OCSA Asks to Delay Bowl Commitment

The Orange County Sports Assn. asked the NCAA on Wednesday for a grace period to secure financing for the Freedom Bowl game, which will be renamed the Big Orange Classic.

Among other changes will be a break with the Pacific 10, according to Jack Lindquist, whose company runs the OCSA. The Freedom Bowl had a contract to take the conference’s third-place team, but it turned down a new deal that would have sent the conference’s fifth-place team to the game, Lindquist said.

OCSA representatives met with members of the NCAA special events committee Wednesday to ask that the bowl game be sanctioned without the OCSA committing to it until a financial package to cover costs could be secured. OCSA officials proposed waiting until between June 15 and July 1 before committing to the bowl game. Lindquist said the money situation will be settled by July 1.

The special events committee will meet today to discuss all bowl games and might take action on the OCSA request.

“We want to be confident financially that we can put on a game,” Lindquist said. “We need to have a title sponsor, two to four secondary sponsors and we need a letter of credit.”

Bank of America recently rejected OSCA’s request for a letter of credit. The OCSA is $1.7 million in debt. Lindquist said they will make a second proposal to the bank.

If financial support is secured, the Big Orange Classic will be held between Dec. 26-31 at Anaheim Stadium. The Western Athletic Conference’s third-place finisher would play an at-large team.