The 2024 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl will be played Dec. 27 at TCU’S Amon G. Carter Stadium, once again bringing the college football bowl season and the national spotlight it commands to Fort Worth.
The game will be televised on ESPN with a start time of either 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m., bowl organizers said in a news release.
“We are extremely excited to announce that our game will be played on the Friday following the Christmas holidays,” said Brant Ringler, executive director of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. “The national spotlight of thanks will once again shine brightly on our veterans and active-duty armed forces around the world.”
The local bowl game has featured the armed forces theme since 2006 with patriotic overtones recognizing all six branches of the service – Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force – throughout the game. Past games have included fan-fest adventure areas showcasing armed forces hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military’s top skydiving teams; custom homes and vehicles awarded to wounded warriors; on-field induction ceremonies; armed forces bands and honor guards; and the annual Great American Patriot Award presented by Armed Forces Insurance.
The Armed Forces Bowl was the first collegiate football bowl game to host all three military academy football teams and is the only bowl to feature all three academies multiple times. With Air Force (2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2022, 2023), Army West Point (2010, 2017, 2018, 2021) and Navy (2013, 2016) all having visited Fort Worth, the game has featured an academy team 13 times in the last 17 years.
The Air Force Falcons won the last two editions of the “Bowl for the Brave,” defeating James Madison 31-21 last December and downing Baylor 30-15 in 2022.
The Armed Forces Bowl has been the second highest scoring bowl game in the nation since 2014, producing a total of 652 points. The Rose Bowl (680) is the only game with more points scored over that time.
The Armed Forces Bowl also has been a showcase for standout college football players and future pros: 105 participants in the game since its inception as the Fort Worth Bowl in 2003 have been selected in the NFL draft. Ten former participants have been first-round NFL picks, highlighted by California quarterback and 2015 MVP Jared Goff (No. 1 overall by the Los Angeles Rams in 2016).
Information for this article was provided by the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. More information can be found on the bowl’s website.
