-star team facing the champion of Mexico’s collegiate league. The frequent questions about the Aztec Bowl and some answers:
Why is the game played on the same weekend as the national semifinals (or the Stagg Bowl some years)?
The AFCA doesn’t have any control over the date of the game. It’s set by Mexico’s college football association, as is the location, which is why the Division III All-Stars are always on the road.
How come my favorite player didn’t make the team?
This question is often asked about players that aren’t seniors. Playing in a postseason All-Star game is only possible if you’ve exhausted your eligibility. Most sophomores and juniors aren’t willing to do that just to play in this game. 🙂
How can I watch the game online?
You can’t, according to the Aztec Bowl site. You can listen to it online here.
Wouldn’t it be better to have a true Division III on Division III All-Star game?
Yep, we agree, it would. I’d rather see 96 or so All-Stars playing instead of 48. But Division III and the AFCA would need tens of thousands more dollars to put on that game, since it would have two teams. Perhaps we’ll get there someday. Then we’d have control over the date, as well. Now that Salem has turf, perhaps a true Division III All-Star Game could be played the next day in Salem Stadium. Picture one senior from each of the Stagg Bowl teams from the night before making a cameo appearance in the game, etc.
Besides, I know plenty of people have horror stories about non-Aztec Bowl Division III All-Star events. Aztec may only have one team, but it is done right.
Does anyone have a roster listing for the Division III all stars?
One of my friends son’s, Lenny Trusnik of ONU, is playing in the game. His brother Jason (who is now on the NY Jets roster) played in the game last year.
I hope this is current (and not 2002) 🙂
http://www.afca.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=67754&SPID=7653&DB_OEM_ID=9300&ATCLID=1327569
Thanks for the link. I am gonna have to talk to my buddy and find out why Lenny isn’t playing. Last I spoke to him, he was but I don’t see him on the roster.
Thanks again and best of luck to our guys
I can’t help but to recall my experience I had with a fraud of an “all-star” game that I participated in after my senior year at Linfield in 1998.
Back then there was a site called usafootball.com. At the time this site claimed to be the source for all things small college and specifically division III. One of the main hooks usafootball.com had been their “first class” all-star games they hosted at various locations. Now you have to remember this is still back in the wild, wild, west days of the internet and D3football.com was just a glimmer in d3hoops.com’s eye so many of us were just getting an education on the diversity of DIII.
After my senior season wrapped up I received an invite from usafootball.com to participate in their Mardi Gras All-Star Bowl. Here is where I should have known something was up. The participation fee to play was $450 and my airfare was on my own dime. Thankfully, Linfield was nice enough to hook me up and I was on my way in early February to this all-star game.
Upon arriving at the airport I met a couple of guys from the WIAC and the Empire 8 that were also playing in the game so right away I felt good about the game…that was until we arrived at our dirt bag hotel 20 miles outside of New Orleans. This place was a dump and it was only a few hours later that the few of us there were really starting to figure out this was a bad joke. My roommate (a kicker from Simpson) and I were on the “Red” team and we started to track down some of the other members of the “Red” team but we were having the toughest time finding anyone from the “Blue” team. Of course there wasn’t a “Blue” team and the individual who ran usafootball.com forgot to mention that he didn’t get enough players to field even one full team. Uh-oh.
I think the turning point was our first night there when we were supposed to have a “media day” meeting with the local press about the game. What it turned out to be was a mold infested room in the basement in the hotel with a few metal folding chairs and a flat half-full keg of beer in the middle. The only people there were the few guys from the “Red” team to B.S. and start putting the pieces together on why this wasn’t going to turn out good.
Basically what happened was the players called the organizer to the carpet and all he could do was back peddle. He said he was trying to get a local JC to come and play but by then nobody was buying what he was selling. Most guys pulled the ripcord and left within few days but most stayed and just enjoyed Mardi gras (which was a blast).
My advice to any seniors is you should be very careful about any “all-star” game where they ask you for a fee to play. Make sure the people behind are legit.
Sidenote: The a-hole than ran usafootball.com sold the domain to the NFL in 2003 and is nowhere to be found.
wildcat 1144, did you have a poorboy and and a good cry afterwards?
Mountzilla,
No crying but I did try a hurricane down on Bourbon Street.
My son, just got a pic and a tackle in the Aztec Bowl! I am so sorry that your experience with the “all star” game didn’t work out as the sponsors had promised, but at the same time, I think that it is a responsibility of Linfield to help you check these things out…..after all, isn’t all the coach’s, fans, and families responsibility to help you all as much as we can to fulfill your dreams???? You, after all, have fulfilled your responsibility of graduating from Linfield and playing on the Wildcats!
I am hopeful that Linfield continues to help my son, however they can, in his pursuit of his dream….! I am confident that if Jay Locey were still head coach, no one would be left out in the cold!!!!!!!
Congratulations to Andrew. He had a fine career.
I’m not to worried about what happened 10 years ago. All I was looking to do at the time to was to play one last college game and wasn’t looking to extend my football career beyond that. Linfield did more than they needed to in paying my way when they didn’t even need to do that.
All I was trying to express is for any senior that gets asked to play in these games is to make sure the organization is legit (like the AFCA) so they don’t wind up in a bad situation.
BTW…I don’t think Joe Smith would leave anyone out in the cold either!